


Bringer of Nightfall

by RoseDragonWitch



Series: Azure Skies and Crimson Squall [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers - Fandom
Genre: Developing Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Heartbreak, Heavy Angst, Other, Patch 5.0 Shadowbringers Spoilers, References to Depression, Soul-Searching, Spoilers for 5.0, Trust, inner conflict
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2020-08-10 18:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 474,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20139997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseDragonWitch/pseuds/RoseDragonWitch
Summary: Now hailed as a hero throughout the Source, what next awaits the Warrior of Light, so to become a Warrior of Darkness? The time has come to move on only now we are heading to not a different country, but rather an entirely new world! The path to the First is open to us at last and a new battle awaits… the most epic one yet… discovering the truth of what lies at the heart of the Star…





	1. Prologue: The Syrcus Trench

**READ HERE FIRST!**

**MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE SHADOWBRINGERS MSQ!**

** _Also, I recommend reading the prologue to this story. It’s a short re-telling of a previous raid dungeon that will later play an important role in the story. The Spiraling Crystal!_ **

** _As for this story, this is the latest sequel to: Before the Rebirth of a Realm, Eyes Ever Heavensward, and Hells Open Heavens Weep. If you haven’t read them yet, you might want to before reading this._ **

** _Do not read if you are still playing through Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers or have plans to. I will be using my own character, Claire Faye, in the story to stand in as the Warrior of Light, but feel free to think of your own characters. Here is a list of things that will be in this story: _ **

** _Major Game Spoilers for Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, Heavenward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers_ **

** _Alphinaud/Warrior of Light Shipping_ **

** _Minor Alisaie/Warrior of Light Shipping (Sisterly love/crush)_ **

** _Minor Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light Shipping (Hero admiration/true friends)_ **

** _Minor Zenos Yae Galvs/Warrior of Light Shipping (Obsessively one sided)_ **

** _Minor Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light Shipping (Mostly observation)_ **

** _Many different POV of different characters_ **

** _Death, Violence, War, Despair, Hopelessness, etc._ **

** _I do not own any copyright, am doing this purely for entertainment…_ **

** _And if there are any special requests or suggestions that you would like to see happen here, please message me and let me know. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and let me know what you think. That’s it for now. Please enjoy the story._ **

**Prologue: The Syrcus Trench**

_Destinies ordained are not man’s to change,_

_But history’s chain may he yet disclaim._

_As scion joins with stock of withered bark,_

_So we, defying doom, embrace the Dark._

_~From an anachronistic journal, author unknown_

Oh, well that was helpful. Really… it was as clear as mud. What was wrong with her? Was this truly the best she could find? Some sort of prophecy from an outdated journal with no title or author? Come on, Krile… you’re better than this!

Krile was rubbing her eyes in exhaustion when she finally had enough and threw a nearby tome across the room; frustrated by the fact that she was no closer to finding an explanation to her friends’ mysterious illness. Despite the weeks she remained all but chained to her desk as she searched for a cure, her lack of said answers was getting to her.

Fighting the yawn, she turned her attention to another tome, only to realize she had already read it twice, and she promptly tossed it over her shoulder as well. Normally, she was so careful with precious tomes such as these, treating them as if they were made of glass. But she just could not erase the images of her friends all trapped in slumber… and nothing she learned was able to help her get any closer to a way to awaken them. Which now led to her short temper and tossing the books aside as if they were useless romance novels.

She slapped her cheeks to try to keep herself awake, mentally scolding herself for being so easily distracted. This wasn’t helping anyone… in fact, despite the help she was getting, they seemed to be stuck at a standstill.

She was aware that Master Matoya was doing her best to assist in discovering the cause of this mysterious voice. And from what Claire had told them, the last time she heard the voice was when she was pulled to the aetherial sea during her battle with the Zenos imposter and she spoke with a hooded man. She confirmed for them that it was _his_ voice that she had been hearing… so it stands to reason that he was the one responsible for striking at the other Scions.

What he wanted from them though… was harder to pinpoint. It seemed that he wished to speak with their resident Warrior of Light about something important—and as such, had said that he left some sort of gift for her at the Crystal Tower. So the other Scions have been hard at work searching for this ‘beacon’ that he was supposed to have left for her but they have yet to find anything that was ‘beacon-like’. Tataru had people out in full force, searching for anything suspicious… though since no one knew what this thing was supposed to be… progress had been had been less than impressive.

She wondered if she could try and speak to Claire later on? Just to see if she was alright or if she had heard the voice at all since that last battle?

Claire had been around the Rising Stones a great deal over those first few weeks, helping to take turns looking after the others. But with all her duties she was having a hard time trying balance it all and it was clear to them that the strain was starting to take a toll on their Warrior of Light. In fact, it got to a point that Tataru insisted that their friend take a well-deserved vacation and that she was not to return until she was well rested.

Without Claire around, she began to realize just how much that everyone depended on her. Just her presence alone helped to raise everyone’s spirits… But still, she had to agree with Tataru in that their friend’s health and well-being was just as important as helping the others. So she fully supported the idea of letting Claire leave the Scions and her responsibilities for a time.

It wasn’t easy, their friend was as stubborn as she was strong, but eventually, the two of them managed to convince their friend to take it easy for at least the last week. Under the condition that they call her should they find anything new or if any changes have come to the others.

While it felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over their heads, Krile could not deny that there was still an air of hope about the other Scions. Once word had spread that Claire had woken up from her ‘slumber’ it was all the proof that the others needed to know that this can be beat; that the others can and will wake up one day.

This she also believed. The Scions were strong, all of them, and they couldn’t stop here. She would just have to keep going and do her part to make sure that they all found their way back home. She only wished she knew where to look now because these tomes weren’t going to cut it.

“You know, if you keep throwing those books, Urianger will give you such a telling off when he wakes up.”

Krile jumped, looking down, having not even realized that she wasn’t alone anymore. Tataru was there, with a plate full of brightly colored pastries and a rather forced smile on her face.

“Hello,” she said as she set the plate down and said, “You need to remember to eat too. We all have to keep up our strength after everything that’s happened.”

No sooner were those words out of her mouth did Krile feel a rumble in her stomach and she felt her face blushing.

“Thank you, Tataru,” she mumbled as she looked at the foreign sweets. “I guess… I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now. What are these?”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that,” Tataru reassured her. “After working with the Scions for so long, I quickly found out that they can get so caught up with work that they don’t even realize how much time goes by. I sometimes had to slap them to remember to take care of themselves. I just thought that you might enjoy some dango! I learned to make them while I was in Kugane. They are just to die for!”

“I appreciate it,” Krile stretched and yawned. “Truth be told, I think that I am in desperate need of a break. My eyes are starting to go cross on me.”

“You should have gone to bed a long time ago,” Tataru scolded as Krile picked up one of the pieces of dango and tried a piece, startled at how sweet it was.

“I know,” Krile said apologetically, enjoying having something in her stomach to soothe away some of the ache. At least until she realized something strange and looked up to ask, “Tataru? Why are you up so late?”

“Late? Krile, it’s almost sunrise!” Tataru said and Krile’s jaw dropped at that news. She had been working straight through midnight and into the morning hours? No wonder she was such a mess now?!

“You been at the desk all night,” Tataru reminded her, “Now, once you’re done eating, I am going to insist that you go to bed! We can’t have you collapsing either!”

“Y-You are right, Tataru,” Krile yawned again, “I’m sorry. I’ll clean up here and then I’ll…?”

“No need to worry about that,” Tataru said as Krile jumped down from her seat. “I’ll do it for you.”

“But I have to go and return this particular tome to Rowena,” Krile sighed as she picked up a book so large, it was a wonder she was able to pick it up at all.

“No, you don’t…?”

“Yes, I do,” Krile scolded back as she leapt down from her seat, “I promised to borrow it for only a day before I had to return it. Otherwise she was going to charge the Scions a small fortune. I better do it unless you want to pay her price and…?”

Tataru paused slightly before clearing her throat.

“You know what? I think that we could both use some fresh air before you head off to bed,” Tataru decided suddenly. “And… I suppose we could return the book after a quick walk around the square…? I’ll go with you though, just to make sure that you get back in a reasonable time.”

In other words, to make sure that she didn’t stop to borrow anymore tomes on her way back and cause this again.

So the two of them set off with the heavy book in tow. In fact, it was so large that Krile was weighed down with it and struggled to walk. Not to mention how her sleep-deprived state was enough to cause her to stumble and almost drag her feet as she tried to avoid getting stepped on by the early risers of the Toll.

“You want to be careful with her,” Tataru warned her quietly ten minutes later, after dropping off the volume and were heading back to the Rising Stones. “You got off with her this time, but she will charge you an arm and a leg if you aren’t careful… and that’s if you’re lucky. You should hear some of the complaints that adventurers all over town here have about her. Claire has more than a few choice words about her too, if you can believe that.”

“You are right, of course,” Krile sighed wearily. “And I’m sorry for worrying you. I was… I was just desperate. I was running out of places to look and didn’t know what to do. So I took a chance. Not that it helped… all I got was a prophecy from who-knows-when about joining with withered bark or some such. I’ll see what our other sources have and I’ll…?”

“After you get some sleep,” Tataru cut in with a scolding glare.

“R-Right, of course,” Krile coughed as they walked back together, trying to be careful not to get underfoot of some of the taller adventurers as they walked on in silence.

“Have you found anything new though?” Tataru asked, not looking surprised—if perhaps a little disappointed—when she saw Krile shake her head.

“If we could somehow get in contact with the owner of that voice once more…?” she sighed as she suddenly wished she had some more dango, “Perhaps we could get some more answers from him?”

“I spoke to Claire the last time she was here, and so far she hasn’t heard another word from that strange voice,” Tataru pouted. “I just don’t get it.”

Neither did Krile. When she learned that Claire had awoken, she went to speak with her in person, just to see with her own eyes that she was alright. When she questioned her, Claire told her everything that happened… as well as the vague words the stranger left with her.

_“But the place of our meeting is of no consequence—like the war you wage. Win or lose, the path you walk leads only to oblivion. The better path leads you here. To me. I have need of your strength.”_

Need of her strength?

His words were… frustratingly evasive at best. Nor did he mention the other Scions at all. It sounded to her like this hooded man, whoever he was, had been trying to reach Claire first and foremost and that the others… got caught up in it? All she knew was that this man had said he left something for her near the base of the Crystal Tower that would help her on her journey. All she needed to do, apparently, was to find it. After that, he would take care of the rest.

Rest of what?

Just who was this guy and what did he want with them? Was it possible he was holding the souls of the other Scions hostage until he got Claire? Was it possible that he was working with the Ascians and that this was all one big trap?

The path to the First would soon be open to her… as soon as they throw wide the gates? What gates was he talking about.

“I don’t suppose you ever heard the voice?” Tataru asked suddenly and Krile shook her head. And that was another thing that she was wondering about. One would think that someone with the Echo could be able to hear such a voice? Not only that, she was also a Scion… but it were only certain members of the Scions who were ‘called’ away. Why was that? And why was Claire the only one who woke up? Then again, the Warrior of Light was always pulling off miracles, so she supposed that it was to be expected that their friend would be strong enough to resist it. But that was the best explanation she had for the time being, sadly.

In all honesty, Krile felt that she had all but exhausted her resources trying to figure this out. Like she was trying to put a puzzle together when she was missing all the important pieces. So while they parts… they didn’t have enough information to string them all together.

She looked up to the sky to see that the aetheric gloom that was over the town since the night before had finally cleared up and the purple haze had left, leaving only a clear sky in these early hours.

If nothing else, the timing was both convenient and inconvenient for them. The Garleans had retreated behind their borders for the time being, and there have been no desperate calls from any of the City States on unexpected primals. Arenvald was with Fordola and his group, keeping an eye out for signs of primal summonings, and doing what they could to keep the Beast Tribes from gathering too many crystals to prevent their gods from stepping foot in Eorzea for the time being… but otherwise, everything was quiet.

“Did you find out any more information about this mysterious beacon yet?” Krile asked curiously.

“No,” Tataru said as she shook her head in frustration. “So far anyway. I know that Hoary and Coultenet have been checking on the scholars of Saint Coinach’s Find to see how progress has been going; but last I heard, Cid said that it’s difficult since we don’t even know what we’re supposed to be looking for.”

“You think that robed stranger, who seemed so keen on speaking with Claire, would have been a little clearer on what it was that she was supposed to find,” Krile said grumpily. “Seriously, just two seconds to tell us what it is that we’re supposed to be looking for? Would have been too much to ask?”

“Well, from what Claire said, apparently it was like this guy thought that we would know it when we found it?” Tataru offered.

“Well, I guess we better keep looking,” Krile stated, winching at how obvious that sounded. “I fear I have yet to find the other’s souls… but if what he said was true… she will be going to the First?”

“That’s… that is what it sounded like,” Tataru whispered so softly that Krile wasn’t sure she even heard her right. “I hate it… but…?”

“But what other choice do we have?” Krile sighed as Tataru huffed up almost cutely as she swelled with surprised frustration.

“Still, I almost rather have her go running off to another world on a rescue mission than facing that… that _thing_ who’s walking around in Zenos’s body again,” Tataru said with a frown. “But I’m sure she’s going crazy here. Sitting around as we try to come up with a solution.”

“A solution we’re still no nearer to discovering at the moment,” Krile said grimly, “But… you know, I was thinking… once she arrives at this… other world, she’ll be needing help, won’t she? So how about if I…?”

Before she could even finish voicing her opinion, Tataru stopped dead and spun around so that there was a blazing defiance in her eyes.

“No! I won’t allow it!” Tataru barked out so suddenly that Krile jumped in surprise—even more so when the receptionist was glaring at her with her hands on her hips, as if she were a mother who caught her sneaking back home after being gone all night. “You said so yourself that you’re a scholar, not a warrior. And I’m willing to bet an entire year of jam tarts that this place is going to be incredibly dangerous!”

“But I could help her with…?”

“With what? You told me before during that whole issue with Eureka that you felt terrible about leaving all the fighting to her!” Tataru reminded her. “Not only that, you can’t all just leave me alone! Not with this mess!”

At those words, Krile could see Tataru was now struggling to hold in her tears and whimpered slightly at the thought of them all leaving her alone. Guilt now filling her heart when she saw how Tataru sniffle as her eyes grew watery, Krile quickly did what she could to spare her friend from breaking down completely.

“Oh, we can’t have that!” she said with a cheerful smile as she gently brushed her thumbs over the wetness that was leaking out of Tataru’s eyes, “We need you Tataru, after all, we all know who’s really in charge of the Scions. And… I understand, and I know that you are right.”

Krile then sighed as she let the false brave fade

“I don’t like it, but I can admit when I’m wrong,” she stated with a slightly bitter air in her voice, “I know that we can’t all just leave the Scions right now, especially with war on the horizon. I guess we can’t all be heroes.”

They smiled as they came to a silent agreement.

“We are going to have our hands full keeping everything going with the others gone,” Krile said as Tataru gave a shaky laugh.

“I’m sorry,” Tataru said softly as she wiped her eyes, “It’s just… there’s so much to do all the time now. We have to keep everything going even when we don’t know where the others are. And the idea of sending Claire to who-knows-where on her own like this? I don’t like doing that to her. I just feel so…?”

“Useless,” Krile finished, understanding completely, “Believe me, I recognize the feeling. But we all have our parts to play. And don’t forget, our friend has never failed yet. We just have to do our part and help see her on her way safely. I know she’ll pull through. And once she finds the others and drags them home, after which I plan to give them each a proper scolding, we can focus our energies on the Empire. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet. While I look forward to that day, we have a long way to go. First thing’s first, we have to find this beacon. If we want to get anywhere, we have to find that thing first.”

“Right,” Tataru beamed, “You’re absolutely right. Anyway, let’s head back and get you some…? Oh, hold on.”

She reached up to her ear when she heard the linkpearl going off.

“Yes?” she asked and was silent for a moment was she listened to the voice on the other end. “Oh, it’s you, Cid. Good, I was hoping to talk with you. I was just wondering…? Hmmm?”

She paused and listened to whatever Cid was telling her and Krile watched. Krile yawned, thinking longingly of the bed that was waiting for her when she heard Tataru gasp. She looked back to see that her friend’s eyes were was wide as plates and staring at her with shock.

“What?” Krile asked urgently, “What is it?”

***Claire***

That dream again…

Claire woke up screaming… as she normally did these days.

That haunting dream of being trapped in a light filled world while be attacked by some sort of angel-like creature before she would be engulfed in shadows… was back again.

But it was herself that caused this fear inside her…

_*Dream*_

_She was standing upon an open, lifeless area filled with golden light emanating from the clouds above her head, with the only forms of life were from the occasional plant or sparkling crystal that jutted out like open wounds. All she knew was that she was in pain… terrible agony inside her head that made her feel as though she was being torn apart from the inside out. She staggered across this barren land, on her own, with no one else in sight for malms._

_She could feel the weight of a bow in her hands, her fingers feeling strangely numb, before gazing up at clouds above her that was were thick she could not see a trace of the sky. Her feet marched onwards out of habit more than anything… not because she had somewhere she needed to go. But she stumbled, wanting to just drop here and rest… rest until she was nothing more than a forgotten memory._

_But she couldn’t… no… not yet… she had to keep going. She could not stop because… because why? She couldn’t remember. It was important and it frustrated her not being able to recall why she had to go._

_Suddenly, memories attacked her mind and she gasped as she stumbled forward. The images of the past playing through her head, each one bringing painful feelings and thoughts as they played in a grim procession across her mind’s eye._

_As she tried to focus on where she was, she was suddenly somewhere else. She was back upon the battlefield where there was death and ruin… fire falling from the sky as the sky turned pitch black. She knew not where she was or how she got here, only that she saw destroyed machines and the bodies of soldiers scattered about her. _

_In fury, she held up her blade as she charged ahead, not able to step anywhere without standing upon the remains of a soldier who had given his life for this war. She could feel the blood splattering across her skin as she cut down a foe… barely aware of the banners that fluttered about her. Behind her were six banners of different colors and symbols that represented their nations… flying bravely even while the fires burned around them… unable to even mourn those that died for their sakes._

_Meanwhile a bright silver standard flew wildly in front of them as another stepped out of the shadows towards her._

_She could feel the pain of her injuries and the weariness was so great that it felt as if her very bones were melting. She could only remember tearing off a pieces of her torn and filthy sleeve while the death that surrounded her made her feel as if she was drowning in an ocean of sorrow._

_But even as Fray’s dark chuckle could be heard in the back of her mind, she spun about to face her next foe… who had only finished cutting down another solider. Zenos turned to face her, where she could see his cold blue eye through the partially destroyed helm._

_To her surprise, she heard a whisper… but it wasn’t Fray’s voice this time. She knew that voice from somewhere…? But from where?_

** _“How many years have come and gone since that day?”_ **

_Since what day? Which day? Who are you speaking?_

_But she didn’t have time to ask as she saw Zenos’s eye narrow when he recognized her and she turned sideways, sheathing her blade and preparing to draw it once more. She watched as he turned to his massive sheath, preparing to do the same thing… the crimson blade suiting him more than ever._

** _“How many years have I waited?”_ ** _ the voice asked again in her ear._

_Waited?_

_Who was speaking to her? Why did she know that voice?_

_No, she could not listen to this now… she had another battle to win… and then another… and another… and most likely… another…_

** _“For the one who stood against the storm?”_ **

_A nearby burning banner fell into a puddle and they charged at the same time. She and Zenos all but flew to the other and faster than blinking… they charged past the other after having made contact. They stood with their backs to each other—waiting to see who won; yet their blows so great that the clouds in the heaven parted and revealed a night sky with a crescent moon and stars. While below them at their feet… all rock, shrapnel, and even the water were all knocked away with the sheer power of this blast… so that they were standing in the middle of a perfect circle free of death…_

** _“For the one they called… the Warrior of Light?”_ ** _ the voice asked her and everything faded._

_“DON’T YOU CALL ME THAT!” she all but screamed out into the void of death and destruction. _

_Why that title suddenly brought this rage to her, she did not know nor did she care to understand it. All she knew was that accursed name was now more a part of her than her own name. And she hated that fact more than anything else at that moment._

_With a great effort, she pulled herself away from the battlefield so that she was back standing alone in this empty region. She was trembling, her entire body wracked with pain so that she felt she would shatter apart any moment._

_Why? Why was she forced to walk this path? Where did it all go wrong for her?_

**_“Weary wanderer…”_** _hiss a disturbing voice close to her ear—though not the same voice she had heard before. She stared about wildly, her head still pounding, before she saw who it was who spoke. At her feet was a little gremlin with white fur and large, pointed ears. He had the face of a monkey, with long feet and arms that were striped while a long, striped tail with pointed end looked up at her. He laughed at the sight of her, revealing sharp teeth and red eyes as he taunted, _**_“No fight left to fight!”_**

_He cackled some more and added, _ ** _“No life left to live…”_ **

_At those words, all of her pain faded as she was filled with fury and a savage urge to cut this creature down for his cruel words._

_That was when everything was bathed around them in a golden glow and she stared up at the clouds to see light shining through while white feathers fell about her._

** _“Ho, it comes!”_ ** _ the gremlin cried eagerly as it backed away, still laughing at her, _ ** _“The end—your end!”_ **

_End… yeah… someone was going to end… but it wasn’t going to be her. She spun about and watched as, through the clouds and heavenly light, appeared a majestic winged figure. She watched with wide eyes as the heavenly figure flew down towards her, revealing a great size with a feminine face, long white hair, glittering armor, and a shining sword. _

_Claire knew what was coming and she reacted in time, holding up her bow as she blocked the blast of light. But it was still enough to send her flying backwards. Dust and dirt flew up as she felt her bow and quiver of arrows went flying about her and laid forgotten upon the destroyed land._

_But that was when she brought her hand down, and she felt the weight of the greataxe appear as her clothes were suddenly replaced by armor, leather, and furs. She flipped over and dug her weapon to the ground until she was able to stop herself. She could feel the weight of the scar she had just dealt upon the ground before she charged ahead once more._

**_“Fool,”_**_ she heard the gremlin cry from somewhere else,_ **_“Who are you? No one. Nothing.”_**

_And when she was done with this thing, she would take care of that gremlin!_

_But then the image faded so that there was nothing but fire burning. She was soaring upwards and landing on top of a wooden tower of what looked to be an old fort as she stared at the blazing forest around her. She coughed and gasped, the heat burning her lungs as she flew about the trees as fire rained down from around her. The fireballs struck at the trees and burned at the wooden settlement that hid beneath the boughs. Every building was on fire… no one could possibly wish to remain in all of that… all but one. On the top of a tower that she stood, she could see that there was someone still here… overlooking the rain of fire stood a figure that was robbed and hooded, their back to her as they held a twisted and curved staff in one hand._

_The figure was observing the fire below them, not bothering to move even as the flames were beginning to lick the floorboards beneath their feet._

_She opened her mouth to call out a warning to this mage when another voice spoke up… this one she knew all too well._

** _“What sayest thou, Master Matoya?”_ **

_She blinked and tried to see through the smoke when Urianger, of all people, standing there in a long robe that was decorated with delicate chains and trinkets. He then held up some cards and fanned them out—cards she recognized at once as those that Astrologians use in battle. She stared at him, almost unable to recognize her friend dressed as this. He then went on speaking, as if not even realizing the fire around them as he asked, **“We may accept this fate, or defy it. But we cannot deny it.”**_

** _“Deny?”_ ** _ said the hooded figure, whose voice she also recognized. **“I am not one to run from my troubles.”**_

_There was only one person she could think of who the name Matoya would have important meaning but also sound so disinterested in the hellfire that burned around them. The fires caused a massive tree to fall over and the gust of hot air blew the mage’s hood right off to reveal short white hair and two pointed cat ears sticking out._

** _“Until our friend returns,”_ ** _ Y’shtola vowed as she held up her staff, as if ready to battle the fires themselves, **“I shall hold the line!”**_

_Before Claire could see more, the fires faded around her, leaving her in the darkness as she began to soar underground. It felt very thick and musty, revealing that this place had not seen fresh air for some time. It was very dark as well, and aside from a roaring blue fire that was set up in a pit below her, she doubted that she would have been able to see anything._

_That was when she heard the sounds of pounding footsteps and she turned to see a figure dressed in long white coat running up the steps as he pulled the arm of a young child behind him. Claire could not see the stranger’s face clearly in this low light, but she could see the shine of a gunblade upon his back, and the child was dressed in a light blue cloak and hood that covered her whole head as she stumbled to try and keep up with her protector. Claire followed after the pair as they reached a long hallway that held chains on the wall and lit by faint flaming torches and cast a little more light about them. The two did not stop though as they bolted down the hall, heading to another set of stairs and doors that looked to be the way out._

_Yet once they were halfway across the room, something came bursting out through the ceiling above their heads. She gasped as the two skidded to a stop and watched as something white, winged, and enormous fell from the floor above and landed on the ground so hard that the walls shook. She watched as through the rubble and dust, another creature as white as marble rose up—a massive winged lion with a crown upon it’s head._

_The winged lion bared down on the two figures, the one out front holding out his arm to prevent the child from taking another step, as well as to shield her from the beast that now bore its teeth at them._

** _“This town certainly has changed,”_ ** _ said a third voice she knew well and she spun around to see that it was Thancred guarding the child. He then reached behind him as he gripped the blade all the while forcing the child to stand behind him, **“And not at all for the better.”**_

_Claire made to call out to him, but the winged lion had already flown at them. The child broke free and ran to hide behind a pillar as Thancred began to battle with the creature. She watched on, worry gripping her heart as she saw Thancred charge in without a hint of fear. He leapt and spun about, dealing blow after blow against the creature—who was as unmoving as a statue._

_At last, he landed and spun back to face the threat before calling to the girl._

** _“I’m not going anywhere,” _ ** _he vowed to the girl,** “I promise you, Minfilia.”**_

_“Minfilia?” Claire gasped as she looked to the young child to see a familiar color of blonde hair… but those eyes…?”_

_Before she could stop herself, she blinked… and the image was gone. Instead, she was back on the battlefield. Bringing her axe to bear… she watched in horror as it shattered upon contact with the glowing shield. While the pieces flew about her, she was knocked back with a shield bash. She shifted and was suddenly in her Dragoon armor once again—meeting her foe in the sky._

_But it dodged her attack, swinging around and swung its sword… it moved so fast that it was all that she could do to block it… and she could only watch as her lance shattered apart at the contact._

_With her weapon destroyed, the next thing she was aware of was that she was then sent falling to the earth. Just before she hit the ground however, she shifted over to monk and flipped over and landed gracefully in the dirt even before the broken edge of her lance hit the ground right behind her._

_The voice that she heard from before suddenly spoke again in her ear, telling her, **“**_ ** _This tragedy, greater even than the 7th umbral calamity…”_ **

_She did not understand… the calamity had almost destroyed everyone… how could anything be worse than that? What was it that was coming for them? But her mind was still focused upon battling her foe as she spun about, her fists glowing as she tried to solve it with her fists. _

** _“…must be undone.”_ **

_The blast was so powerful that she felt as if her entire arm was shattering apart. Pain wracked her body once more as she fell… having been brought to her knees and she could taste the blood in her mouth. She was so tired… her strength had all but faded at this point as she felt a katana in her hands once more. She knew her foe was still there… still ready to end her. Her body shook as she gripped the handle… knowing that it was all she could do. Her enemy calmly walked towards her, the blade glowing brightly as it prepared to deal the final bow. _

_Claire put all the strength she had left into her attack, spinning about and slashing at it with her sword…_

** _“If history must be unwritten…”_ ** _ the voice went on, more persistent than ever, now almost ringing in her head._

_But her attack had failed. It barely scratched her foe before the large, stone foot came in through the dust and down upon her. She was flattened against the ground, now so tired that she couldn’t throw it off her._

** _“…let it be unwritten.”_ **

_Her foe loomed over her, it’s foot still keeping her pinned to the earth as it held up its sword… ready to put an end to her. And in that moment, Claire didn’t care any longer. She watched as the gleaming blade reflected the light and only focused on the wonderful thought that it would all be over soon._

_But at that moment, she felt something rise up within her… a surge of power that she never felt before rose up like a geyser… magically erupting as her strength grew to a point she found the energy to stand once again. She stood and watched as her power burst out almost violently and she watched with amazed as the winged angel’s arm was instantly obliterated from the blast that broke free. She could see how her foes widen in shock at its destroyed limb, staring down at her as Claire heaved the heavy blade over her shoulders._

_She wasn’t known for speaking… in fact, most of the time it seemed that her demeanor was locked in one positon. Yet she felt as if her very spirit was being pulled in a new direction… one which unleashed a power that she wasn’t aware she even had. She stood tall… proud… unlike anything she ever experienced before._

** _“Become what you must…”_ ** _ the voice said to her, now speaking so that she could have sworn that they were standing right there beside her. Rather than answer, she unleashed a wave of darkness from within and everything bright that was caught up in the wave was eradicated… including her enemy who was instantly blasted apart into not even dust remained._

_She was now standing there with the heavy sword over her shoulder… suddenly cloaked in black, spiked armor._

** _“…become the Warrior of Darkness,”_ ** _ the voice finished._

_“Who…” she whispered softly, opening her eyes and she could have sworn she could see a figure standing there in front of her. “Who are you?”_

_Darkness only clouded her vision so she couldn’t see this person’s face… the owner of the voice?_

_But she felt no danger from them and so she didn’t move when they drew closer. Suddenly, she felt the figure place their hand upon her face and she suddenly understood who it was the moment she felt the hand touch her cheek. Feeling the cold from the crystal that encased his hand and entire arm._

_The wind that blew about them both caused the man’s hood to soar off and she saw what was beneath… His eyes… she could see their face through the dark cloud and eyes she recognized at once._

_“…You…?” she whispered, his name on her lips._

_Yet before she could speak it, she heard another voice speak. A different one… but one that caused a wave of terror to wash through her as Fray whispered:_

** _“The only question now is… what will you say?”_ **

_*End of Dream*_

Claire’s eyes burst open and she at bolt-upright, pumping so much adrenaline she didn’t even notice that she had gotten to her feet. As she stared around wildly for answers. For a moment, she was confused to why she was in a tent-like structure surrounded by furs and warm blankets, at least until she remembered where she was.

She had journeyed all the way to the Far East and had walked to as far as Seriyu’s Wall at the borders of the Burn before she felt she could go no further. With a welcomed tiredness, she went back the way she came, planning to head towards Doma for the night. But as she crossed over the Steppe, she ran into Cirina once again, who couldn’t have looked more thrilled to see her there.

The two began talking and before she knew it, she was being taken back to the Mol’s small camp, where her friends were insisting that she rest here for the night.

“I cannot say how much longer it will remain here,” Cirina explained as they sat at the campfire where she was cooking up some meat and fat upon the fire. “For soon we will continue our own journey.”

“You are leaving the Steppe?” she asked in surprise.

“Scouts have already gone on to a new location a little further south,” Cirina confessed. “It will be some time before we are ready when the time comes. But there is no need to worry for us. For this is our way. We go where we are needed.”

Claire thought that all over for a moment before nodding in understanding.

“We all must go where we are needed most,” she said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Oh, nothing,” Claire reassured her, still forcing a smile as she helped herself to some of Cirina’s wonderful cooking.

She had been given a sleeping mat for the night, thanking the Mol once more for all the kindness they have shown her and hoped that they would be able to visit them again in the future. She had gone to be in good spirits that night… though she found herself awakening before the sun even rose from that dream.

Once she realized that she was safe, she sat back down on the mat as she hugged herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she tried to control the shaking.

She thought more about the dream… or rather how she felt while in the dream.

Her darker side flourished within conflict and she had no shortage of that. One battle, one war, after another without pausing for breath. She had been pushed to her limits and beyond, as if she was about to shatter apart. She struggled to get back up to her feet, too tired and filled with so much pain that it was as if boulders were strapped to her skin. Through the haze of pain, this new sensation breaks from within herself… a feeling she could not describe, but it was enough to get her back to her feet, unsteady and unwavering.

She would not bow… she would not break. Not here. Perhaps one day she will meet her end at the hands of one stronger than herself, but it would not be this day. Her hands are upon her heavy sword, suddenly as light as a kitchen knife, as she allows her opponent to be obliterated by the darkness. Her darkness… a darkness all her own that is as alive as the beat of her heart, having been built up for so long that she could not contain it any longer and it broke free like a dam.

Become what you must… that voice whispered to her.

She was just a means to an end… and so she found the strength she needed. She was a beckon and would never deny the call to battle… her role in the world, no matter how cruel it was. That was when she arrived, without question, without hesitation, when she heard her call for aid. She was upon her foe before she was even aware of what was going on.

They stood side by side and fought as if in a dance, a dance that may just continue endlessly. For no matter how many that fall before them, another rises.

‘_Should you tire, I will ever be here. You need only ask…’_

Before her stood her mirror image… identical… in the same dark armor and weapon in hand… the only difference was that her opposite was smiling.

Our compromise… an arrangement… our own defenses to the horrors within our minds. Our heartbeats were one in the same as they looked on at each other… weariness settling in before the darkness cloaks her.

It would seem that the person she feared the most in that moment… was herself.

She was haunted by these thoughts and would do her best to continue on through the rest of the day, but her mind was continuing to be haunted by these strange dreams of light. Light had always been a source of comfort to her, something safe and pure to protect from the shadows that seemed to be creeping in on every corner of her life. But the light in these dreams wasn’t like that… it was much… more aggressive. She knew no other way to address it.

She distracted herself with her journey to retrace her steps across Limsa, Gridania, Ul’dah, Ishgard, Ala Mhigo, and was finishing up her steps here in the Far East, which she found herself easily able to lose herself in more peaceful dreams of some of the happier memories. But last night, the nightmare was back.

Of herself being swallowed up by this light of destruction… or the shadows of war…

When she awoke from these dreams, she would remain awake for bells afterwards until she felt exhaustion carry her back off to sleep before awakening when the sun did while finding herself unable to remember much of the dreams before—only the sensation that they frightened her to no end.

But this night… the dream had been the most intense so far… for that brief while she actually felt as if her body had been transported to another place and time entirely.

She didn’t like it.

She yearned only for these dreams to stop.

It was how she found herself standing outside the yurt and staring at the gentle sunrise from the mountain ranges that stretched on even further east. She watched it in silence, drawing a kind of silent comfort from it before she sighed, preparing to head out. But no sooner did she take her first step did a voice speak up from behind her.

“Are you leaving us already?”

She looked back in time to see Temulun Khatun having just exited her own yurt, with a warm looking cloak wrapped around her shoulders as she approached her—clearly looking to see her off. Claire could not help but smile back as she bowed her head.

“Forgive me for not saying anything, Temulun Khatun,” she said respectfully. “But…?”

“But you are needed elsewhere, I understand,” Temulun reassured her kindly. “I thought as much. May I please be allowed to see you safely on your journey, however?”

Claire laughed slightly as she blushed at being taken care of in such a way. She was so used to helping others, that having so many suddenly at her side, wanting to take care of her, was a foreign feeling to her.

Temulun, however, seemed to understand that as the two of them walked together just to the very outskirts of where the Mol had set up camp; while watching the sun continue to poke the rest of its head from behind the mountains.

For one brief moment, Claire felt completely at ease with the world. But the second she blinked, those darker feelings of dread and confusion were back and she sighed, trying to convince her body to take another step forward.

That was when she felt Temulun take her hand and set something in her palm. She looked back in surprise to see a small wrapped package and the Khatun was smiling warmly at her.

“Crinia made it for you,” she said as Claire opened the top of the bundle and stared inside to see a beautifully cooked piece of Buuz nestled inside and a couple of fire shards for warmth. “For the road. You must remember to eat to keep your strength up. Ah, this is for you as well.”

She then pulled another small bundle from under the cloak and when Claire took that one, she found a couple plump persimmons wrapped inside.

“An old friend of yours was travelling through here last night after you retired for the evening,” Temulun smiled knowingly. “He wanted to let you know that he was doing well and that he thanks you for looking after young Hien for him.”

“Gosetsu,” she guessed with a smile with a chuckle as she looked at the fruit… feeling oddly choked up. She then looked back at Temulun and bowed to her as she said, unsure of what else she could say, “Thank you… for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been so kind.”

“For every good deed it will come back to us,” Temulun reassured her with a wave of her hand, “And you have long since earned kindness in return for all that you have shown to others. This is the least we can offer you.”

She then looked her carefully in the face as she asked, “You are leaving now?”

Claire nodded, explaining that her friends back in Eorzea were… ill. And she wished to see how they were doing. But this last week of not having any other cares or duties meant more to her than she could say as she finished, “I only hope that Tataru will allow me to help more by the time I return.”

“I see,” Temulun chuckled, “Well, in that case, we shall pray for your comrade’s swift recovery. If there is aught that we can do to aid you, please… do not be afraid to ask.”

Claire nodded and thanked her once again before she paused and asked, “Do the gods have anything that I need to know?”

In all honesty, she could not help but continue to question the gods in their grand plans… she could not help but wish she could speak to the Mothercrystal once more and get some answers. And she was all but pleading for an answer. She was not sure if Temulun could truly hear the voices of the gods, or kami… but hearing her speak of them was… as comforting to her as well as the sunrise had been.

Temulun smiled as she shut her eyes and breathed deeply. Claire remained silent for a time before Temulun looked back up and answered softly, “They wish you well upon your journey. And they ask that you remember to always be kind. For that is your greatest strength.”

Well, nothing that she didn’t already know, though still helped to ease some of the dread. But as she turned to leave, Temulun stopped her once more.

“Take this with you as well,” she said as she pulled the dark red cloak from around her shoulders and wrapped it around Claire’s instead. “To help keep you warm and safe.”

“You are too kind,” Claire said, trying to refuse, but Temulun would not be denied as she finished fashioning it around her shoulders and hooked it under her neck until she was satisfied.

“You be safe out there,” she said and Claire could not help but hug the older woman back tightly, thanking her once more for all the kindness she had given her, promising she would take good care of it.

By the time she finally left, with Temulun waving her off, Claire was smiling brightly again, feeling strangely hopeful this new day. What she did not notice was how as Temulun watched her leave, the older woman was unable to hide the tears that fell silently down her cheeks. She could not bear to speak the truth. While she did not understand most of it… the old woman knew that this journey was going to be far more difficult than anyone else could have predicted.

The gods adore this young woman and all that she had done… but that was where her suffering came from. Whether she willed it or no… the fact remains is that she is a beloved daughter of the gods and that could only bring about even more pain and suffering.

“Please…” the older woman pleaded to the gods in a quiet prayer. “Aid her when you can.”

***Later***

Claire appeared at the doorstep, almost sighing in relief to see the familiar home and stepped up inside. She made sure to make as little noise as possible as to not have to worry awakening any of the servants or the rest of the household as she crept upstairs to her bed chamber. She collapsed onto the bed as her mind began to wander over the last few weeks… though it felt as if months had passed since the last battle at the borders.

Granted, she did find some ways to relax. The ‘Make It Rain’ event was currently going on at the Gold Saucer and she was able to find some fun-filled hours by spending and earning during the event. Also there were some moogles seen lurking about the cities who were willing to pay all sorts of treasures and rewards in exchange for some irregular tomestones that she managed to find during some of her many runs through old dungeons. She laughed at the memories before her cheer faded ever so slightly at the reminder that she could not tell Alphinaud or the others.

At the thought of her friends, she decided that today she would pay a visit to the Rising Stones… just to check up and see how everyone was faring. But more than anything else, she longed to see Alphinaud’s face again… even if he was dreaming at the moment.

More for a want of something to do until then, she began to clear out her bag of anything she no longer needed. She went through not only her bag, but her chocobo saddlebag, and the inventory that her retainers were holding onto and cleared out much so that when she finished, she had a large pile of clothes, materials, and old weapons she no longer needed.

“I can’t believe how much I had,” she could not help but mutter to herself as she looked at some broken pieces of metal that once belonged to an old sword.

She would let the stewardess know that she could throw it out later before she retreated to the bathroom where she was able to enjoy a soothing bath. Another thing she had missed in the last few weeks… having to make due with cold water from rivers and creeks. As she washed, she could see sunlight through the windows, bringing a smile to her face and full of new energy.

It was once she getting out of the tub and fully dressed did the household realize that their mistress was back.

They were more than happy to greet her, apologizing for not being awake to see her return, and wished to start making breakfast for her. Claire waved their apologizes away as she informed them that she did not return until early this morning and she would have been worried if they had still been up by that point.

At that moment, her stomach betrayed her and several servants laughed, remarking that even a vaunted hero such as she still needed to eat, and would not take no for an answer that she should sit down and enjoy a meal with them. Knowing that Tataru would probably force-feed her in person if she came over without having anything to eat, she agreed, telling the cook to prepare whatever she wished.

As the servants hurried off, Claire explained to her stewardess that she would be leaving once again for a few days at the least, but she still expected her home to be in good condition when she came back. But she and the others were free to do what they wish so long as everything was in its place when she returned.

“Of course, madam,” the stewardess answered with a bow. “Though, if I must be frank, my lady, I can’t help but wish that you be allowed to return home more often than you do.”

Claire could only smile back, promising that she would try to do so from now on, but could not guarantee that she would be allowed to with all that was happening at the borders.

As she gave her orders to look after everyone, the cook called that the food was ready and to come while it was hot.

“I asked for a meal… not a banquet,” she said as her jaw fell open at the sight. Indeed, there were plates upon plates full of food waiting for her. “I would need an army to get through this. And with portions large enough to fill 10 people each?”

The cook only laughed, explaining that she had been experimenting with Far Eastern foods, and it seemed to have gotten out of hand.

Claire just shook her head and laughed as she began to enjoy it. Everything was delicious, and by the time she ate and could eat no more, she invited the rest of the household to join her. When they were all finished, she felt as ready as she ever would as she waved to everyone, promising to be back as soon as she could, but not to wait up for her.

“Take care, mistress!” the stewardess called as she, her servants, and retainers all stood and waved her off, with similar words of fondness and advice of caution.

By the time that she arrived at the Rising Stones, Claire was in good spirits. When she stepped into the stone building, she looked around to see the others all very much like how she left them. She approached Tataru, who was at her usual place besides her desk, ready to ask how Alphinaud, Alisaie, and the others were doing. But Tataru beat her to it by speaking first.

“Good news, Claire!” Tataru said brightly, “We’ve had a stroke of luck in our search for that beacon!”

“What?” Claire spluttered out, startled by this news before she even had a chance to ask her how she was doing.

“Apparently, our colleges have stumbled across a hidden path leading down into the hollows around the base of the Crystal Tower,” Tataru explained, not bothering to give her a moment to process what she just said, “…A path I doubt we’d ever have found had the Ironworks and the Sons not added their numbers to the party.” She could see the relief on the receptionist’s face as she added, “Thanks to them, we have eager eyes aplenty down there, checking under rocks and peering into every nook and cranny. Still, it sounds like there’s a lot of ground to cover…”

“Then we’d better go and give them a hand!” Claire said, now all but aching to run off and help.

“My thoughts exactly!” she agreed brightly, “So I was thinking we should go and lend a hand. The sooner we find this beacon, the sooner you can travel to wherever it is this mysterious voice is coming from. And the sooner we can work out how to help our friends. We have to find a way to wake them up—and before the Empire comes calling again! Meaning we have no time to lose!”

“So then…?” Claire questioned, wondering where they were supposed to go.

“There’s a boat in north Silvertear willing to ferry people to the site, so let’s be on our way!” Tataru declared, and before she knew it, the Lalafell was all but pushing her towards the doors.

“Now, don’t you go rushing on ahead and leaving me to fight monsters on my own,” Tataru warned as they heading down the road and towards the Crystal Tower’s direction.

“Oh? But don’t you remember how you helped me to fight back with Soroban when he turned into an auspice?” Claire reminded her with a grin and Tataru sighed.

“I did not fight, and you know it,” she scolded. “You did all the fighting and I tried not to get underfoot! Sure, I was able to use some healing spells, but that’s about it!”

“Healing is a way of fighting as well,” Claire offered, “Perhaps you could have some training in the healing arts?”

“Well I… I…? Huh… that’s not such a bad idea,” Tataru mumbled as she thought that over for a moment before shaking her head. “No, no! Not now! We can entertain ourselves with such thoughts after the others are back. Now keep it moving!”

They continued down along the way, crossing over the next malm of rock and crystal as they made their way past Saint Coinach’s Find, and right to the shores of Silvertears. In fact, as Claire looked around, she could see the boat that she once took to reach the Agrius and speak with the Keeper of the Lake. She smiled slightly as she placed a hand over her heart, wondering if the Father of Dragons still slept peacefully. She honestly missed having his presence around her ever since he fell silent during that trouble with Omega.

But Tataru was already waving over the Ferryman, who she recognized as one of the Sons from the Find.

“Heading to the survey sight, madam?” he asked with a bow, “It’s on the eastern shore of the lake, and the swiftest way to get there is by boat.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Tataru asked as she climbed up into the boat and took a seat as Claire climbed in after her.

“How is everything going so far with the search?” Claire could not help but ask as the ferryman pushed away from the shores and began to ferry them across the lake that was as smooth as glass.

“Well, nothing bad if that’s what you’re asking,” the ferryman confessed as he began to guide them across the water. “Aside from a few unfriendly wildlife sniffing about, everything is going well. More or less.”

“Did you find anything yet?” Tataru asked eagerly.

“Well, we’re just trying to make sure that the area is completely safe before bringing in more researchers,” he answered back, “We only just found the Trench and so it’s taking up a lot of time trying to get everything sorted out. But any helping hands are welcomed.”

Well, some good news anyway. Claire gazed up to the Crystal Tower, smiling faintly at the memories that always come back to her whenever she saw that glittering spire. She remembered how there was a time when all she wanted was to explore that tower and see what was at the top… she almost regretted ever asking what was in there when she did finally find out.

She pushed that ancient history out of her mind though as the ferryman continued on ahead. They sailed across the water for about a quarter of an hour before following the water straight to the edge of a rocky cove, where a rope ladder was waiting for them. Tataru had trouble trying to grab hold of it with her small size, so Claire had to carry her on her back as she began to scale the outer rock.

“Just let them know when you’re ready to leave! I’ll take you back across!” the ferryman waved as they left him behind. Tataru whimpered slightly and Claire felt her pressing her face into her back the higher they climbed. Thankfully, they reached the top in no time at all, and they were all at the base of the Crystal Tower, which was glowing so brightly from the early rays of the sun, that it was almost too bright to look at anymore.

“Now there should be another ladder around here somewhere,” Tataru said, poking her head up and around Claire’s shoulders as she gazed around, “Careful where you step.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. For directly in front of her was a deep trench, stretching so far down that she almost couldn’t see the bottom. She had never ventured into the very shadowy base of the tower, but even from here, she could all but taste the aether in the air. She could not explain what it was, but there was something about this place that felt… almost… everlasting. Perhaps that was just due to her own memories of when she explored the tower, however… and she marveled at how innocent—well, naïve—that everything felt in those days.

“The Ironworks spotted it while they were flying overhead the other day,” Tataru explained as Claire carefully began to walk along the ledge as they searched for another way down, “They almost didn’t notice it at first, but after running out of places to look, they figured this was the next best place. Apparently the Trench is part of the outer wall of the Crystal Tower’s foundation. I think Cid called it… the Labyrinth of the Ancients?”

“Oh, I know the place well,” Claire reassured her before she spotted it. Tied by many different ropes to several different rocks and pegs was another long rope ladder that would take them down to the bottom… hopefully. “Here it is. Hang on.”

And so after swinging around, with Tataru’s grip around her neck now so tight that she was having trouble breathing, she made their way down into the pit and touched down softly.

“Phew!” Tataru sighed in relief as she slipped down and leapt off Claire’s back, “That was thrilling. But I’ll have to have a word with them about finding an easier way to get down here. That was nerve wracking.”

“You did well,” Claire told her as they began to walk on, and she stared up at the beautiful carved stone structure next to them. This was the first time that she had ever seen the outside of the Labyrinth, though despite the enormous size… she could not help but think that it was still bigger on the inside.

Wonder if that was another Allagan trick?

They walked on for only five minutes before she heard voices and a few seconds later, they found the group waiting for them. All around there were members of the Garlond Ironworks, Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and researchers of the Sons of Saint Coinach all roaming about as they examined the Labyrinth’s wall, and all manner of devices.

“The Ironworks is out in force!” she heard an Ironworks Technologist said as he was examining a few pieces of machinery with great interest, “Master Garlond’s orders!”

“I’ve detected no slavering beasts in the vicinity,” Clemence, of the Scions, said in reply, reassuring him that they were safe to continue their investigation, “Well… my sister excepted.”

Her sister Aenor, another Scion, shot her an annoyed look as she gave her a punch to the arm and retorted, “The Archons need our help! Next to that, even matters of the heart don’t seem to matter!”

The two sisters were childishly sticking their tongues out at the other as Claire looked around to see more familiar faces. She spotted Coultenet almost right away as he was talking to another researcher, who was taking notes.

“That towering edifice is the outer wall of the Crystal Tower’s foundation—the Labyrinth of the Ancients to be precise,” the researcher informed him.

“The air here weighs heavily upon me,” the mage said, “’Tis little wonder, I suppose, when standing in the shadow of such an imposing structure.”

The first person to spot her though was Hoary Boulder, who was going through a pile of rubble with a couple of other Ironworks hands. He waved merrily as he saw her and called, “Claire! The search continues, but I have no doubt we shall find this beacon of yours!”

She laughed and waved back as Tataru beamed at the sight of so many people hard at work.

“Look how many people there are!” Tataru said happily before cracking her knuckles together, ready to get to work herself, “Should we get to it, then? Pick up anything that seems the least bit ‘device’ like, and we’ll make ourselves a pile.”

Sounded like a plan. She was already trying to decide where best she could start looking when another voice called out to her.

“Well if it isn’t the hero of the hour! Maybe you’ll change our luck—we’ve found bugger all without you.”

She grinned as the sight of Biggs and Wedge appeared, as if out of nowhere, and were coming over to greet them.

“Biggs! Wedge!” Tataru said happily and Claire could see how Wedge seemed to light up when Tataru said his name.

“How are you two doing?” Claire asked politely after Biggs gave her a clap on the shoulder in greeting.

“Aye, aye, well we could hardly say no to a call for aid from the Scions,” Biggs said, as if wondering if she was going to ask about Cid, he added, “Jessie collared the chief for some other business, so we’re be working twice as hard to make up for his not being here.”

“Thrice as hard, even!” Wedge added excitedly.

“Thank you—both of you,” Tataru said gratefully, smiling brighter than she had in a long time, “I’m sure we’ll find that beacon in no time!”

“Speaking of which, ah… do you even know what we’re supposed to be looking for?” Wedge could not help but ask. “I mean… I know it’s supposed to be a beacon… but do you know how big it is…? What color…? Anything?”

“Ah… no,” Tataru said slowly as she cleared her throat, “But, I’m sure that we’ll know it when we see it. So, let’s get to it then!”

And so they set off to work. As Biggs explained, that they were still exploring the Labyrinth and finding out all new kinds of helpful devices that the people of Allag left behind.

“After you cleared it out, we haven’t had anything to worry about,” he explained to her. “The tower’s sealed off, but it didn’t stretch all the way out here, so we were free to continue our research into it. But, this seemed the most promising place to look so far, so we may as well get started, right? There’s a few weak parts in the wall that we might want to try…?”

And so Claire joined them as they began to explore some of the holes in the wall that had started to crumble away. But more or less, the wall was in one solid structure and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Aside from a few bits and bobs that they managed to savage from the rubble, nothing looked to be promising. They were already searching for about half an hour before she noticed that there was slight disappointment that they had yet to find anything of real use. Not that it stopped their determination as they began to examine even the very bricks from the labyrinth just to make sure that they didn’t miss something.

“Hm,” Biggs said as he poked at a whole in the wall, “I’m not seeing anything out here.” He removed a small loose brick and tried to peek in before asking, “D’you reckon you could squeeze in there, Wedge?”

“And get stuck halfway?!” Wedge demanded hotly, “No thank you.”

“I could try if you like!” Tataru offered brightly, which seemed to horrify Wedge even more than the idea of going through an unknown part of the Labyrinth.

“Tataru, no!” Wedge said quickly, as Claire began to wander away, “We couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” she heard Tataru answer back, “This receptionist is not afraid to get her hand dirty.”

Claire chuckled slightly as she continued a little further ahead, leaving the others behind. She felt oddly serene while here near the tower, thinking back to when she last ventured through this spiral of crystal. She had a feeling that she really shouldn’t be leaving the group like this, but something was telling her that they were getting close. She wasn’t sure what it was, perhaps she was just deluding herself into believing that they were on the brink of finding something… but it was as if every instinct was telling her that this was the right place. It was close… she was all but certain of it.

That was when a strange glint caught her eye. She looked ahead to find that there were more crumbling parts of the tower… as well as what looked like a chunk of crystal fell from a great height, blocking most of the way.

As she stepped to it, she could see the unmistakable hue of the crystal shining faintly in the dark and realized that this was a piece of the tower, probably broken off in the years since the Calamity. She was just wondering if she could clamber over the rubble when that glint caught her eye again. She looked down to see that something was lying on top of the rubble and that the glint was coming off the light reflecting from the crystal upon the smooth metal. She picked it up and began to dust it off as she looked over it curiously.

It was in the form of a small gear, she had seen many of them before, as she turned it over in her hands, her fingers brushing off the dirt from it. It looked like a piece to something, perhaps part of the labyrinth or even part of the tower that broke off when the crystal fell… at least until she turned it over to see a small emblem stamped on the side.

An emblem she recognized at once as the symbol for the Garlond Ironworks… well… it wasn’t _exactly_ like the emblem she knew today, but she was just wondering if she should go back to inform they dropped something of theirs when she heard the others calling out to her.

“Sorry, I-I meant to say—the scholars haven’t finished their preliminary assessment of the site yet, so we’re not supposed to venture too far in,” Biggs called and she heard him come up from behind her. But she didn’t so much as look at him as she continued to observe the strange gear. No one had been this far yet? Then how did…?

“…Hm, what’s that you got there?” Biggs questioned as she continued staring at it, finally noticing she found something.

She turned around and showed them the small gear and they looked over it with interest.

“Now that looks promising!” Biggs said slowly.

“Uhh… isn’t that the Ironworks’ symbol?” Wedge questioned, also spotting the familiar emblem, “…Counterfeiters?”

They others looked ready to take it back with them to show the other researchers as she focused on the strange, slightly familiar, gear that rested comfortably in her hands. She could not claim how she knew… she just knew one thing about it. Kinda like how her instincts were telling her before that this was the right place to look… those same feelings were now telling her that this strange gear… was meant for her.

Just then, she felt as if someone had plunged a sword through her head, splitting her skull, and she gasped, fighting to stay on her feet. Then she heard it. The voice now so loud that it was as if her eardrums were about to pop, and the terrible pain was so bad that she almost dropped to her knees.

_“Now… Now I have you!”_ the voice cried out.

She cried out, staggering about as pain wracked her brain, truly making her wonder as if her skull was about to split in two. She could see Tataru’s and the others faces through the pain though as they looked on in fear.

“You alright?” Biggs gasped, his voice sounding so faint to her know that it was as if he was trying to speak to her from underwater.

She was just barely conscious enough to see that the others were all looking frightened, as if on the verge of panicking.

“What’s happening?!” Wedge cried out as they were trying to reach out and support her but she was thrashing about so much that they seemed afraid to make things worse if they touched her. But the voice was speaking again, refusing to let go this time.

_“Stay with me!” _the voice pleaded,_ “Focus on my voice!”_

And before she knew it, she felt her mouth move in agony as she spoke along with the voice: _“Let expanse contract, eon become instant…” _

She didn’t know how she knew what to say… perhaps it was from the times that she heard the voice before… or perhaps the device in her hands was somehow transmitting the words straight into her mind that was now screaming with pain. All she knew was that she could just make out the words coming out of her own mouth as well as inside her head.

“…Wait, this must be it!” she heard Tataru gasped suddenly, “The device! This is supposed to happen!”

Truly? Oh, how she wished it didn’t. Still, if this was her only chance to get some answers, she would take it. So for the first time, she stopped resisting the fight. She allowed herself to relax just enough for her spirit to feel as if she were being pulled away. She opened her eyes just as she heard herself and the stranger’s voice speak together: _“Throw wide the gates that we may pass!”_

She could not lie about the fact that she was frightened. She had no idea what was happening or where she would go… every part of her was screaming for her to fight it and pull away. But the images of her friends… Alisaie’s scared face… the feel of Alphinaud’s lips upon hers… reminded her to calm herself down. It was no easy feat, having to take all of her willpower to relax and focus on the voice. She felt some of the pain fade as an odd light-headedness began to settle in… as if she were fighting the urge to fall asleep.

But though this strange sensation of aether cradling her was frightening… it didn’t feel harmful. She felt as if someone had pulled her into their arms and was holding her tightly to protect her. As the voice spoke, she could feel something else with the words… anxiety and excitement mixed in.

Everything began to fade at this point as she recklessly trusted the voice to carry her away.

The last thing she saw through the haze and pain was Tataru’s anxious face as she said, as if speaking from farther and farther away, “Safe journey, Warrior of Light. Find our friends, and bring them home!”

And before she knew it, everything around her was bathed in light… and she shut her eyes once more as it died to darkness.

She felt herself black out for just a brief moment, dozing off someplace warm and comfortable… only to awaken without warning. By the time she next opened her eyes, the pain had died down completely and everything was silent around her.

And when her eyes focused… she gasped at the sight of what was in front of her. One moment she was standing on solid ground in the Syrcus Trench… to standing amidst the darkness. Not just empty darkness though, for all around her she could see traces of aether spiraling endlessly in a stunningly haunting way. Countless diamonds sparkling as they spun past… falling like rain… it was as if she was suddenly standing in the night sky. It was beautiful… this pure darkness that was both warm and soothing to her, while she realized that these diamonds weren’t diamonds like she first thought… but couldn’t really see what they were. But she could not help but stare on ahead, as if she was looking at countless sparkling lights that were soaring above her head.

It was so blindingly gorgeous she knew she could never find the words… the closest being that she felt standing in what she could only describe as a sea of stars.

But she didn’t have much more time to admire it for at that moment it felt as though an invisible hand had reached out and was now pulling her forward and gaining speed at a rapid pace. What had just felt like a hand pulling her, it now felt as if she was suddenly being pulled along a river and had no choice but to follow it to its end. She could feel herself falling and the wind picking up around her as she covered her face to try and see where she was going. As she continued downwards, she suddenly saw larger stars flying up towards her along with a string of whispered voices.

Wait, she knew those voices. But with so many it was hard to make out exactly what each one was saying.

That was when she was able to get a closer look at the stars, only to realize that they were actually crystals and stared at them in bewilderment. For inside each one, was the image of a face that she knew. She saw Nanamo and Alisaie flying past her among the countless others, whose images were a blur for the most part. In one that went flying past her head, actually made her recoil for it was the image of Zenos’s face grinning hungrily at her from the top of the Ala Mhigan palace where they battled…

But the one after that held the form of Papalymo as they stood upon the Wall just before he ordered them to flee while he bought them time to stop Shinyru. The next one was her first meeting with the Admiral… and the one after that held Alphinaud’s gently smiling face which caused her heart to ache.

The next one, however, nearly made her heart stop, for in that crystal she could see Lord Haurchefant’s final moments. How he stared up at her with such an adoring smile as she heard his words whisper, _‘Oh, do not look at me so.’_

And that voice wasn’t in her head either. For that brief moment, she heard him speak once more… a sound she never once thought that she would hear again. But by the time she reached out to try and touch it, it was already long gone. After that, more faces appeared in the crystals as she continued to fall forward:

Gaius, Urianger, Y’shtola… Ser Aymeric, Hien, Yotsuyu, Raubahn, Lyse…?

And with each one she saw, she heard their voices speaking to her. Though with so many voices, it was almost impossible to make out their words. It was as if she was in a giant room and everyone was speaking at once. The few that she did hear however things she could remember hearing each one of them say during her journey…?

_‘You’re slaves to a tyrant! There’s no freedom in that!’_

_‘This is one battle you cannot fight!’_

_‘I must say your spirited accounts always come as a welcome change…’_

She wanted to cover her ears for the noise was now so loud she could not think straight. But she could not bring herself to stop staring as so many familiar faces appeared before her. Including one whose voice was so loud that it drowned out all the others. It was the image of a face she did not think she would ever see again.

_‘We did everything right! Everything that was asked of us! And still, still it came to this!’_

She reached out, trying to grab the crystal that held the image of the Warrior of Darkness. But it slipped past her fingertips and went flying by like all the others. She spun around, wondering where they were all going, but now she was falling backwards through space as more images from the past continued to play around her.

That was when she felt the familiar pull of the Echo tugging at her mind and she all but twisted her head around to see what was going on, see who was causing it. And there… inside another crystal… slightly larger than all the others… with a familiar figure bathed in pure light. Claire squinted her eyes, desperately trying to see through the impossible brightness even though her vision burned and she could not make anything out.

She covered her face to try and protect herself from the blinding light when she was pulled away… both here and there at the same time. She did not know what this was or what was causing it… only that she was standing upon the top of stone buildings as a vast wave was coming towards her. But this did not seem to be a wave of water… but something else… something brighter and more terrifying than the ocean… but with how bright it was, she honestly could not make out what it could be.

Yet as she tried to stare through the light, she did see that familiar figure drifting there, her hands held out as if trying to halt the tides. The image of this person blurred and shook, as if not really there herself, but was fully aware that she was being watched.

She was ready to give her all… this was what she wanted… to sacrifice herself and take her eternal rest in the knowledge that she at least tried to make things right. They caused this nightmare… it was only right that she give everything she had left.

But the figure had stopped her… why?

The light was now so blinding she could not see… but the figure in front of her turned her head very softly and whispered:

_“Your time has not yet come.”_

“Minfilia!” she cried, reaching out as the light intensified and she let out a scream of pain. She was tumbling through space now, feeling caught in a whirlpool and had no idea which way was up or down anymore as the light grew painful. She was lost here, drowning in this ocean of light, hurting as she shut her eyes as it became blinding in its radiance… and then the darkness claimed her and everything faded around her.

…

She finally awoke some time later though she had no idea how it had been… only that some unmeasurable amount of time later, she just knew that it was light that woke her up. She could see it through her eyelids, dispelling the darkness that had reached out to her. Her vision was so blurry that she could barely make anything out when she forced the heavy lids open. But after a few seconds, it began to clear as she saw flowering trees above her. Confused, she stared up at them for some time as her vision continued to clear little by little. That was when she finally realized something else… she was no longer falling… instead, she was now lying on her back as she stared up at a brilliantly bright sky.

***Another figure malms away***

Countless malms, endless steps… having long since lost keeping track of where they were going or for how long they have already been walking. Their memories nothing more than whispers at the back of the mind that was coming apart at the seams… his body there but not truly there. A shade cursed merely to wander…

A figure who had seen countless of battles while his mind and soul carried countless scars that were deep and jagged as they crossed over one on top of each other like a web of cracks that were just barely keeping themselves together.

How long had he been forced to walk? How many years have come and gone? He could no longer tell the difference of time—for one moment could feel as long as an age… but then he blinked and was astonished to see how much had changed around him in the amount of a breath?

It didn’t matter either way. Because it did not matter how much he tried, how much he pleaded, no one would look his way. No one could see and hear him… and so he was nothing. In the end, there was no hope for him or this world he once called home.

How many times had he wept and cursed the heavens for this personal hell? Why? Why was he spared and left alone? Was this his punishment for the sins he committed when he was alive? He had once thought that there had to be a reason and if he wandered long enough, he would find the answers. But after so long, after so many lifetimes… he had abandoned hope of being saved.

It was upon some ruins that laid scattered across Lakeland did he finally stopped walking. It happened so suddenly that it took several minutes for him to realize that he was no longer moving. This surprised him so suddenly that he looked around, wondering what was going on. For so many years now, it felt as if he were trapped in a dream… lost in a daze. But somehow… for just that moment, he felt as if he awoke from a deep sleep. He blinked, feeling his form—which was hardly more than a dark haze up until then—slowly start to take on its original state while his senses were also waking up.

His mind was no longer a deep fog either, he could see everything so clearly now and the pieces were fitting back together. What was going on?

He looked to the brilliant sky, trying to figure out the cause of this strange sensation. What was calling out to him? The figure could only continue to gaze around desperately, trying to find what it was that called to him. He had to find it.

“From endless dreams, I awake… something vague… yet urgent… calls me to action once more,” he whispered to himself, startled to discover that he could still hear his voice. After all these years, he had thought that he had lost that ability, having no reason to speak. When he first realized that no one could see or hear him… he had spoken to himself quite often since he began his wanderings, desperately trying to keep some semblance of sanity, but it had been years since he last felt the urge to utter a sound.

Still, there was a change in the air around him… something—or someone—was causing this and he had to know who it was. That was when he felt his gaze being drawn towards the towering spire of crystal in the distance.

“To dizzying heights it rises, the gleaming spire, its tip threatening to pierce the blinding canopy. There it will all begin anew. Between Dark and Light, the pure and the corrupt—the one true struggle…” he whispered, not sure why he was speaking right now, but it just felt right as he felt the pull taking him towards that spire.

And so he turned around and began to walk again, but this was different to the years before… for the first time in decades he had a purpose… he had a destination… He had to find it… they were close.


	2. Travelers of Norvrandt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Claire has finally arrived in the First, though now that she is here, she has no idea where she is supposed to go. But she thankfully is steered towards the Crystarium, a city that will be acting the part of a haven for her during her time here. But she soon finds herself face-to-face with the robed man who first brought them all here when she arrives; which leaves her the biggest question she has yet. Can she trust him?

Claire didn’t want to so much as budge from this spot as she shut her eyes again, trying to block out the spots she was seeing from the light above her head. But there was only so long she could ignore it before it became unbearable. She forced her arm up, which now felt as if it were made of lead, over her eyes to try and adjust to the bright glare. Her head spun and ached, as if someone had hit her with an immensely heavy object and she was trying hard not to be sick.

After several minutes of deep breaths did her head begin to clear and she could focus more on where she was. It was all so… quiet around her. There was no sound... No occasional scuttle of some creature or the chirping of birds. The entire forest was silent other than the sounds of her sharp breaths for air. It wasn’t as if everything was frozen… more like holding its breath—just waiting. It sent an odd chill up her spin as she slowly forced herself up onto her elbows and then up to a sitting position.

The pounding in her head was bad and she almost fell over once she got to her feet and forced herself to gaze around her. She blinked blearily around at her surroundings and her eyes eventually grew accustomed to the washed out sky that blazed above her and to the bright purple leaves from the trees that surrounded her. She squinted at the worn ground and bright lilac-colored flora that she had been lying it when she first arrived as their sweet smell filled her senses. She turned her gaze upwards towards the washed out sky, only to turn away in pain, the bright light only worsening her headache.

She gave herself a quick glance over to make sure she was still in one piece before she began to stagger through the wilderness. But it only took a full minute for her to realize that she had no idea where she was or where to go. For a brief moment, panic began to fill her as she had no idea what was going on.

The last thing she remembered was that voice… and he…?

That’s right. He pulled her away from the Source and to… this place… wherever that was. But why was she out here in the middle of nowhere? That hooded figure had been so desperate to pull her here, so why was she awakening alone then? Was there something she was supposed to do here or…?

She gave her head another shake as the pain faded to a dull ache and she was able to focus again. Now there was no need to panic. She had travelled for years now and was more than capable of taking care of herself. Sure, she didn’t recognize her surroundings or any of the local plantlife, but she still had her weapons, gear, and other supplies with her. She was sure she could survive here long enough to figure out what was going on.

The silence around her felt as if it was pressing in on her from all sides and despite her best efforts to remain optimistic, she could not help but feel great annoyance at the stranger for stranding her here in the middle of nowhere. And just what was with the sky? It was brighter than a heatwave in Ul’dah… but for some strange reason it didn’t feel hot. One would think that with all that light it would be scorching… but as she forced herself to gaze upwards again, she realized that the light coming from the clouds didn’t seem to be sunlight… but then what else could it be?

She walked through the forest, trying to make sense of what was going on. Not meeting with anyone or anything for a time until she spotted a pair of hawks soar overhead. At the sight of them, she could not help but feel a slight sigh of relief to see some trace of life in this otherwise still forest. She watched them fly for a moment before the smell of a campfire hit her nose.

She paused to look around, and through some giant roots of the trees she could see that there was a figure huddled at a campfire with a saddled up chocobo at his side.

Oh good, if nothing else, she could get some directions… at least know where she was.

She slowly drew closer, making only a little bit of noise to alert the figure to her presence and see that she meant him no harm. He became aware that she was there, but didn’t pay her much attention until she stood next to him as he went over a crate of supplies at his feet.

She then blinked, a little startled to see a familiar face gazing up at her.

Brennan? The first friend she met when she first arrived in Eorzea…? No, no there is no way it could be him. But still, the face was so similar to Brennan that she could not help but find herself unable to speak for a moment.

“Excuse me?” she questioned as the man opened up a bottle of ale.

At her words, the man barely glanced up at her with a slightly shrewd smile on his face before he smoked a pipe. Well, that settled it, if it was Brennan, he would have greeted her by name, at least.

Indeed, this man didn’t show any signs of recognizing her as he tilted his head slightly.

“Rare to meet someone out here who’s not a peddler themselves,” he said, “What brings you into the wilds this time of night?”

Night? What was he talking about? She looked up to the bright sky with confusion before looking back to him and repeating, “What do you mean, ‘this time of night’?”

It had to be close to noon at this time, wasn’t it? But somehow, her answer just caused him to chuckle.

“Well, if it ain’t the oldest joke in the book,” he chuckled, “Me grandad—gods rest his soul—used to tell that one to the barman at kickin’-out time.”

He then took another puff of smoke as she looked on, feeling that she was missing something here.

“And how did that one used to go?” she could not help but ask, trying to see if she could get some sort of clue.

“An’ when, pray tell, did we last have a dark night? Ye rotten old drunk ye!’ he’d reply,” he said, as he sat down on a stump with an old crate acting the part of a table as he finished up what was left of a meal. Claire drew closer as he finished, “’Over a hundred bleedin’ years ago, that’s when!’”

Her eyes widen with shock as she looked around, not sure what to think. A hundred years ago? What on earth was he talking about? She had thought that she was taken to the First shard… but…? Nothing here was adding up, and more than ever, she was wishing that she had someone here to explain and give her some answers before she completely lost it.

“Hm! You’ve got the look down to a tee. I’d almost think you meant it…” the merchant said as he watched her. When she looked back, a strange look passed over his face as he gazed closer at her face. When he realized that she honestly had no idea what he was talking about, he seemed to come to an answer to what she could only assume was very strange behavior to him, as he reasoned with himself, “Ahh, got to you, did they? Poor beggar. That explains it, then.”

She had no idea who they were, but she had a feeling that she was pushing things here. If he seemed to think that her lack of knowledge here was part of a ‘condition’ she felt that she may as well use it.

“Mayhaps,” she said quietly, “I’ve been wandering for a long time but I find that I don’t know these parts. Can you point me in the right direction?”

She hated when peopled lied to her… but she hated lying even more. She chose her words carefully, trying to be as honest as she could. She wasn’t asking much from this seemingly kind old man… just directions on where she should go.

Her question seemed to have gotten his attention though as he then bent down to pick up the bottle of ale and held it out to her. She smiled and politely refused as he shrugged and took a sip himself.

“Well, I’ve road to travel and wares to sell, but you—you’d best hurry along to the town nearby,” he offered.

“There’s a town near here?” she questioned as he nodded back. When he got back up and pack everything away, his chocobo wandered over and gently nuzzled his beak against her as the merchant kicked sand over the fire until nothing was left by glowing embers.

He took his time in answering, as if wondering what he should say. But when he looked up, his expression kind… almost a little… piteous.

“Just head east through the trees, and aim for the shining tower,” he answered at last, “You’ll find the place soon enough. ‘Tis the biggest settlement for malms around.”

He pointed down the path as she followed the gaze feeling curious and nervous at the same time, wondering what kind of settlement she was heading to.

“Go on, now, friend,” he said kindly, “They’ll take good care of you in the Crystarium.”

“Thank you,” she said as he smiled back.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck out there lass,” he said as he dusted off his hands. “Make use of the time you have left to you. That’s really all we can do.”

She looked back at him, finding his choice of wording very strange. But she nodded, thanked him once more, and parted ways with him. At least she had a direction to go to. The still air weighed down on her, almost as if there was some kind of invisible weight leaning on her. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was as if the clouds over her head gave her a slightly weak feeling… as if she had just gotten over a serious illness and was getting her strength back. But her mind was still thinking about what that old man said.

This was the middle of the night? She wasn’t sure how bad it was during the day. But then again, that old man didn’t seem to her the kind to lie, and why would he tell such a story if it wasn’t true? And what were the ‘they’ he mentioned?

She had only just arrived and she had so many questions that she did not know what to ask. But she would worry about that when she reached the town. If nothing else, she felt that she could find a map of the area and see if she could question some locals. It wasn’t much to go on, but she felt she could ask around and see if any of the other Scions might be in this area… though she wasn’t sure how that worked with their bodies were back at the Rising Stones.

After a short time of walking, she reached the edge of the forest and onto solid, flat ground… free from trees. She could see the remains of walls and broken pillars scattered upon some cliffs nearby—stones that were cracked and had broken, grey bricks that were slowly being taken over by the wilderness. She could feel a light breeze and the smell of water upon the air and knew that she must be near a source of water… a lake if not the ocean itself.

In fact, now that she got a closer look around, she could not help but feel that this place was very… familiar. She wasn’t sure why since she could not ever recall seeing such trees like these back in any of the lands she had explored before. But the more she walked on, the more that she observed, the more she realized that sense of Déjà vu did not fade… if anything they grew stronger with every step.

It was when she was passing by some cliffs and did she realize where this place reminded her of. For in the distance she could see it rising above her, almost looking as if the very tip of the spire could pierce the thick clouds that covered the sky.

The Crystal Tower.

She stared at it, shocked at what she was seeing. The tower? How? On in the seven hells could she be looking at the Crystal Tower? Just where was she? The tower was back in Mor Dhona, wasn’t it? How could it be here?

As if there weren’t enough questions swimming around in her mind!

She began to walk a little faster, trying to resist the urge to run. She had to be careful here. She couldn’t go charging in without warning—who knew how dangerous the people here could be? But still, seeing that familiar spire brought a sense of relief to her and she could not help but be drawn to it. She saw that tower every single time she returned to Mor Dhona and though the memories tied to it were confusing, she could not help but smile at the thought of them. Well, if there was a town nearby, she was willing to bet that it was at the base of that tower!

She walked on without meeting another soul for at least an hour, when the trees became fewer and the area opened up a little more to rocks and boulders at this point. She continued towards the tower, eventually spotting a gate and watch towers between some cliffs on either side. She approached it slowly, knowing she would have to be wary. That old merchant seemed to think that the people here could help her, and she was certainly hoping that he was right.

“Halt!”

Claire stopped when a woman stepped out, a tall and pretty Viera woman dressed in armor and a red cloak across her shoulders. Her long white ears twitched slightly at every sound as she eyed her with suspicious eyes of the brightest shade of violet that Claire had ever seen. Claire stayed still as the guard marched out to meet her, still eyeing her carefully—even more so when she spotted the greatsword slung on Claire’s back. Claire also watched her approach with no small amount of worry when she saw the strange weapons strapped to her thighs. They were perfectly round, but the blade had been sharped to such a point that she could see the light reflecting off them as she walked.

She remained still though and did not say a word as the guard looked her over. Over her shoulder, Claire could see a couple other guards, dressed in the same uniform and armor as the Viera, also looking on curiously when they saw they had a guest.

“Every face in this city I know,” the Viera guard said after a moment of silence, “Yours I do not.”

Claire did not answer, not entirely sure how she could respond to that. Surely there were people coming and going from here all the time, right? They can’t be that cut off from the world?

_“Go on, now, friend,” the old man had said, “They’ll take good care of you in the Crystarium.”_

She had to believe that and was not willing to give these people any reason to distrust her.

“This is the threshold of the Crystarium, stranger, and I am its gatekeeper,” the Viera guard warned her seriously, “If you would enter, you will answer my questions.”

Again, Claire did not answer and could feel a few beads of sweat appear on her brow. She knew next to nothing about this place and had a feeling that she was going to be asked questions that she may not know the answer to.

“From where do you hail?” she asked.

Claire didn’t even know where they were right now. The Crystarium… that was the only settlement she knew about. She suddenly wished she had asked the old man a few more questions. Not really sure what else to say, she spoke in a whisper, “The Source.”

She did not know what else to say. She didn’t want to lie because she had a feeling that the woman would be able to tell if she was lying anyway. Perhaps if the woman saw that she wasn’t a threat to her or the people here…?

But it didn’t look like that was going to work.

“The Source? What is this cryptic nonsense?” the gate guard questioned irritably. “Had you given me an honest answer, I would not have barred your way—we care little here for a person’s place of origin. But instead you chose concealment, and I will not suffer you to pass…”

Now what was she supposed to do?

Claire bit her lower lip, trying to think of something to say. She was thinking about simply asking her for directions on someplace else she could go or if she had even seen her friends. But just then, she saw how the Viera’s eyes widen and she went for the circular blades at her side. For a moment, Claire thought she was attacking her, but then she sped past and she turned to see a creature right on top of them. Fighting monsters was nothing new to Claire… but she had never seen a creature like this one before. It was pure white, with almost angelic wings… but its head was long like a horse’s and covered with long hair that covered its pitch-black eyes. Its body was long and skeletal with its hands curved and sharp as it floated just off the ground. But what got Claire’s attention was the feeling that seemed to radiate from inside the creature. She could not explain how she felt about it… more like it was just a whisper at the back of her mind… but this creature felt… hungrily empty. As if it were starving and despite to fill itself.

She almost felt bad for the creature by the time the Viera guard took it out. She threw the shimmering blades with both an easy grace and skill, striking the creature hard enough as it fell… dissolving into white aether. As it disappeared, Claire saw something glinting on the ground where the beast had fallen.

“That one had eaten,” the guard said as she looked on, realizing that it was a rather beautiful ring. “It must have gulped down the whole hand, ring and all…”

Claire looked at the ring as well and felt as if the bottom of her stomach had fallen out, though she couldn’t figure out why. That was when she realized that she had seen the ring before… the exact same ring that had been on the old man’s hand when he offered her a drink back in the forest. She felt cold all over, thinking that there was no way… she just spoke with that man not even an hour ago! Could it be that he was…?

Before she could start asking questions, she heard footfalls behind her and a familiar voice question seriously, “Everything all right, Captain?”

She turned around and she felt her jaw fall open slightly as she gazed at him.

The owner of that mysterious voice who first called out to her and her friends. The same man whom she had met in between worlds… who had called her to the aetherial sea in the middle of her battle with the Zenos imposter… the one who first set her upon the path to the first.

He looked just like how he did then as well. His body partially crystallized, including his entire right arm, covered with a black robe along with a red and white toga with golden accents. He was carrying a heavy golden staff upon his back as he ran towards them, keeping his head down so that the cowl he wore kept the upper part of his face covered so that she could not see anything above his nose.

Claire stared at him, feeling more stupid by the moment when she realized she had no idea how to respond to any of this. Well, she had been hoping to run into someone who would be willing to explain what was going on… she just didn’t expect it to be this soon.

“Quite all right, my lord,” the guard said in a relaxed way, a faint smile on her face when she saw the man, “Just a stray sin eater, and a weak one at that.”

“I see,” he answered, sounding relieved as the guard approached, “Weak or not, we should be on the lookout for more.”

But his gaze was quickly drawn to her, and the two looked long and hard at each other. When he saw who she was though, she could see a smile grace his lips before turning back to the guard.

“But I see you’ve met my guest,” he said to the guard evenly, as if she were an old friend who had come by slightly late to a visit to his home, “I will escort her to the Crystarium myself…if you’ve no objections?”

If the woman was surprised by this, she hid it well. Instead of complaining, she merely shook her head as she sighed, “Another of your mysterious friends, is it? I should have known.” Yet, she didn’t question him as she nodded once, and informing him in a more business-like way, “I’ll inform the others your guest is to be given the run of the city.”

Claire then felt her eyes on her and she looked back to see the guard bow to her as she said very politely, so that she almost didn’t seem like the same woman who had been so cold to her but a moment ago, “Pray forgive my less-than-cordial welcome. May the rest of your stay with us be a pleasant one.”

But Claire just shook her head, silently telling her that there were no harsh feelings. She was just doing her duty, after all. And she did not blame her for that.

“Thank you,” she answered before feeling the ‘lord’ standing close by. She looked back to see that he had stepped in very close. Not close enough to touch, but enough for him to whisper something to her.

“Come with me,” he said quietly, “I will answer whatever questions you have when we are somewhere more private.”

Claire blinked, uncertain to how she should feel about this. Though he was the only person she recognized, he was still the one who brought her here with no explanation, nor was she sure she could trust him. But what other choice did she have? It wasn’t like she could just go wandering the wilds here without at least knowing what was going on? Besides, he may be the only clue she had to finding her friends.

In the end, she nodded and followed after him as they headed through the gates, with the guards observing her curiously as she went through. She didn’t pay them any attention though, keeping her eyes on the stranger in front of her. She couldn’t put her finger on why, but when the man had been speaking to her he seemed… joyful. It sounded strange to her, but it was true… this many was overjoyed to see her. He was doing a very fine job of hiding it now, but there was a strange spring in his step the further that they walked on.

She did not speak though as she patiently allowed the man to escort her a fair distance away from the gate. He was just as silent as she was until they were just out of sight of the watch towers and she could see a bridge in front of them that led up towards the tower. He paused then and turned to look at her.

“Right, then,” he said, sounding a little nervous as he looked at her, “Before we plunge into the wheres and wherefores, let me first thank you for answering my summons.” He gave a bow as she nodded once, patiently waiting for him to explain.

“I had intended to bring you directly to my personal quarters, but I fear my aim was… slightly off,” he mumbled, and she thought that she could see a hint of blush on the cheek that wasn’t dipped in crystal. “That you were still able to make the crossing unharmed is… a great relief.”

She wanted to ask what would have happened if she didn’t… but she didn’t dare ask, having a feeling that she really didn’t want to know.

“And so we come to the question of where,” he said, “The realm in which you now find yourself belongs to one of the thirteen reflections or shards—the First, to be precise—even if its inhabitants are largely oblivious to the fact.”

Well, that was to be expected. She suspected that the First was where she was the moment that she woke up and the fact that no one knew about any other shards wasn’t a surprise to her at all. The captain pretty much proved that. But that still left the question to why she was here to begin with.

“As to wherefore… Having been awarded the rather grandiose title of ‘Crystal Exarch,’ I—in my capacity as caretaker of the Crystarium—thought to seek the aid of you and your companions,” he finished. He suddenly looked sadly to the tower, which was as beautiful as the tower back in the Source, and she gazed up at the familiar sight.

When the Exarch did not speak for a moment, she finally asked, her heart beating so hard that it was painful, “Are the other Scions here?”

She was mentally preparing herself for bad news. She remembered when the captain had mentioned his ‘mysterious guests’ and she could not help but hope that she meant her friends. She suddenly yearned to see them all so badly that her stomach was in knots and hoped that the Exarch would help her.

“Ah,” he said in a slow and uncertain way that did nothing to dispel her fears, “That… is a question with no simple answer. But all shall be explained in due course. I promise you.”

She hesitated at his words, feeling frustration and suspicion rise in equal measure.

Perhaps he sensed this for he felt the need to share more information to what was going on.

“Let us begin with the glaring skies up above,” he told her, and they both looked up to the clouds that were so thick they blocked out every trace of the sky. But then where was all this light coming from?

“Here in the First, the world has been all but consumed by primordial Light,” the Exarch explained, “It began a century ago, by this realm’s reckoning. A luminous flood swallowing everything in its path. More than nine tenths of this star was lost.”

Nine tenths… so ninety percent of this entire world and everything that was in it had been wiped out?! She suddenly remembered what the Warriors of Darkness had told her what felt like a lifetime ago.

_"...And then came the Light ─ a flood of pure, blinding radiance, annihilating shadow and color and life itself. Ere long, it will consume our world, leaving naught in its wake but blank perfection.”_

This must have been the effects of the light… and she had no idea just how devastating that it had been. So much life was lost… was this all that was left?

“And the fortunate few who survived are hounded by abominations born of that catastrophe even now,” the Crystal Exarch explained grimly, “Sin Eaters, we call them. The creature you saw earlier was one such monstrosity.”

That empty white creature? That was a Sin Eater? So that was what she would be up against. But the captain had said that one had been a weak one… so what? Did that mean that there would be strong ones waiting for her? Just what was it that she was supposed to do here?

The Exarch fell silent and the two of them observed the other for a time but she could not help but feel that he was seeing much more of her than she was of him. As well as a very strange sensation washed over her… a sense of… she didn’t know what to call it. Only that the more she looked at him, the more… genuine he felt to her. Perhaps it has something to do with the Echo, but she could sense that there was something about this man who truly wished… to help.

“It was to save the First from this menace that I learned to bridge the rift between worlds—that I might call upon the aid of the greatest of heroes,” he said. “Thought it meant depriving a world of its champion, I had to try—for in saving the First, you would bring salvation to the Source as well.”

He was charming… flattering… but how could he know anything about her? Was he watching her? How? Just what was he expecting from her? Why did all of this sound strange to her? There was something here she was missing, that much she knew, though she could not put the finger on just what it was.

But he smiled and finished, “But what manner of host harangues his guest in the middle of the road? Let us continue our talk within the Crystarium.”

The moment she got her first look at the full city before her, she knew she would never forget it. It was beautiful and her eyes grew wide as she stared around her. There were many different facets of crystal-like buildings that stretched off for malms in all directions, with many different spires and towers that crisscrossed the city. She could see the tower right in front of her, glowing so beautifully as if it were made of diamond and cast a kind of veil over the entire city that made everything seem so much more beautiful. She could see the front entrance that led from the bridge that she stepped off of as and the spinning crystal that sparkled from just beyond the doorway and she was filled with an urge to run in and explore every part of the city.

“And here we are,” the Exarch answered proudly, “Welcome, my friend, to the Crystarium.”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered and he beamed back proudly as he cast his gaze around the city.

“Now, a full and frank discussion in the privacy of my study would seem to be in order…” he began slowly, “…But I think our conversation would be more meaningful were you first to gain a firmer grasp of the situation here. To that end, I would like you to visit a few of the Crystarium’s civic leaders, and glean something of this world and its predicament.”

He turned to the building in front of them where the aetheryte still spun.

“As you can see, this path will take you directly to the aetheryte—a convenience with which I am sure you are only too familiar,” he explained and she hung on to every word so that she could better learn her way around. “Being the rightful object of my summoning spell, you should in theory be able to reach all the way back along your aetheric trail and find a connection in the Source, believe it or not. I strongly suggest you complete this attunement before venturing any further.”

Well, it wasn’t like she was planning on leaving anytime soon. Not after all the trouble she went through to get here.

“After you have done so, walk up the steps next to the aetheryte and head out to the left to arrive in the Crystalline Mean,” he added as he pointed to the stairs on the left side the crystal that led to the level above them, “This is where you’ll find our collective of crafters and gatherers, as well as their spokeswoman, Katliss—one of the people I should like you to meet. Another is Moren. To reach him and his ‘Cabinet of Curiosity,’ you’ll want to avoid the aforementioned steps, take the exit on the left, and simply continue straight along and down until you come to the large doors at the end of the path.”

After he finished pointed to the doorway that led down, directly under the stairs that led to the Mean, he turned and pointed to the other side of the entrance and finished, “The third and final person I would like you to meet is Bragi, our man in charge of trade and distribution. He is to be found in the markets’, which you can access from the opposite side of the aetheryte plaza.” He looked back at her when he was done giving her instructions, “In seeking out each of my colleagues, you will visit the major districts of the city, and hopefully gain a feel for the place. I trust my directions were simple enough?”

“Crystal clear,” she promised, though she suspected that she didn’t need to hear what he said. She was planning to have her chance to explore the city and she would find them eventually.

“Hah, very good,” he smiled, “I concede, the layout of the Crystarium owes more to historic necessity than planning, but I’m sure you’ll learn its twist and turns before long. In all honesty, the true challenge may be in finding the right way to approach its citizens. As you discovered during your encounter with the captain, the people of this world are unaware of the existence of other stars, and will struggle to accept the truth of your origin.”

So what was she to do?

“That being the case, when they ask whence you hail—as they inevitably will—I suggest you claim to share a homeland with the Crystal Exarch,” he reasoned when she did not answer, “There is an unspoken rule here about peering too deeply into that particular mystery.”

That got her attention. The same homeland? She was suddenly burning with curiosity to know more about this strange man, but she nodded, planning to ask him later.

“When you’ve finished making the rounds, pray meet me in the large courtyard at the center of town,” he reassured her with a bow, “Until then.”

He left her after that, and promised her free rein of the city. Claire wasn’t sure where to start first once she attuned herself to the aetheryte. By focusing her senses, she detect the flow of vastly distant currents of aether. Her connection to these energies was faint but stable, and should allow teleportation to aetherytes in the Source.

Not that she was going to leave with the promise of a new world to explore right here in front of her! Deciding to go to this Cabinet of Curiosity first, she took the stairs downwards, staring around as she came into a large, underground section that was full of plants, books, and researchers. It reminded her greatly of the Sons of Saint Coinarch and she wondered if this place was something similar to it. The researchers all looked up as she passed, and though their expressions were more of polite curiosity than anything, she felt that she was disturbing them and quickly hurried off to the large doors at the end of the long corridor.

As soon as she entered, she let out a gasp of happy surprise. She was in a library, with curved walls that had hundreds, if not thousands of shelves full of books. She craned her neck as she looked upwards to try and see the top of the tower as light spilled in from the upper windows. Directly in front of her was what looked like a tower of shelves that had a long spiral staircase that wrapped around it, with different layers where people were able to sit and read. Unable to stop herself, she ran up the stiars, wanting to get the full view from the top. But as she climbed, she could not help but recall the last time she was in a library…?

_"You have already created a place in history, and you still have the rest of your life ahead of you. But no matter what happens, know that there will always be one person who will see you as you really are."_

_"Which is what?" _

_"A beautiful, brave, young woman of few words… with the biggest heart of anyone I ever met."_

_"Either you've been hanging around Thancred lately… or you've become so sincere about your feelings all of a sudden.”_

_"Only when you're around. You bring out the best part of me. Another reason why I will am loathed to have to keep saying goodbye to you."_

Looking back that day, she as if she had sunk into a warm bath and all felt right with the world. She could even feel herself blushing once more by the time she reached the top. She was the only one there at this time… well, there was one other. A young man who was looking over some books, actually looking like he was hard at work repairing a rather battered copy of a tome.

But when he felt himself being watched, he looked up and he immediately turned his attention to her.

“Er, e-excuse me, miss!” he called, “Are you recently come to the city, perchance? I’m quite familiar with our civic roles, you see, and… well… ahem!” he was turning red as he gulped, “Wh-What I mean to ask is, have you brought any books with you? A rumpled scroll, even? A scrap of scribbled-on parchment…?”

“Ah, no… sorry,” she said slowly, wondering if she should have brought something. Aside from her journal though, she didn’t have anything with her, and there was no way she was going to turn that over.

The man then gasped as if he realized he was being rude.

“…My apologies,” he gasped, “Literature is something of an obsession of mine. As well as a profession.” He cleared his throat and bowed as he introduced himself, “Librarian Moren, at your service. And this humble collection is known as the Cabinet of Curiosity.”

Ah, so he was one of the people the Exarch wanted her to meet? She smiled back and introduced herself as well, and asked him more about what went on here.

“As your powers of perception have likely informed you, my colleagues and I are responsible for curating all manner of tomes, documents, and other vehicles for the written word,” he said, pride in his voice, “As horrific as the loss of life and land wrought by the Flood unquestionably was, the damage to recorded knowledge was no less catastrophic. We few do all we can to preserve what wisdom survive3d. But tell me, what brings you to the Cabinet today? Looking for any title in particular? Mayhap a spot of academic research?”

Oh, so this must be one of the reasons he wanted her to come here, to be able to learn more about the history of this world, if she asked for it. She thought it over for a moment, trying to decide on a question that did not have anything to do with the Exarch, the Source, or anything that even remotely sounded like she came from another Shard.

“I would like to know more about the Flood?” she asked politely and Moren’s eyes lit up at that.

“Oho! So you’ve an interest in modern history?” he asked eagerly, “Splendid! A thorough review of recent events can often yield novel perspective, I quite agree! If you would prefer something visual to accompany the account, then I think I have an illustrated history book for children somewhere…”

He looked around, as if trying to remember where he last saw the book before he reassured her he would be back in a moment. Claire nodded and waited as she cast her gaze around the vast room. Nowhere near as big as the Gubal Library, of course, but she felt that there more than enough books than one person could read in one lifetime. She couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Urianger being brought here… he would probably set up a bed here and never leave.

She waited a few minutes before Moren returned with a small tome in his hands.

“And here we are,” he said warmly, “Would you like to pull up a chair? Make yourself more comfortable? …Ahem, on with the lesson, then.”

He drew her in closer as he opened the book and she watched as he flipped through it until he was near the end. That was when she got a view of the world map… or what was left it. Aside from the continent of Norvrandt… the rest looked as if it were covered by swirling white clouds.

“A hundred years ago—or near enough not to matter—villains known as the Warriors of Light slew the Shadowkeeper, the steward of Darkens,” he explained and at the title, Claire felt her entire body freeze up. The images of the Warriors of Darkness appeared in her mind’s eye and she felt cold inside at the thought. Villains? Was that how they were remembered here?

But Moren didn’t notice her sudden discomfort as he went on, “In the wake of this tainted deed, Light began to pour into the world as if from unseen cracks. It pooled and swelled without cease, until the day an enormous, blinding wave rose up and swept across the land. We called this calamity the ‘Flood of Light.’ Everything it touched was leeched of life and vigor, leaving naught behind but a luminous wasteland.”

He turned the page and her eyes went wide in shock. For in this image she saw the light in a literal wave, rising up, engulfing a city… but above that held the image of a young women dressed all in white and with golden blond hair.

And the image she had while she was drifting through the rift suddenly returned to her. Was that a vision of the past she witnessed? Was that the moment when…?

“Yet just when it seemed that all would be lost, a savior appeared before us…” Moren went on, pointing to the drawn picture of Minfilia. “The Oracle of Light. She stood ‘twixt us and approaching doom, and by her power did she stay the Flood. Thus was Norvrandt, and Norvrandt alone, spared the fate of erasure.”

He turned the page and she saw the same city from the last picture and a halted wave just gleaming from above it… like it was frozen in time. But her eyes were quickly drawn to the images of the sky above the city that was full of white-winged creatures… creatures just like the one she had seen just outside the city gates…?

“Tragedy would, however, arrive in another form,” Moren sighed, “From the blasted emptiness descended horrors of strange and terrible aspect to bedevil the few folk who survived. These ‘sin eaters’ were Light incarnate, and their fulgent presence stole the night from Norvrandt’s sky. Even now, they circle the remaining bastions of civilization, ever on the hunt for us, ever hungering for our flesh…”

He then closed the book and held it close to him again.

“…And thus did the world become what it is,” he finished, as if it was common knowledge—which it probably was not that she thought of it, “Should you ever wish to hear the tale again, I would be glad to retell it for you. O-Or if you would rather I speak of other matters, that too would be my pleasure! I should be glad of the company.”

Claire still felt slightly dizzy from such information, but she smiled and thanked him, promising to stop by again soon.

“And…” he added, just as she was leaving, “If you happen to find any kind of knowledge out there in the world… books or… the like. And no one wants them, I would be most grateful if you brought them here? We have to save as much as we can and anything you can contribute would be welcomed.”

“Of course,” she smiled and waved, promising to bring back anything she may find out there and he blushed at it as he waved back.

Her thoughts were a million miles away as she decided the stares and thought of all she just learned. So… the Warriors of Darkness…. The same ones she met before in the Source caused the Flood. Well, that much she suspected since they all but confessed their misery to her when she last fought with them. She remembered the moment that Minfilia, the Word of the Mother, or as she was now known as the Oracle of Light, appeared and promised to help them. They all left together and it seemed that Minfilia was able to halt the flood.

And yet those heroes who gave their all for one last chance…? Now remembered as villains? Though she supposed the people had every reason to think that way…? It left a bad taste in her mouth.

She wandered about, not really focusing on anything for a time before she remembered she had two other places to visit. So she went up to the next layer when she found her way back to the stairs and began to look around the crafting yard. There were dozens of crates full of supplies and items set up as if for sale and she drew closer, her eyes going wide at the smell of food and medicine reached her nose, almost blocking out the smell of fish that were also being counted and iced that were set up next to them. The sounds of hammers and saws could be heard from all over and she could feel the heat from a forge in the background from here and she found all of this strangely comforting.

“Rare to see a place so well stocked with goods, isn’t it?” laughed a voice and her head jerked up to see an Elezen woman standing there with a rather playful glint in her dark eyes when she caught Claire looking around, “But not here.”

A woman waved as she moved behind a table and encouraged her to come closer.

“I’m going to guess you’re new to our fair city?” she asked knowingly and a friendly smile, “Well, for what it’s worth, you’ve chosen a fine sanctuary. The Exarch can throw up a barrier if the sin eaters come knocking, so it’s a damn sight safer in here than it is out there. Safer and more civilized, too—thanks to us in the Mean. We work together to procure materials and resources, and craft the goods which make city life possible. This is the place to visit if you need a coat mended or a kettle forged!” She then wagged her finger at her as she added, as if in an afterthought, “Just don’t go thinking it’ll all be handed to you on a plate like those Eulmoran layabouts. Here in the Crystarium, we work for a living.”

Eulmoran? She wasn’t what that meant, but she nodded, not at all afraid to get her hands dirty—in fact, she could feel the blisters on her palms and fingers just thinking of all the countless hours she put into learning crafting and gathering items she needed.

That was when the man looked over her with a critical eye—grinning when she got a look at Claire’s hands and seeing the roughness.

“Though I see you’re no stranger to honest labor,” she added, “You don’t have that whiff of indolence about you like some folk I’ve met. Still, I can’t quite pin down your profession… where is it you’re from?”

Well, that question certainly didn’t take long for people to start asking. Did she truly stand out that easily?

“I hail from the same homeland as the Exarch,” she recited and she saw the woman’s eyes widen considerably at that.

“…One of the Exarch’s countrymen, you say?” she asked, startled, “…I see. Well then, I’ll work twice as hard to make you feel welcome! Our city wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for him, and any friend of his is a friend of ours!” She looked up to the tower and Claire followed her gaze to the sparkling spire.

“It’s really quite incredible when you think about it. They say his grand magicks summoned the Crystal Tower into existence—pulled the entire thing out of thin air,” she said.

“Truly?” Claire asked in surprise, gazing back at her, “He… summoned it?”

The woman nodded as she informed her, “It wasn’t long before droves of refugees began to congregating around its base, desperate for shelter after losing their homes to the Flood… and that’s how the Crystarium began. At the Exarch’s invitation, buildings started going up, and with the help of some curious relics brought forth from the tower, the place gradually expanded into the thriving metropolis you see today.”

Claire looked back up to the tower in wonder, suddenly wondering if it was possible that this tower… and the one back in Eorzea were… the same tower? Could it be? Or was it just wishful thinking? But then she heard the woman continuing to speak and she came back down to reality as she heard her say, “The city’s stood here for decades now, yet the eldest among us swear the Exarch looks exactly the same as he did back then… he is indeed a man of many mysteries.”

Wait, he hasn’t aged? Why was it that the more she learned about this man, the more she had questions?

“But for all his secrecy, he has never yet let us down,” the woman decided, “So if he—and you—wish to remain silent about your shared homeland, then the folk here will respect your wish for privacy.”

“I… thank you,” Claire said as her new friend grinned.

“…I am, however, more than a little curious to see any crafting talent you might be hiding! If you’ve aught to contribute on that front, be sure to come back and visit once you’ve had a chance to settle in. Just ask for Katliss, and I’ll find you a niche here in the Crystalline Mean,” Katliss promised her, “You can help us keep the cogs of the city greased and turning!”

“I look forward to it,” Claire promised, “When I next have the time, I may take you up on your offer.”

Katliss beamed at her and bid her a fond farewell, and was even kind enough to tell her that she just had to walk along this upper level and she would soon reach the markets if she was heading that way.

Claire did what she was told and followed the connecting bridges across the town until she found another flight of stairs that led down straight into the heart of the markets. There were close to a dozen different stalls set up all around her, each one full of wondrous items for sale.

Most of the buildings were made of stone but he could see stalls and tents comprised of wood, cloth, and metal with the same crystalline glass windows set around them. There seemed to be one main road that sloped downhill towards the square of the markets. She could see people of all species and races, including some beastmen wandering about. Words overlapped around her like a inharmonious song and it was almost overwhelming. The stalls were set within the walls around them, carrying crates or packages as people passed by them.

The vendors here sold everything from food to clothing to weapons and basic materials, but here were a wider variety of objects she had never seen before and she could not help but stare. There were beautiful sets of armor and gleaming weapons that she was itching to try out, exotic dishes that made her mouth water, elegant cloths that had brightly colored dyes mixed into the fabric while jewelry of sparkling jewels caught the light from above and cast a rainbow about them. And even little pieces that she couldn’t possibly have a use for, but so badly wanted to pick up and examine.

“New to the city, friend?” called an amused voice had her head jerked up to see a Hrothgar standing there with a friendly grin as he called, “The spinning head and wide eyes gave you away.”

She chuckled and blushed slightly as she approached, having a feeling that this was one of the people she was asked to meet.

“Welcome,” he said warmly, “My name is Bragi, and I’m the master of these markets. They gave the district another, official title, but I’m not in the habit of using it. Too florid by half… in any case, our merchants stock a range of equipment for Humes such as yourself, so finding something in your size shouldn’t be a problem.”

Humes? Did he mean Hyur?

“I’m sorry, did you say, ‘Humes’…?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound completely lost.

“Aye? Something wrong?” he asked, wondering what she was talking about. He then pointed past her and she looked to see a group of people standing there. Out front were a Hyur and an Elezen in discussion with an Au Ra, Roegadyn and even one of the Amalj'aa that had white fur across his body as they watched the two speak.

“Let’s see if we can straighten this out,” Bragi explained, “See those two in front of us? The shorter one is a Hume, like you. And the taller one is an Elf. That sturdy individual over there is a Galdjent…” he added as he pointed to the Roegadyn, “Whilst the one with the horns is a Drahn. And then you have the large, scaly chaps with long tails and a knack for raising livestock. Those would be the Zun.”

She looked back, trying to remember everything, though she could tell from the look on Bragi’s face that it was clear that this was the first time she had ever heard of such terms.

“…Which is apparently not the name you know them by,” he said, “Now I’m curious to know which far-flung region you hail from…”

She blushed slightly as she merely informed him that she hailed from far away, the same homeland as the Crystal Exarch.

“I apologize if I accidently said anything offensive,” she finished.

But there was only one thing that properly drew his attention.

“Ah, the same as the Exarch, eh?” he said curiously as he studied with a new look of interest, sizing her up and gazing into her eyes like he suddenly understood everything. But then he smiled, “Well, that explains it. You don’t get much further-flung than that. We’ve had a few of your lot pass through in recent years, and despite their obvious learning, they floundered over the simplest things.”

She blinked that, hope rising in her heart at the thought of the other Scions might possibly being here.

“But not to worry,” Bragi reassured her kindly, “Should you find yourself confused by the local language or customs, I’ll be here to answer your questions.”

She smiled and thanked him for his kind words, but the hope that she may be soon reunited with the others blossomed within her heart and she hurried back to the base of the tower where the Exarch was waiting for her. She just couldn’t wait any longer and had to know how the others were doing.

“Well, how did you fare?” he asked politely when he saw her, “Did my colleagues help you form a clearer picture of this world and its people?”

She nodded and told him what she learned of life in the Crystarium, the Flood of Light, and even the people of the First. Already there was so much information she wasn’t sure where to start first. Thankfully, he seemed to fully understand and nodded when she finished.

“Yes, it seems you were treated to a most thorough introduction,” he agreed, “I understand it was something of a chore, but ‘twas necessary that you grasp these things before we proceed. As for the Crystal Tower’s origin, you may have noted that details were sparse. The structure is, in fact, the selfsame one you know from the Source, transported to the First in its entirety.”

She had a feeling that it could be… it looked too much like the tower back home to just be a coincidence. Especially when she looked passed him and up the stairs to the front gate of the tower. There was no doubt that it was the same design… the same doors. The thing that she could not understand though was how it could be here.

When he saw where she was looking, the Exarch told her the story how it came to be here.

“It was my first attempt at breaching the boundaries between worlds—something of a trial run for your eventual crossing,” he admitted, “And although I do not know which era I tore it from, I do know that its arrival served to set the wheels of fate in motion.”

Ah, so that was it. Normally, she would question how one could possibly do something like that… but this was the same man who brought her and the other Scions here, so this really didn’t surprise her as much as she thought it would.

“You’ve done as I requested, and learned something of the world in which you find yourself,” he told her, turning his full attention back to her, “Now it’s time I fulfilled my half of the bargain, and explained what has befallen your comrades. This is a conversation I would rather have in the privacy of my quarters, however. I must go on ahead to the tower and organize a few things, but I shall see that the guard knows to admit you.”

Wait, bringing the tower here was one thing, but the Tower was actually opened?

Now that she was here, the gates open, she could not help but ask the question that had been on her mind.

“Just like that…? Then, G’raha Tia is…?” she asked slowly. The Exarch slowly turned to look at her, and she was sure she could see an air of surprise in his stance.

But instead he told her, “I am not familiar with that name. Is there something I should know?”

She looked down, unable to keep the feeling of disappointment away.

“I see,” she said sadly. Perhaps it was a little too much to hope. Even though she now knew that this Tower was the same one that she has explored with G’raha and the others, the idea of running into him again seemed too good to be true. He had said that he wasn’t sure which era the Tower was from… so she could only assume—since there wasn’t a made Emperor clone or voidsent stalking the city—this was from an age far off in their future. Perhaps a time after G’raha had already awoken.

Still, it would have been nice to see him again. To see another friendly and familiar face.

“It’s alright,” she sighed, “I guess I was getting my hopes up thinking I would see another old friend.” She gazed up at the tower before explaining, “I was the one who cleared out this Tower, though I couldn’t have done it without the people of NOAH.”

“NOAH?” he repeated in confusion as she shrugged. “A group of historians and researchers who were studying the tower during my time.” She chuckled rather sadly as she finished, “That was one exciting adventure, if truth be told.”

“Truly?” he asked, and he sounded greatly interested now. “And G’raha Tia was…?”

“A historian,” she shrugged, “And a friend. He was… cheerful. The first time that we met, he sent me running around the forest looking for a rare type of sand to get past the defenses. I never did tell him off for that. But he was kind and clever. And stubborn… he insisted on coming with me straight into the Void.”

And she gave a brief discussion about the adventures that this tower brought back to her mind’s eye.

The Exarch was quiet the whole time as he listened to her talk, reminding her of a child who was told an exciting story before bed.

“You seem… fond of him,” he said carefully.

“I enjoyed his company,” she confessed, “He looked to me, but never treated me like I was some kind of grand hero.”

That was perhaps the thing she missed the most that trouble-maker. While he made no effort to hide his admiration for her, he never once treated her like she was some powerful Warrior of Light like some many other people had. She felt much more… relaxed… more like herself during those months she spent with him and NOAH. Especially when she thought back to his gentle teasing and his childish excitement whenever he answered her questions about Allag.

“At the end of that adventure though, while we all agreed that it was in the realm’s best interest to seal the tower away, he decided to seal himself up inside it,” she sighed as she turned her gaze away from the tower. “It was a long time ago now… but I can’t help but be reminded of those adventures whenever I saw the tower.”

“An extraordinary tale,” the Exarch said in a rather hushed tone, “But I’m afraid I found no such individual residing in the tower when it passed into my care.”

“I see,” she sighed, “Well, I hope that you didn’t take the tower away when he was away from it. He would have been heart-broken.”

The Exarch chuckled, sounding slightly embarrassed.

“Mayhap we can revisit that mystery another time,” he promised, “For now, I think it best that we focus on the present.”

He seemed keen on changing the subject at that, and if she had been less focused on finding her friends, she would have been a little more curious about that. He bowed and told her to come in when she was ready.

In truth, Claire did a couple minutes to really process all of this and sighed, wondering just how she could have gotten from there to here? She shook her head, knowing that now wasn’t the time to be worrying about such things. That was all in the past and she needed to focus on what was going on here now.

The guard let her in and she could not help but feel a sensation of déjà vu wash over her at the sight of the crystal. The last time that she was here…? Again, she forced those memories aside. But the truth was she was shocked to be back here. Never once did she ever dream she would be able to set foot back into this tower once it was sealed.

The Exarch greeted her here, and took her up a couple flights of the crystal staircase.

“You need not worry of facing any creatures here,” he reassured her as they stepped across the platform where she once battled against the many-headed Scylla. “I assure you that when it was brought here, anything that seemed dangerous had been cleared out long ago. Something that I now see we have you to thank?”

“Perhaps,” she chuckled slightly.

He smiled as he guided her up a couple more flights and she could recognize this part as well. Finally, he led her to a room she had never noticed before, and she looked around curiously at the beautiful crystal walls and intricate patterns on the floor. She remained quiet the entire time until the doors shut behind them and he turned to face her.

“Welcome to the Ocular, my private study,” he stated graciously, “We can speak here without fear of being overheard. I have much to explain, but the truths which I must touch upon in doing so would cause only distress and confusion to the people of this world. Pray keep that in mind.”

She nodded in understanding. It wasn’t her desire to upset anyone and she was more than willing to play the part of a lost traveler coming to visit if she had to. But she was wishing that he would explain more of her friends and just what was going on here.

He took a deep breath and began.

“Now, I am sure you are desperate to know the fate of your fellow Scions,” he said, “To put it simply, they are here in the First…their arrival, however, was not as recent as you may imagine.”

What was that supposed to mean? It had been awhile since this first started, but it hadn’t been that long had it?

“Here, time flows at a different pace from that of the Source. In the space of a single hour in your home world, an entire year might pass in the First—and the reverse could also be true,” he explained, and she knew that her eyes were growing wide at that. Well, if nothing else, that explained why they said that a hundred years had already passed since the Flood and when she parted ways with the Warriors of Darkness. But now with this unpleasant bit of news, she was almost afraid to ask how long it had been.

He seemed to sense her hesitation and gave a reassuring smile as he declared gently, “The pace fluctuates without rhyme or reason, and it cannot be predicted. That said, we seem to be entering a period of near-equivalence, and thus, for the moment, you need not overly concern yourself with the passage of time. As for your companions, however… Y’shtola and Urianger have dwelled here for three winters all told, while Thancred’s count stands at five. Even our more ‘recent’ arrivals, Alphinaud and Alisaie, have lived in the First for almost a year.”

That long? She could not believe it. How…?

Suddenly a wave of guilt rose up inside her. They had been waiting years for her?

“My intention had been to summon only you, but the art of reaching across worlds has proven exceedingly difficult to master,” the Exarch confessed, both apologetically and somewhat in embarrassment, “Thus it was that my fumbling hand closed upon those to whom your fate is most closely bound as well. As they were not the object of my summons… their transference was… incomplete.”

“What do you mean? Is something wrong with them?” she asked, trying not to let the dread creep into her voice.

“Though they may appear to possess corporeal bodies, they are, in truth, merely spirits that one can see and touch,” he explained, “Consequently, while you yourself will be able to pass between worlds with relative freedom, they will not. Much as it grieves me… they are stranded here, unable to return.”

At those words, she remembered their still forms back on the Source and anger began to boil inside her. She wanted to yell at him for his mistakes… to demand to know why he did what he did and inform him of how badly he messed up before forcing him to find a way to send them back.

But she took a deep breath, fully aware that yelling wasn’t going to help her or her friends right now. So instead of losing it, she coldly, but calmly, asked, “What have they been doing all this time?”

“We spent every waking hour searching for a way to reverse the summoning,” he confessed. “In the beginning, at least… as you may have surmised, however, our efforts met with little success. And then we all but abandoned the endeavor once Urianger shared with us the vision he had witnessed during his journey through the rift.”

“Vision?” she repeated, thinking of the vision she had during her own journey. Though the image she had seen wasn’t completely clear to her, she could recall what she saw… of Minfilia—or the Word of the Mother—appearing before that luminous wave. What she now knew to be the Wave of Light.

“It that chaotic no-man’s-land between realms, time and space warp and blend in… unexpected ways,” he said, “What Urianger saw… was the future. That which would one day come to pass. In his vision of tomorrow, the First was rejoined with the Source… this collision of worlds brought about the Eighth Umbral Calamity, and the deaths of countless multitudes.”

He paused there for a moment, as if afraid to go any further, but finally he confessed, “Amongst those who perished, Urianger clearly saw the fall of the Scions’ mightiest champion. He watched you die.”

She stared at him, unable to believe what she just heard. She knew that the situation back in the Source was growing tense with the war with the Garlean Empire, but to think that something could have happened that would cause them all to die? Was she truly going to meet her end soon?

Any thoughts of this being just a sick joke quickly faded as she looked at him and could see how deadly serious he was. She actually gluped hard at the thought and was honestly surprised by how calm she was.

“And thus did the Scions embrace their exile, and begin searching this world for a means to forestall the coming catastrophe in yours,” he sighed, “Their souls are stranded in the First, yes, but they have fought on, desperate to save their home—and you—from destruction.”

For her? All this time they were trying to find some way to wake them up… to find some way to save them… and they were trying to find a way to save her? Her and their home?

“Nor have their efforts been in vain: for it was they who finally established that the elimination of the sin eaters will indeed serve to prevent the calamity,” the Exarch informed her, “Considering the… circumstances of our meeting, you would be forgiven for doubting my version of events. And so, before all else, I would suggest you track down your comrades, and hear the tale from their lips.”

How was she to do that? As far as she knew, none of them were in the city… so where was she to go to find them?

“I shall, of course, be happy to assist in these reunions—and you need not make any decisions regarding your involvement until you are certain of where you stand,” the Exarch reassured her quickly. “Meanwhile, I promise I will not rest until I have found a way to help your friends return home.”

He paused there, as if waiting to see if she would start yelling at him or not. When she remained frozen, he pressed on nervously, “What say you? Have I earned your trust for the moment, at least?”

She thought it over, still reeling from this news about how in the not-so-distant future was the Eighth Umbral Calamity and her own demise. But…?

She looked at him long and hard before she came to her decision.

“Aye, but I’ll see that you keep that promise,” she stated simply. That was really the best that could be hoped for.

At her answer, she could see the relieved smile.

“Excellent,” he said, sounding happy, “You will not regret this. With that settled, we shall have to see about getting you ready for the road. Travelling across the rift has no doubt left you weary—I will arrange for a room where you might rest in comfort. While it’s being prepared, perhaps I can show you around?”

She blinked at that, but she nodded, suddenly realizing just how tired she felt all of a sudden.

Though she wanted to head out right now to reunite with the others, she felt slightly light-headed and her limbs were stiff and heavy. She supposed a couple hours of rest wouldn’t hurt? She agreed in the end, and he led her back outside and into the open air and blazing sky.

“The Crystarium boast a number of residential districts, but I have been informed that a room has just become available at the Pendants,” he told her. “Which, as it turns out, is perfect. Our path there will take us past the markets, and I was hoping to give you my own introduction to their wares. Come along.”

She stayed close behind him as she looked around the city, once more having her breath taken away by how beautiful it was. As they walked though, she soon noticed that no small amount of people were looking at her rather curiously as she passed by them.

“I don’t suppose you get a lot of guests?” she asked and he chuckled.

“We always get a handful of people every now and again,” he reassured her, “But it’s always exciting to see new faces.”

But it was more than that. She could see that many of them were looking from her, to the Exarch, and then back to her. She wasn’t sure why, but the idea that the Crystal Exarch was seen with a stranger around town here seemed to be big news to them. When she pointed this out, he chuckled again.

“I apologize for that,” he informed her. “But I fear that gossip passes through here like wildfire. Don’t worry, if anything else, the people here will know that you don’t mean them any harm.”

She certainly hoped so. While she did like the idea of being here in a world where no one knew her as the Warrior of Light, she didn’t like the idea of being on display here like this.

The Exarch, however, seemed to trying his best to make sure she felt welcomed as he pointed out all the parts of the city that they passed by and the best short cuts to take to get there. Eventually, he led her to the markets, and he turned around to face her in the square.

“This is the Musica Universalls, the commercial heart of the Crystarium,” he explained, “Aught you might need to prepare for your journeys can be purchased here.”

To be honest, she was most certainly curious about exploring the markets here and seeing what the stalls here had. But she had to remind herself that she had no idea what they used for currency and had no way to pay for it.

“Ah, yes—you must be curious about the currency,” he said, actually taking her aback as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, “Fear not! The gil you carry will serve you well enough.”

That sounded unlikely. If this world had a different history to the Source, how could her money be used here? Yet he just smiled, however, as he explained, “each nation once minted its own coins, but ‘twas all a jumbled mess following the Flood. After much debate, the local merchants eventually elected to revert to the old ways, wherein a coin’s value was decided by the worth of its metal. As for a unit of measurement, we agreed upon the term ‘gil’. A word borrowed from coins uncovered within the Crystal Tower here. And as our traders peddled their wares across the land, so too did our usage of gil become common practice.”

Well, that was convenient to say the least.

“From what Y’shtola tells me, a standard coin from the Source equates to exactly one gil here—or near enough not to matter,” he reasoned before shrugging and said with a small smile, “Our way of life had benefited greatly from the artifacts we recovered from the tower… some of which may be familiar to you.”

She was going to ask what he meant by that… before she caught a glimpse of something in a nearby stall that made her stomach sink. Her gaze caught hold of several stacks of tomestones set up in neat rows while the merchant was trying to draw everyone’s attention to them.

Suddenly dread filled her whole body as the years she spent hunting and gathering tomestones for weapons and armor went through her mind. She had to hunt for more tomestones? Why did it feel like she would never be able to escape the senseless grind?

It was almost too much to bear and she shook her head, slumping forward as a wave of despair washed over her.

Once again, if knowing what she was thinking, the Exarch patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. But still she couldn’t help but feel annoyance when she saw the corner of his mouth twitch as if he was fighting a smile. When she arched an eyebrow at him, he cleared his throat before went on in a more thoughtful tone.

“But I fear it would not be practical for us to provide everything to which you are accustomed,” he said reasonably. “You shall need a means to access the commodities of your home world.” He then looked up and spoke in a different language to her ears, but she suspected that thanks to the Echo, the meaning rang out perfectly clear within her mind.

{Are you there, my friend?}

She soon found out who he was talking to when she saw a burst of light appear from above their heads and was now fluttering about in the air over them. She stared at it as it zoomed this way and that, and a rather childish voice spoke up, “Yes, I’m here, of course I’m here! What amusements do you have for me today?”

The light finally settled down and drifted lower so that she could get a look at it… and with a little popping sound, a tiny figure appeared. For a moment, she thought that she was looking at a fairy familiar, like her own dear Lily… however, this one was slightly larger, with slim and delicate wings that resembled stain glass, and she was dressed in bright red clothes that were made from leaves and plants like the Sylphs back in the Twelveswood. She had rather shrewd eyes that were bright and full of curiosity, and long red hair that was tied into pigtails as she waved merrily at the Exarch.

“My dear Feo Ul, paragon of pixie-kind,” the Exarch greeted warmly, “For you, I have a most vital task.” He looked back to Clarie and explained, “This fine lady is a friend from a distant realm.”

Once the surprise had worn off, Claire held up her hand and greeted the pixie in a friendly greeting as the Exarch explained, “And we have need of a means to ferry things back and forth from her home. Might you be able to… assist us in this matter?”

Feo Ul thought it over for a moment before began to flutter about her, getting a good look at Claire from all angles. Claire couldn’t help but feel like she was a chunk of meat at a market that someone was examining before deciding to buy her or not.

But when the pixie looked into her eyes, she could see wonder and excitement shining back.

“You came from beyond, didn’t you?” Feo Ul asked her in awe, “From beyond the rift! How wonderfully exciting! What a brave and reckless and marvelous thing you did! You’ve the heart of a pixie, you do!”

Was that a good thing? Nevertheless, she smiled back as the pixie seemed to have made up her mind.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to grant you my assistance,” she reassured her, “Make a pact with me, and the fun can begin!”

A pact? Like a deal?

“But answer me this, traveler: did your garments come with you when you crossed over?” Feo Ul went on without waiting for an answer, “Your teeth? Your nails?”

Claire thought it all over, trying to think if there was anything she had lost or left behind when she first crossed over the rift. When nothing came to mind, she nodded, letting her know that she had everything.

“Just as I thought!” Feo Ul winked back gleefully, “Then you’ve a good, stout connection with your home, though which all your belongings great and small may easily pass. From this moment forth, I will be your {beautiful branch} and you my {adorable sapling}. Like the branch which sprouts from the sapling, our bond will flow unbroken from one to the other!”

Her new ‘branch’ then got down to business and commanded imperiously, “Raise your hand.”

Claire was apprehensive since she had no idea what this was about, but after an encouraging nod from the Exarch, she held up her hand to Feo Ul. The pixie fluttered closer before the tips of her fingers began to glow and she cast some kind of spell. She felt the light flow into her hand and wrap around her arm… it was warm and made her skin tingle, but not in a bad way. It was almost comforting.

“Tis done!” Feo Ul smiled proudly, “We are bond now, dearest sapling. Come, come, then! Make your request! Tell me your desire! I wish to visit this world of yours!”

Really? That was fast. She was just thinking about what she could ask her to do when the Exarch suggested, “Mayhap a message to your friends in the Source to inform them of your safe arrival?”

Ah, that was a very good idea. She was sure that Tataru must be worried about her—assuming that time was moving at a more equal pace at this point. She looked back to Feo UL and asked, “Send a message to Tataru. Just let her know that I’m alive and well so there is no need to worry. And I’m on the trail of the other Scions. She’ll understand.”

“Consider it done!” Feo Ul promised happily. She then flipped about in the air and became a ball of light, disappearing into the sky.

“As you heard, that was Feo Ul of the pixies,” the Exarch told her when they were alone again, “Their kind possess an affinity for magic akin to that of arcane beings. They rarely show themselves in populated areas, but Feo is insatiably curious even by pixie standards, and seems to have taken a liking to the Crystarium.”

She seemed like a cheerful bundle of energy. Claire hoped that she wouldn’t come to regret this ‘pact’, but at the moment, she knew she already liked Feo Ul. She would be glad to be able to pass information back to the Source and to the others if she truly had to. It certainly did make her feel much more at ease now that she knew she still had a connection to the Source.

“Right, we were going to organize a room for you, weren’t we?” the Exarch asked, getting back on topic, “Come along.”

She nodded and followed behind, but she found herself stopping fervently so that she could admire the city and all the little details. The Crystal Exarch did not seem to mind at all though, and was more than patient as he let her take her time to really explore parts of the city, and he even pointed out parts to her, answering any questions that she might have had.

As they passed by through the wide-open tavern, without a doubt the brightest and most cheerful tavern she had ever seen, she noticed that there were more people than ever looking at them. In fact, she was almost certain that some of them were even giving the Exarch supportive smiles. In fact, her hearing was able to pick up on some comments being whispered about her and she could feel herself turning red.

“What is it?” he asked, seeing the hue added to her cheeks.

“They’re very curious to know who ‘that pretty girl’ is with you,” she muttered before spotting a pair of older women, giggling at the sight of the two of them there together.

“What do you… oh…” the Exarch said before he also sounded embarrassed at the mere suggestion, “Well, looking at the pretty young lady with me, I can’t say I blame them for being jealous.”

At that comment, she felt herself chuckle and the sight of her laugh seemed to bring him great joy.

“Don’t let it worry you,” he promised her, “I’ll make sure to inform the right people that you are a guest here. Nothing more than that.”

“Thank you,” she said as he led her through the tavern and towards a tower called the Pendants, and he brought her before the manager where they would set up the matter of her accommodations.

“You’ll have a private room here at the Pendants for the duration of your stay, to make use of as you see fit,” he told her, “When you are ready to retire, the manager will show you your lodgings. Pray rest and recuperate, and we shall reconvene in the Ocular anon. I believe that covers all the practical concerns.”

She nodded in understanding. But as she made to move to the desk, he suddenly held up a hand to stop her. When she looked at him, he seemed to be struggling within himself for a moment, as if he was about to say something.

“…Thank you for answering my call, Claire. We are denied the comforting blanket of night, but may peaceful dreams attend you nonetheless,” he said at last, though she had a feeling that wasn’t what he had wanted to say.

She merely nodded and thanked him for the hospitably he shown her so far before the manager guided her up to her room. He gave her a key, promising that she was free to use it as often as she liked and that he hoped that she had a good rest.

When she stepped into the room, she let out a sigh of relief to be alone with her thoughts for a brief moment before she cast her gaze around the room.

She had to admit, out of all the inn rooms she stayed in, these were by far the nicest she had been in. they were almost twice as large as to what she was used to and fully stocked with everything and anything she would need. She glanced out, taking in the sight of the large bed, several wardrobes and dressers set aside for her to make use as she saw fit. On the other side there was a long table that held several baskets of food and even some bottles of wine set up for her. Behind that was a fully stock kitchen, even a large furnace that was filling the room with a slight warmth that made her feel a little sleepy.

It would seem the Exarch went out of his way to make her stay here as easy as possible. Well, if the Exarch was hoping to make her feel comfortable, he succeeded. If anything, she almost felt a little too pampered.

Her eyes were soon drawn to the large window directly in front of her and she was overcome with an urge to look out. She undid the latch and opened the twin doors to see the land stretched out below her. There was even a small balcony set up there with potted plants to match the tiny trees that grew little orange fruit on either side of the window. But her gaze was soon drawn to the lake in the distance that shone underneath the light-filled sky.

And the full sight of that sky brought nothing but a wave of sorrow over her. Ninety percent of this world had died a century ago… all that she would see here were just the fragile pieces of light that stubbornly clung to life, but it was a losing battle from what the Exarch had said.

After all that she learned so far, she could not help but glare hatefully up at that sky. Just looking at it made it harder to breathe.

But what was she supposed to do? The Exarch did not explain that part to her and she was struggling to figure out what he expected out of her. The way he talked… as if he had full confidence that she would be able to help them save this world. But why would a complete stranger go through so much trouble to bring her here when he didn’t know her? But the way that he would gaze at her…? She didn’t know how, but she just felt that this man knew more than he was letting on. The question was, could she trust him? It was like that whisper in the back of the mind telling her that there was a half-truth… a lie that mixed within the Exarch’s words that she had missed. She wasn’t sure what it was yet, but she knew that there was something that the Exarch was concealing from her.

But he seemed to support her desire to find the other Scions and she was aware that she would need his help if she was to get anywhere. She would go along with his plans for now and try to keep an eye on him. That was all she could do.

Because she truly wanted to help the people here. From what she had seen so far, the people here seemed like good folk to her and she wanted to find some way to help make their lives easier… even though she was out of her element here.

She glanced to the small chronometer on the counter and sighed. It was almost morning now and she was suddenly wishing she could clear the clouds so that she could see the sky once more. She didn’t realize how much she missed seeing the stars until this moment.

But as she entertained the thought of trying to get some rest, she heard behind her what sounded like muffled footsteps. A strange chill went up her spine and she immediately turned around and froze in place at the mass of black aether appeared before her. She stared at it, her hand already going for the weapon that hung upon her back. But the man-size aether did not attack her like she expected. Instead, she could hear a muffled voice speak from inside it: “…You…”

She paused there, taken aback by what was happening as she stared at it. And as she looked on properly, she could see that the aether was slowly taking shape. She did not move or speak as she watched the aether continue to come together and a solid-looking form appeared. A figure of a young man appeared before her with short brown hair with a slight stubble upon his chin; dressed in black armor and fur and a blood-splattered axe upon his back. She stared at him as his body slowly took on a more solid form and as he slowly opened up his bright blue eyes, no trace of the dark aether remained. Instead it was as if there was a light, a much more gentle light than the kind in the sky, seemed to shine in his skin.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and had to blink several times to make sure she wasn’t going crazy. But her ‘guest’ just realized she was there and looked to be as surprised to see her there as she was of him. For a moment, neither of them said anything as they stared at each other.

“I know you…” he finally whispered, “You’re the Warrior of Light from the Source!”

He then observed her for a moment as she stared back until she found her voice as well.

“The Warrior of Darkness…?” she finally questioned, wondering how he could possibly be here. But the moment she spoke his title, he began to stare at her even more as if she grew an extra head or something.

“What?” he whispered but she knew that he heard her. He even took a step forward as if he could not believe what he just heard as he croaked out, “Did you just… You can hear me!?”

She was taken aback, finding that to be a strange thing to say. Well, of course she could she could hear him, why would she not be able to? She nodded, completely at a loss to what was going on as a strange look passed over the Warrior of Darkness’s face as he looked down. Perhaps it was just the light behind her playing tricks on her eyes, but she could have sworn that the look in his eyes were one of relief and utter joy for the briefest of moments.

“Oh, gods how long has it been…?” he could not help but gasp out.

Since what? She waited as the Warrior of Darkness seemed to need a minute to process what was happening. So did she, come to think of it. She did not think she would ever see him again when he first left the Source with Minfilia and the others. But now that she thought of it… from what the Exarch said, time here moved much faster than in the Source. After all, her comrades had been here for years apparently. And when she last parted ways with the Warriors of Darkness—which was ages ago—even by her time—it had still been an entire century for him, had it not? Why would he still be here…?

“…Aye…aye, that was what I called myself in your world…” he said at last when he seemed able to speak once again. “The ‘Warrior of Darkness’.” He then looked up and added with a slightly bitter note in his voice, “My real name is Ardbert, I used an alias in the Source. A daft one, looking back…”

Ardbert? Wasn’t the name he used in the Source Albert? Truly? She would have thought that he could have come up with something a little more creative than that.

But rather than bring up what must still be painful memories for them both, she nodded and said, “I remember.” She could not say if it was a good thing she felt seeing him again after all this time. “But then…” she added slowly, “How are…? How are you here now?”

Pain flashed across his face as he looked down and mumbled, “If you recall my tale, it was my comrades and I who caused the Flood.”

She could remember that. She remembered the pain in their faces as he told them their story. The agony and anger had been plain, written all across their souls so that no one could hope to miss it.

“Yes, you tried to kill me, twice,” she answered, not realizing that she spoke out loud.

“The first time we attacked you was just for a warning,” he confessed softly, “The second time though… yes. I guess it’s too late to say I’m sorry?” But his eyes turned sad as he added, “We thought our home doomed. And so we listened to the Ascians—let them guide us to the Source, and tried to hasten their godsdamned Ardor. I remember when we fell, defeated by you and yours. I remember our audience with Minfilia—how she listened to our pleas, and returned our souls to the First.”

She remembered all of that as well. When they first met and how her heart felt that it was breaking apart in two when she heard their pleas for aid, only to come to believe that they had been forsaken… forgotten. She remembered wishing that there was something she could do to help them, but in truth… she knew not what could be done. Fighting primals and dragons, sure she had gotten pretty good at it at that point… but stopping a wave of light? What could one do against that? She had no more answers now than she did back then.

“The Flood was poised to swallow Norvrandt…” Ardbert explained softly as his eyes became glassy and distant. “Minfilia and my friends, they… they surrendered what little they had left to hold it back. Just faded away… leaving me to bear witness.”

She looked on sadly, not sure what she could say to comfort him. That was when the flash of a memory came to her. The image of Minfilia facing against that vast wave and her words spoken. Wait… was that…?

Ardbert suddenly looked up at her and asked, “Tell me, do you know the year? How much time has passed since we caused the Flood?”

It seemed strange that he did not already know that. Was he not here during all that time? What had he been doing since the Flood? But he was waiting for an answer and she told him what the Exarch told her. When she finished he looked down, as if stunned but unsurprised by how much time has passed.

“A hundred years…” he whispered, “A hundred long years…”

He then did something strange. She watched as he turned and began to walk around the room, but not really take anything in. When he approached the table, he reached out to take hold of a cup… only for his hand to pass through it as if it were smoke.

She gasped slightly and her eyes widened as she stared at him, realizing what he was.

Ardbert didn’t say anything for a moment as he withdrew his hand and stared at his palm as if it wasn’t there… which, in a way, she supposed it wasn’t.

“My hands find no purchase,” he confessed quietly, “My gestured catch no eye. And my pleas, be they whispered or screamed, reach not a single ear… I am a shade, cursed to do naught but drift.”

Now she understood why he was so surprised to realize she could answer him. How long has it been since he spoke to another person? At that moment, her heart ached so badly for him that she wanted nothing more than to weep.

He finally lowered his hand and went on speaking, “I feel as if I’ve been walking forever… I hardly noticed when my mind and body began to fray at the edges.” He then turned around as he stared at her as he added, “Then ‘bang’, my senses were sharp again. I felt like a fish being reeled in, and before I knew it, I found myself in this room.”

Why was that? Did her presence here somehow catch his attention? Why would that be? They only met a few times before, after all, why her suddenly appearing in this world be enough to bring his senses back.

He observed her with a critical eye for a minute, as if expecting her to explain this change in him, before he suddenly asked, “Why is it that you can see me?” After thinking the question over, he suddenly grew slightly angry as he added in a demand, “What are you even doing here, come to that?”

As if she knew?

She truly had no answer she could give him that could pacify or comfort him. She could only tell the truth. And so, after a slight hesitation, she told him everything that happened to her since they last parted ways. She also figured that he needed someone to talk too, after having been so long. She explained to him about their efforts to defeat the Garlean Empire and how they freed the nations of Ala Mhigo and Doma… but just as the fighting at the borders was starting to grow serious, the Exarch had summoned her and her friends here one by one.

“To answer your question, I still don’t know why I’m here, or what I’m supposed to do but…?” she finished, but he understood enough to know where she was getting at.

“You were summoned to save the first?” he asked at last. He then had a rather bitter smile as he confessed, “A waste of time. This world is beyond saving—like those who try to save it.” He looked up with a dazed look and finished, “Muddled as my mind may be, I’ve not forgotten that.”

Was it truly so hopeless? While she was aware of how serious the situation was, she did not want to believe that these people and this world was beyond all hope of being saved. But then again, she reasoned that a hundred years of wandering could not have done any good for his moral or state of mind. Besides, it wasn’t like she could suddenly promise him that they could save this world when she still knew so little about the situation here.

Ardbert looked at her long and hard once more as he told her, “But if fate has brought me to you—the one person in this godsforsaken world who can see and hear me—then perhaps there is a reason I endured. If I can find out why I was left behind, then maybe… maybe I can bring this journey of mine to an end…”

How? How could she help? Perhaps it was foolish wishing to save someone who once tried to kill her… but all she could think of was how much pain that he must be in… pain so real that she could feel it from here as if it were her own. All she knew for sure was that if it were the other way around… she would wish for someone to help her. And that was all she wanted to do for Ardbert.

Yet, he seemed to grow weary of being in this room and turned to the door. But not before saying in warning, “Well, I’ll be watching, Warrior of Light.”

As he walked to the door, he finished in a grim tone that brought no comfort to her otherwise suffering heart, “But do me a favor. Be careful out there. This world has had its fill of heroes.”

He stepped to the door and disappeared as if he wasn’t there.

She stood there and stared at the door for a very long time after that, half of her wondering if it had been part of a strange dream that just happened. But finally, after what felt like hours, she heaved her greatsword off her back and leaned it against the wall as she began to strip down her armor.

***Exarch***

Once he saw her to her door, he bowed and promised he would be at the tower when she next awoke. Once she had gotten some rest, she was to seek him out there and he would usher her on her journey to reunite with her friends.

He bid her a fond farewell as he left, returning to some of his duties, including going about the rest of the Crystarium, just to check that everything was well. But even as he did his best to listen to the woes and problems of his people, he could tell that his people were looking at him curiously at his sudden distracted mind. He could not focus properly, and he had to ask them to repeat themselves several times before realizing he did not hear a word that was being said.

He could not help it… he couldn’t work while every part of his being was sighing with relief and joy that she was finally here… that she was truly, truly here.

In fact, his mind was so preoccupied that he finally had to request Lyna to finish the examination of the city, merely making the excuse that he was not feeling well. But that was far from true. He had not felt so alive in years.

He was a little surprised by her behavior though. He had expected her to snap and demand answers from him about her comrades… had expected her to demand to know why he had called her here… instead, he could tell that while she was far from pleased with the current situation, she had decided that she would let him explain himself. He sighed in relief, knowing that it would be a little easier to gain her trust this way. Not only that, he truly did not think he could handle her hatred for him at this point in time… though he suspects he had done precious little to deserve her cooperation.

She seemed more curious about this new world than anything else, but was heavily guarded against him and everyone else here. There were walls build around her and he did not think that he would be let in anytime soon. Though, he theorized that once he helped her to reunite with the other Scions though, she may be more likely to let those walls down.

Claire was still new to this world and she could not yet understand the situation here… nor how much he would soon ask of her. She had no idea of his real plans yet… and it was all he could do to hold his tongue in check. He could not explain everything to her without betraying the secrets that were held inside his mind… she could not know… not now anyway… mayhaps not ever. At least, not until the right moment.

Until that moment came though, he vowed to make sure that she was cared for and looked after. He had to make sure she was as comfortable as possible and he would do his best to make sure that she had everything she needed. He had given her one of the finest rooms at the Pendants, Feo Ul would be able to deliver any of her positions that she could need, as well as deliver messages to her other friends back at the Source—which should be able to ease some worry and stress for her. And once she rested, he would arrange for her to seek out the other Scions.

The only question now was who first? He wanted to send her off to Urianger right away, whom he knew would be able to guide her along this path… and help to draw any unnecessary questions away from him. But that would mean sending her off to Il Mheg. He had no wish to throw her to the fae folk… not when she was still learning the layout of his city. He then thought of Y’shtola, but she was still within the Greatwood, which wasn’t easy to get to from here. Not only that, Y’sthola was not aware of his plans but would surely see what he was planning as soon as they began their hunt of the Lightwardens in earnest. No, best that they wait for as long as possible before reuniting with her… especially since he knew that she did not trust him in the least.

As for Thancred…? Where he was right now was anyone’s guess. Ah, that reminded him about the Oracle… he would have to explain to Claire about her when he had a chance.

But then his mind went straight to the twins and he nodded, surprised that he didn’t think of them first right away.

Alphinaud was still upon the isles of Kolushia, doing his best to gain access to Eulmore. Alphinaud had spent most of his time upon that island, often leaving for weeks before returning without warning just to check in. Whenever he did come to visit, her name was always the first thing on his lips… demanding to know if there were any news regarding her and his home back in the Source. The few times that he had been able to pull up her image upon his mirror, he noticed how Alphinaud would just stare at her face… as if he could not tear himself away.

The Exarch had asked him about it, but Alphinaud refused to go into real details. Not that he needed to understand when he saw that dazed look in the young man’s eyes.

As for Alisaie… well… the truth was she scared him. Out of all the Scions, though furious with him for pulling them to another star, they were, at least, willing to hear him out before judging him. Alisaie… not so much. She had already made up her mind on where she stood with him the moment she arrived. It was no small shock for them both when she had been pulled away from the Source and woke here in this very room. He had been so confident until that moment that it had been the Warrior of Light’s soul that was being summoned to his side this time that he was actually rendered speechless when he saw the young Elezen girl instead.

Alisaie… once the shock had worn on… was quickly replaced with a furious rage.

She had been so furious that truly believed that she was going to attack him. In fact, she did… She charged at him, knocking him off his feet and held him down as she shook his robes, screaming and crying in equal measure. She screamed herself hoarse at him until her yells gave way to bitter tears that flooded down her cheeks and was reduced to begging sobs for him to send her back. Hearing her words was probably the worst yet… for he was unable to send her back at this point in time.

It was not until Alphinaud and Urianger heard her screams and came bursting into the room did she take a breath and calm down somewhat. As soon as she saw her brother, she temporarily forgotten her rage at him and flung herself into her twin’s arms…

Only to shriek at her brother for scaring them all so badly.

Once they let her cry her tears out and shout at them until her voice gave out, they brought her new clothes and comforted her best as they could as they tried to explain the situation here.

Though she had accepted her current fate, to this day, Alisaie had yet to forgive him for pulling her away at such a ‘critical time’ and refused to stay in the city with him for longer than she had to. When she learned that they were trying to bring Claire here as well to save this world, or what was left of it… Alisaie left without a word. She said that she was not going to turn against them, but she would prepare in her own way… she would train and grow as strong as she could so that she could help Claire when the time came. Last he heard, she had gone down south to the lands of Amh Araeng so that she could work on her battle skills.

When Claire returns to the tower, he would explain the situation as best as he could here before instructing her to head out to find the twins, as well as give her the air she needs to breathe. Even in a new world, he did not think that the local wildlife here would be able to pose much of a threat to one such as she. Of course, that did not change the fact that she was still a stranger here, and knew nothing of how things worked here nor the lay of the land.

She would need a guide, not a babysitter. In fact, he actually knew of a couple individuals who would be able to help with this task.

As soon as he returned to the tower, he got to work. He had already pulled out some parchment and began to write a couple quick missives to several others that he knew and trusted enough to ensure she arrive safely at either destination. He also made sure to tuck a golden coin into one of the envelopes for that he knew would serve her well in the lands of Amh Araeng… while also adding a spring of thyme in the second for their contact in Kolushia.

But even as he worked, he could not get her face out of his mind and his worry grew.

He waited a reasonable amount of time before he felt that it would be safe to check in on her, just to make sure she was settling in properly. He turned to the mirror and thought of her, silently telling the tower his wish. As if by magic, he saw her appear within the crystalline mirror. She was standing within her new rooms, having just changed out of her armor which now laid upon the floor and her heavy-looking sword was leaning up against the window that she was now staring out the window. She was dressed in a short gown that was light and seemed to be comfortable for her as she cast her gaze to the skies.

As he studied her face, he could see just how tired she looked. Her skin looked delicate when bathed in the light from the sky… giving her the impression he was looking at a fragile doll. Of course, he was fully aware of how silly that sounded. Of all the things that she was, fragile was not one of them. But as he looked on, he could see the dark shadows under her eyes… and from this angle, he could see scars that decorated parts of her body. He frowned as he took a step closer to get a better look. The first he noticed was the faint remains of a scar that stretched from her shoulder and down past her clothes… but it was noticeable to him even at this distance when he saw the jagged mark that cross from her shoulder and her collarbone, and disappeared beneath the cloth.

He was glad that her face bore not a single scar, but it seemed thin, as if she had missed a few meals. Still, this only brought out the muscles that were gently sculpted upon her body, a strength that he knew was a result from countless battles.

The moment he saw her at the gate, could not help but examine her appearance, her mannerisms, even her speech… just finding himself staring at her like a young idiot again. Her hair was much shorter than the times he had seen it in his scurrying mirror; in fact, it looked as if someone had taken a knife to it; but was still that pretty shade of pink that reminded him of some flowers from Il Mheg. But otherwise, he could see that she had truly grown into the mature and, if he was so bold to confess, beautiful young woman.

He had studied her through the mirror for the last few decades as she continued her journey across the Source. It always surprised him to see how little she aged. Now he knew that time here was much faster than time upon the Source, but whenever he spared time to check in on her, waiting for the right moment to summon her here, it almost felt that he was looking upon some timeless legend whenever he saw her. The only thing that seemed to change were her eyes…

They were now looking as old as how he felt.

He frowned, knowing that he would have to keep an eye on her. He even wondered if he could somehow get her to go to Chessamile without drawing attention to the fact. He was sure that their main healer caught her in her sights, she would wish to make sure she was well. He didn’t want to press so strongly in case Claire cut herself off from him completely, but he only wanted to make sure that she was healthy without arousing suspicion.

He sighed as he held up his staff, about to turn away from the mirror. But he found he could not bring himself to turn away. Why that was, he could not say… only that he seemed transfixed by her.

He had dedicated years studying her and learning all he could; all to prepare for the moment when she would arrive. He knew that once she learned the whole situation she would feel compelled to help. That was just the type of person he knew her to be… she could not resist helping those in need. And once he took the time to explain the Sin Eaters and the Lightwardens, she would understand enough to believe all she had to do was slay some powerful monsters.

Well, that was part of the problem.

It caused his heart to ache at the thought, knowing that he would be setting her up upon a dangerous path that would be risking her life every step of the way. He knew that he would be manipulating her and taking advantage of her kind nature… he could feel his hand shake slightly upon the staff as he fully began to comprehend the dangers involved and just how he would have to lie again and again to keep up this façade. He did not wish to do so… but he knew that he was doing nothing but lying to her to see the desired goal.

Guilt was wracking his soul at the thought, but he shook his head, knowing that this would happen when he agreed upon this path. There was no other choice. If having her come to hate him and see him as a villain or a thief was the price he had to pay for them to reach the end of the Sin Eaters… he would accept it without a second thought.

But he had to be careful for he knew she was very perceptive. She had always been pretty good at guessing the emotions of others and he would have to stay on his toes around her if he wished to avoid asking awkward questions.

In the meantime, he would insist that she rest and see to any wounds between battles. She was to take the time she needed to recover before she went out again. Sadly, that was all he could do for the time now. He just found himself staring at her face in the mirror as she tried to settle in; barely even noticing when he heard the knock at his door.

“Forgive me, my lord,” Lyna’s voice called from the other side, “I merely came to report to you only a few minor changes around the city.”

“I see, thank you captain,” he said, not tearing his gaze from the mirror when he heard her enter, “I’ll be sure to look over them all when I have the time.”

He knew that this might look strange to her… finding him all alone and staring at their guest in an enchanted mirror. In fact, he could feel the accusation on her tongue as she drew up next to him as she looked at the mirror as well.

“Checking in on people?” she asked with a slightly suspicious tone.

“I was just checking to see that she was comfortable,” he reassured her as he held up his staff and the image faded. “I want to make sure that she has everything she needs. She’s the type who never complains so it can be difficult to tell if anything is wrong. But she seems to be in good health for the time being and for that, I am glad.”

Lyna was silent as she handed the papers over to him so that he could look over it. Everything was silent for a moment, but he could feel that she was bursting with questions.

“Forgive me, my lord,” she said finally, “But… who is she?”

“Someone from my old… homeland,” he answered, knowing it wasn’t a complete lie, without looking up.

“I am aware of that,” she answered back, “But she did not seem to recognize you when she first arrived. She just showed up at the gate, never once saying that she had come here to speak with you. She said she was from a place called the Source…?”

“Ah, forgive me,” he said quickly, looking up, “I should have warned you that she may be coming. But I did not expect her to come so suddenly.”

Well, it was partially true. After all, he had assumed that she would be brought straight into the Ocular like the other Scions were. The fact that he accidently brought her to the outskirts of Lakeland was not at all what he planned. But he was glad to see that she had made it here safely.

“But why is she here?” she asked curiously.

“Because I asked her for her help,” he answered back simply, fighting a grin and he suddenly felt that he was gently teasing her like he used to do when she was a little girl who lost her parents to Sin Eaters. “Rest assure captain, she means no one any harm. Quite the opposite. She is here to help us. Still, I conceive that she is still new to these lands, and as such, I ask that you please be patient until she learns her way around.”

He could see right away that Lyna wasn’t happy about this. But she seemed torn at wanting to trust him and wanting to have a little more proof of this stranger’s good intentions beside his reassurances.

“I just find it… strange. Forgive my rudeness, my lord, but how old is she?” Lyna asked suddenly, “You seem to know her very well, yet, she appears to be very young. I have no recollection of her ever coming here before. And you so rarely leave the city…?”

“You are finding it strange that I know her?” he chuckled. “Rest assure, she is as young as she looks, captain. I am afraid that my… familiarity with her is complicated. I had been trying for a very long time to bring her here, alas, do to some circumstances, it has been very difficult and she hasn’t been able to arrive until this day. But rest assure, she is someone that we can trust.”

Again, she didn’t look happy. But, after listening to him for decades now, she had developed a deep layer of trust with him and she nodded.

“Very well,” she said as she saluted. “I understand, at least I will trust your judgement. I will do my best to keep an eye on her.”

“I thank you, captain,” he smiled back. “I know that I cannot ask for anyone better to watch over the city.”

He chuckled when he saw her blush at his words before she bowed and left him alone. He tried to focus on the papers for the next few minutes, but his curiosity drew him back to the mirror. He checked in on her one last time and saw that she had she set her bag down next to the bed and sat down, looking a little awkward by how much was already stocked in the room. She then gingerly laid down, and he could see exhaustion clearer than ever when her head hit the pillow.

She was but one person She could not do this alone and the sooner that he brought the other Scions back into the picture, the less of a burden she would have to carry.

Still, there was one thing about her that he could not get over no matter how hard he tried.

“She hasn’t aged a day,” he whispered softly as he looked at her. “She looks almost exactly as she did then.”

***Ardbert***

He had passed through this city many times before in the past. During those decades of aimless wanderings, he just let his feet carry him without ever once thinking about his destination. Because he did not have one. But during those unbearably lonely years, he would awake from his wanderings and look around the surroundings to see where he was. More than once he found his steps carried here to the Crystarium… he could still remember the first time he saw this place. It was not long after the flood had been halted and the tower appeared here without warning. He was curious about where it had come from and why… but he was so miserable himself as he mourned his isolation and the loss of his comrades, as well as his part in the flood, that he barely paid any energy to learn why it was here. But he could recall how many refugees from the Flood were drawn to the tower as if it were a lodestone and they were seeking comfort and guidance.

Over the years, the small circle of tents and shacks around the city grew until they became proper buildings. Then came the gardens and the Amaro pens set up—and faster than anyone could have imagined, a sprawling city was now stood here.

Such a proud and vibrant city… the sole sanctuary for the living in a world all but resigned to oblivion. Each stone was laid with hope, the town itself a symbol, a monument to defiance in the face of death. No would-be hero could fail to answer tis call. For who among us does not yearn for salvation?

Thinking of it that way, he supposed it wasn’t a surprise that she had come here to help.

He remembered when he first saw her when he and his friends chose to listen to those accursed men’s lies and travelled to the first. At first, they spent a couple weeks getting the lay of the land and learning where their intended targets should be. They were all astonished by how similar that world had been to their home… and he hated every moment that he spent there. In all honesty, he knew that they had to play the part of villains, but he loathed his actions even when he truly believed that it was all they could do to spare their people a fate worse than death.

Yet… just the thought that they would be the ones to shatter the fragile peace and bring chaos to the people who lived there was enough to make him feel like his insides were screaming in pain.

When they were warned of the Warrior of Light of the Source from the Ascian in white, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about it. For that was the same accursed title that was forced upon them all. All he knew for sure was that if they were to start causing trouble, then they would eventually cross paths with her.

And indeed, they did. For only a couple weeks after they arrived upon the First, when they had slew the primal called Ravana did they finally meet. In truth, he had seen her once before, when he was wandering the Chocobo forests, he remembered seeing her crossing through the forest as she headed towards the ruins where he knew that the dragons lived. Of course, he did not think anything of her, just assumed she was another traveler or adventurer looking to make her way in the world.

After having brought down Ravana they met face-to-face. As soon as he got a good look at her face, he felt the Echo strike him once more and he saw pieces of her past in his mind’s eye. Though the images made little sense to him at the time, he understood enough to realize who she was.

After their confrontation, he discussed with his comrades what they were to do with her. He could tell that the Ascians were wary of her and wished to be rid of _Her_ greatest champion. He had mixed feelings about that. Though he suspected that if they left her alone, she would surely cause trouble for them in their mission… but at the same time, he could not help but see so much of themselves within her.

The others were as divided as he felt. And when they looked to him for an answer, he decided, “There is only one of her and five of us. We will deal with her if she stands in our way.”

That seemed to be the end of matters for a time. With her so busy with the war in the snow-covered lands—Ishgard, he believed it to be called—they were pretty much forgotten about until the war’s end. When next they met, having lost the race to slay Garuda, he could not bring himself to hate her for starting to disrupt their plans. After all, they all knew that this was a likely outcome if they refused to deal with her.

Yet even after all that, he could not help but feel pity when he looked at her. For if they met under different circumstances, he felt that they may have become friends. He understood the burdens she carried and the expectations that were forced upon her better than anyone else… and from the way she looked at him when he confessed some of his own misery, he knew that she understood his pain as well.

So when that elf first suggested to them that they kill her, he hesitated. That was the last thing he wanted to do. But in his desperation, he was prepared to pay the price if it meant sparing his world from being erased. He would have gladly gone to the deepest part of hell if he could somehow make up for what he did.

Needless to say, their plan did now work, and he will not lie, he was grateful that it did not end like he thought it would. He saw so much of himself in her he could not help but feel… a connection. That was why when they parted ways, he gave her the best advice he could and asked that she not just fight for the sake of fighting… but to think for herself. Perhaps she could find a better path than they did.

Never once did he ever believe that he would see her again. And yet here they were, almost a century later, not only did he see her again, he found that she could see and hear him… the first person to be able to do so in years.

But why? Why was that?

He remembered Minfilia’s words to him that day. He was prepared to give his all to try and make amends for his role in the Flood… but she had warned him not to interfere. Why? She mentioned that his time had not yet come, but did not have time to explain why it was so important that he remain here.

Unless…?

Ardbert appeared like a shadow from within the room once again. Like he hoped, he found her fast asleep, and was spared having to explain himself. His curiosity was drawing him to her like a moth to a flame. He slowly approached the bed and gazed down at her face, watching her breathe in and out in deep slumber.

It had been so long since he had a chance to speak with someone that he honestly wasn’t sure what to do with this unexpected gift. In fact, a part of him wanted to wake her up just so that she could tell him off for doing so.

But rather than that, he found himself standing at her bedside and watched over her as she dreamed.

He honestly didn’t know why she was here or if there was anything that could be done to save this otherwise doomed world. But he could not help but feel that she was the reason that he was left behind. Minfilia had forced him to remain behind, but he recalled that the two of them were friends—and after having been bound to Hydaelyn she must have known something he didn’t.

Yet, the more he thought of it, the more convinced he became. The reason he was still here had something to do with this woman… but… what was it he was supposed to do in this state? What could he realistically do? He couldn’t touch anything… nor could anyone see or hear him aside from her. What could this pathetic shadow do to change anything? Then again, maybe it was a good thing. Keep him from doing anything else stupid.

He wanted to wake her up and demand answers, but from how unsure she was when she spoke earlier, he suspected that she was just as lost as he was. He had a feeling that he could question her all he wanted to but neither of them had answers that they both needed and desired.

He stood there watching over her for some time, trying to think of what he should do now.

In the end, he decided he would just watch and wait… and see where this path would lead to. Despite all that happened, despite all that he and his friends had done, he did not want to think that it was hopeless. He wanted to believe that however bad it may look now, that there was still a chance to save his home—or whatever was left of it.

Perhaps the answer laid with her.

He walked back to the window and stared at the bright sky. He supposed he could keep watch over her. Should something happen he could at least yell loud enough to wake her up in warning. So he stood there for the remainder of the night, watching over her silently. But when he felt her beginning to stir, hours later, he went out to the hallway to wait so that she could have the privacy to change.

A few minutes later she emerged from her room, sword on her back and back in her armor, and left the inn… with him following silently behind her.

***Claire***

Claire felt much better after she got some sleep, having not realized how heavy her body felt until that moment. She supposed that journey through the rift took more out of her than she originally thought. But now that she was up, she was prepared to get this new journey underway. She could not deny that she had spoken with a ghost, and now suspected that he was following her, worried her slightly. In fact, she could swear she saw him out of the corner of her eye as he silently followed after her… but whenever she looked back, he was gone.

Well, there was no need to worry about him. If he was content to watch, she would allow him to do so.

Besides, she could not help but wonder just what else would be waiting for her… and that old sense of excitement began to rise up within her at the thought of being able to travel across an entirely new world.

So when she returned to the tower where the Exarch was waiting for her, he smiled warmly when he saw the slight spring in her step.

“Ah,” he said pleased, “How did you find your new quarters? I trust you were able to rest?”

At the mention of her new rooms, she thought of Ardbert. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell the Exarch about her ghostly visitor… but no. If no one else had ever been able to see Ardbert before now, she doubted they would be able to do so now. She had no desire to give anyone a reason to think that she had lost her wits… and besides, she still wasn’t sure if she could trust the Exarch just yet.

So instead, she merely answered, “Well enough, thank you.”

Well, he certainly seemed pleased with that answer and nodded.

“That is good to hear. Should you want for anything, pray let me know,” he informed her. And from his tone, she knew that he spoke the truth in that he did wish to make her stay here as welcoming as possibly. She wanted to politely tell him that he need not go through so much trouble, but he had taken on a slightly more serious air as he said, “Now, let us return to the subject of the Scions’ whereabouts.”

He then pulled out a map from his pocket and handed it over to her. She unrolled it, before staring at it in surprise.

“This map…?” she whispered, looking at the layout of the land.

“Looks a little familiar, I’m sure,” the Exarch chuckled slightly. “Aye, that it does. This world is a reflection of the Source… and so the basic layout of the land is bound to look similar. From what I know, after the worlds were first sundered into shards, each one was a perfect reflection of the original Source. However the people evolved in different ways… different wars were fought, different empires rose and fell… while there will be a sense of familiarity, the history here is completely different from the one that you know back on the Source. Each world, I suspect, has grown into a completely original world in its own right. And even more had changed since the flood…”

She stared at the map as she realized that the continent she stood looked nearly identical to her map of Eorzea. There were some differences of course… such as the images of the cities… but even those were in places where their counterparts existed in the Source. Such as the image of the Crystal Tower stood in the direct center of the map… where Mor Dhona would be positioned in the Source.

“This map shows the lands of Norvrandt, the only area to be spared the Flood of Light,” he explained, and she watched as his crystal finger traced the white circle that surrounded the outer parts of the lands, to where she realized must be where the flood had been haulted.

He then pointed to the image of the tower and the Crystarium as he explained, “The Crystarium is here, in the region known as Lakeland.”

Well, that was an appropriate name for this area, she supposed, though she only got to see a few malms of it before finding herself brought to the city. She wondered what the rest of it looked like?

The Exarch then pointed up north of the city, to the regions where Ishgard would stand in Eorzea, his finger now tracing the image of a palace set up in the mountains.

“To the north is the faerie kingdom of Il Mheg,” he explained, “That is where you will find Urianger.”

She nodded, glad to hear that, when the Exarch then drew her attention to the thick forests that were settled upon the more eastern regions of the continent and added, “To the east lies the once-prosperous civilization of Rak’tika. Y’shtola is stationed there, in the heart of the forest. Alas, neither location can be reached without considerable difficultly. As such, I would suggest you first seek out one of the twins—each of whom is stationed but a short flight from the Crystarium.”

Oh, her heart soared at that thought and her eyes immediately scanned the map, as if hoping to find a sign to where they were.

He then pointed to the island where she had expected the city of Limsa Lominesa to stand and explained, “Alphinaud is on Kholusia, an island of the western shore. It is home to a city called Eulmore, where the rich and privileged while away their days in idlenss. For his part in furthering our cause, Alphinaud journeyed there to meet with the citizenry and forge alliances. Form what I hear, he has science kept himself busy gathering information around the main settlement.”

Of course he would. Her own fingers traced over the image of the island and she smiled sadly, her heart aching at the thought of being reunited with him after so much had happened.

And finally, the Exarch pointed down to the southern reaches of the map, just tracing the tips of where the borders of where the Flood’s remains could be found. She could tell from just a glance that this area was mostly desert-like and she expected to see the map marked as Ul’dah.

“Alisaie, meanwhile, traveled south to the arid wastes of Amn Araeng. They lie upon the very edge of the inhabitable world, where the Flood of Light was halted,” he finished for her, “Those who dwell there live in constant fear of attack by the sin eaters. In contrast to her brother, Alisaie felt that her energies would better be spent learning about the enemy. And thus she sells her services as a guard, both to hone her skills and gather information on our foe.”

“I figured she would,” Claire smiled. That certainly sounded like the two of them, and she was relieved to hear that they were the same as when she last spoke with them. It seems not even a journey across the rift would be enough to ever change them. And for that, she was glad.

The Exarch then rolled up the map and handed it to her.

“So, will it be Kholusia or Amh Araeng?” he asked, “It matters not which you choose to visit first. Simply inform me once you have made your decision, and I will see to it that you are provided with a suitable mount.”

It was her choice? That was a pleasant surprise. But that was when she realized that he forgot to mention someone else. It seemed that her concern showed on her face, for he added, “Ah, but you must be wondering about Thancred.”

He had added in Thancred, as if he had forgotten all about the Rouge and explained, “He has taken up with… a new companion, and is presently engaged as a wandering hunter of sin eaters. Being ever on the move, his whereabouts are often difficult to ascertain, but I am certain your paths with cross ere long.”

Well, so long as he was alive and well, she could not see any reasons why they wouldn’t. She nodded, glad to hear how everyone was doing, and it brought much relief to her otherwise worried heart. But that left her one question… Alphinaud or Alisaie?

Her first thought was to go straight to Alphinaud… she yearned to see him again… but for some reason the thought frightened her. Just how much had they changed since last they met? What of his feelings? Could he have met someone else while he was here? Was it possible he blamed her for not coming here sooner? She was worried for what she might find and it was gnawing away at her.

Not only that, she was worried for Alisaie and she had to know if she was safe. She could remember seeing the frightened look on her friend’s face as she reached out a shaking hand before she was pulled away like all the others.

She needed to reassure her friend of her promise… even though she was a bit late in the process… she was still here for her. And perhaps she could tell her how her brother is to prepare her for the worse.

She made up her mind.

“Ready to depart for Amh Araeng?” the Exarch asked when she said Alisaie’s name, “Alisaie will be overjoyed to see you safe—I know she was particularly concerned for your well-being. She, uh…” his voice trailed off slightly shakily and he cleared his throat as he confessed, “impressed upon me how regrettable the timing of her summoning was. Repeatedly.”

Yeah, that sounded like her. She could only imagine how well Alisaie took the situation when she woke up here and had no idea how to get back. She missed hearing that girl’s sharp tongue and shrewd mind. It was going to be so good to speak with her again.

“I only hope that my part in sending you to her will garner me some measure of forgiveness,” he said as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. She looked over it curiously, seeing the name of Cassard written in bold on the parchment.

“Here,” the Exarch instructed, “This is a letter of introduction addressed to a man named Cassard, the master of a merchant caravan. There are few who know the ways of the desert as well as he does. Find him at the Amaro Launch, and he will see that you reach your destination.”

Sounded like a plan. She thanked him once again as he bowed and wished her a safe journey. But as she turned and left the tower, she could feel his eyes upon her the entire way. She was still just learning the layout of the city, and so it took a while for her to figure out how to navigate her way to the Launch, where was the spot that these Chocobo-like creatures were able to fly back and forth like the airship landings back in Eorzea.

She knew that it would have been a lot faster if he showed her the way there, but she could not expect him to hold her hand the whole time she was here. She had to learn, and fast, if she was going to be able to stand on her own two feet here. She was not a beginner adventurer anymore after all; and she would learn quickly.

Though she did get lost a couple times, she eventually found her way to the landing—only to realize that she had no idea who this Cassard man was. She frowned, wondering if anyone around here knew him… when she spotted a large man by a series of crates. The Exarch said that he was a master of a merchant caravan, and she could only reason that a merchant would have need of all those crates…?

With nothing to lose, she approached and asked for Cassard.

“Hm?” he asked gruffly when he heard her speak. He turned to look, giving her a quick glance over before stating, “If you’ve come looking for work, I might have a spot for another guard—” She then pulled out the letter and handed it to him, hoping she found the right person.

It seemed that she had, for as soon as he saw the name on top, he took it and opened it up to see the message inside.

“Oh! Friend of the Exarch! Hoping to meet someone in Amh Araeng, are you?” he asked, and when she nodded, he gave an energetic smile and promised, “Then I shall be your guide! I was about to set off for our outpost there, as a matter of fact, so we can leave right away—assuming you have everything you need?”

She nodded, having been ready to go for some time now.

“All set?” he asked as he heaved one of the crates up into his arms, “Then off to the unforgiving sands we go!”

***Il Mheg***

“Thou art clever indeed,” Urianger Augurelt complimented the little pixie, who giggled back at him as she had finished decorating the outside of his temporary home with flowers. “I do believe that thy flowers are nearly as lovely as thee.”

The pixie laughed even more and fluttered away, looking incredibly proud of herself as Urianger cleared his throat and added, “Though, if thou wouldst be so kind as to return thy tome before departing, it would be most accommodating. Especially since I hath agreed to let thee finish decorating this most humble abode.”

“Awwww,” the pixie sighed, turning around with a slight pout. She glared at him as Urianger merely smiled back patiently, knowing that he just had to wait long enough for her to grow bored before she gave in.

“Alright, alright,” she agreed a few minutes later, “I hid it under the house because you weren’t paying attention to me. I’ll get it.”

“I thank thee,” he said politely as he watched the pixie flutter away and he went back in, feeling weary. He swept his hair out of his face as he returned to his desk and looked over his many notes and samples as he continued his research.

As he turned a few pages over, he could smell more wildflowers drifting in through the open window that drifted in upon the wind from the surrounding fields. Mixed in were the sounds of the giggling pixies that were plotting the next prank to pull on him when he next left the cottage and he made a mental note not to stray too far until he figured out a clever way to counter whatever they had planned. Normally, he would want to refuse any of the pixies games… but he learned the hard way that one does not simply say ‘no’ to a pixie.

The last time that he refused to play with them, he suffered greatly… it took him days to find his clothes after they stole every stitch of cloth he had. He didn’t even have a sock left by the time that they left and it was actually humiliating to have to wander about the fields in nothing but an old sheet as he tried to find his things.

Full grateful he was that he was the only one here at the moment. He had no doubt that his comrades would have laughed themselves sick to have learned of such a thing and he had no intention of ever revealing such a story to them. But the moment that he thought of his old comrades and of his home back in the Source… he felt a wave of homesickness wash over him once more. In fact, he was so lost in thoughts of the Waking Sands and the sounds of his friend’s voices echoing in his mind, he did not notice that someone else had just appeared.

It wasn’t until he heard the giggle did he look up, thinking that the pixie had returned his book to him… only to see that another pixie was fluttering in the window. She had a bright smile and gave him a friendly wave as he recognized who it was.

“Ah, what a pleasant surprise,” he said, smiling politely at the unusually curious pixie had come to visit him from the Crystarium, and so he asked her in the language of her people, _“What business bringst thee to thy humble abode, Feo Ul?”_

Hearing him speak in her native tongue seemed to impress her as well as amuse her as she drifted inside.

“A message from our friend of crystal,” she replied as she looked around the room, seeing if there was anyone else around. “I am surprised, strange one. I would have thought that you have become a leafman by now… or taken by the Fauth.”

A message from the Exarch? That surprised him. While he had gotten to know the Crystal Exarch quite well over the last three years; since he retreated out here to Il Mheg, he had rarely heard from the man. If he was sending a message with Feo Ul so suddenly, he could only assume that it must be important.

“I see, pray tell,” he said curiously as he return to look over his notes absent-mindedly, “What is the message that the Exarch would have entrusted to thee?”

“Oh, just that we have a new guest at the Crystarium,” she answered back.

The page that Urianger had been about to turn over suddenly was being held in the air by frozen fingers. He slowly looked up at her, his eyebrows rising as he asked, trying to sound calm, “A guest? Newly arrived?”

“Yes, yes…” Feo Ul answered back said joyfully and she spun about in the air as she told him proudly, “She came from across the rift! I knew that this guest was special, but to think that she crossed over from another world to join in his cause? How could I not be excited?”

“And… dost thou know her name?” Urianger asked carefully as she continued to look on dreamily, as if she had just been told an amazing secret.

“Of course I know her name,” she said rather dignified. “After meeting her, I was given the important task of bringing her equipment and items from her home! In fact, she and I have entered a pack! She is now my beloved sapling and I… her lovely branch! Forever and ever! I was about to head to her home now to deliver a message to her friends. But before I could leave, I was tasked by our mutual friend to deliver this message to you first, strange one.”

Urianger’s eyes widen at that as he gulped slightly, having a very good idea as to who it was that was now staying at the Crystarium.

“I wouldst hear thy message,” he said, having just abandoned his research as he stood. He walked to the open window and stared out at the flowering fields once more as he asked seriously, “What news dost he have to share with me?”

She shrugged at that, a rather mischievous look on her tiny face as she turned her back on him and pretended not to notice him.

Recognizing she was playing hard to get, Urianger bowed low to her, fighting the tired sigh, as he said graciously—as if entering the hall of a great queen, “Dear Feo Ul, the loveliest of all of thy kind, I, as your humble servant merely request to hear the the message that our mutual friend saw fit to trust to thee and thee alone.”

She giggled at that as she fluttered about his head.

“Ah, now that is more like it,” she said brightly. “Well, since you asked so sweetly, very well. His message is short and simple. He said, _‘Hope has arrived now that we reach our final hours. We must be ready’_.”

So he was right. He had a feeling that that the message would be something along those lines. Ever since he left the Crystarium to come here to research the Flood of Light, the Sin Eaters, and all else that has befallen this world nearly a year ago, he had been waiting for this day. He had faith that the Crystal Exarch would be able to summon their dearest friend and hero from across the void eventually. And it couldn’t have come too soon. The situation here in the First had grown desperate and he feared that there may not be much time left for it.

The plan that they had come up with was finally going to be set into motion now that the key to this world’s salvation had arrived.

He had been waiting for this moment for almost three years now… ever since hearing the truth from the Exarch and learning the fate that was destined to befall their home in the Source. But now that that the time had come, he had realized he had never dreaded a moment more in his life. He could feel his hand shake slightly as he closed his eyes, guilt feeling as if the claws of some great beast was trying to tear him apart from the inside.

“I see…” he said, surprised at how calm his words sounded. “Then… I must prepare.”

With a great effort, he looked up at Feo Ul, who was looking at him curiously and forced a smile as he answered, “Very well. When you next return to the Exarch, merely inform him that I understand and that thy will be prepared.”

“Fine, fine,” she said with a wave of her tiny hand with an impatient air. “Now that I have done that, I am now going to visit this other world of hers! I cannot wait!”

“Dost thou intend to pass along a missive to our allies in the Source?” he asked suddenly and she nodded.

“I was asked to deliver a message to one named Tataru,” she answered back happily. “And with that, I shall be on my way.”

“Ah… if it would not be any trouble to thee, lovely Feo Ul,” he added quickly as she readied herself to leave him, “Inform Mistress Tataru that we are all safe and sound as well. For it is thy belief that such news will lighten her heart.”

“Alright, alright,” she answered, now growing impatient that she put off exploring the Source long enough. “Anyway, he did also mentioned that his guest may be paying a visit here soon, so I expect you to look after my dear sapling should she come.”

He bowed once more and promised, “Of course. Thou hast my word.”

With a little wave, Feo Ul spun about in the air and vanished in a sparkle of light.

But Urianger could not return to his studies as he continued staring out the window. Even when the same troublesome pixie who took one of his tomes before, finally returned looking put out that he didn’t come out to search for her after she was gone for so long, he didn’t even bother to greet her.

He knew he would pay for that later on… but at the moment, he could not muster the energy to care. He could not explain why he was so nervous all of a sudden… he had three years of preparations for this moment after all.

He had gone over countless different scenarios, examined it from every angle and prepared as best as he could. He even tried to find alternations to this plan… a fallback solution should everything fail in the end. He was even studied up on Sharlayan astrology and had worked countless hours preparing his body for battle so that he may accompany his comrades through the battles ahead.

Yet…?

He felt a shiver of disgust run through him as he thought over the plan. He wanted nothing more than to reject it, to pretend that he knew nothing of what the Exarch was planning. But as soon as he closed his eyes, the image that had haunted his mind for years now appeared behind his eyelids.

The image of all the death and destruction that was to await the Source if they failed here. He could feel his hands curl into fists as self-loathing filled his entire being. As much as he despised it, he knew it was a fact. To save the Source, he would have to lie to his closest friends… he would have to guide them along this journey to hunt the Lightwardens.

Even though he knew that before this journey was over, at least one more innocent life would have to be sacrificed in the name of the greater good… and their friend would suffer most terribly when that time came.

One life for the sake of two worlds… was that not a fair exchange?

At that moment he could not help but think yes… yes it was.


	3. In Search of Alisaie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire leaves the Crystarium as she bravely heads out into the dry deserts of Amh Araeng to search for Alisaie. She's not there long though before getting her first real look at the dangers of this world and just what the people here have to face day after day. Even after finding Alisaie, the reunion may yet prove to be bittersweet with the threat of sin eaters hanging above their heads.

***Ardbert***

_‘Amh Araeng’_ he thought as he followed after her from a safe distance. After she parted ways from the Exarch, he trailed after her. Not close enough for her to really notice him, but just close enough so that she remained in his sights at all times. He watched as she spoke with the caravan leader, who agreed to give her a ride towards the city in the sands. He then watched as she was led to an Amaro… which he chuckled when he saw how the woman looked at the reptilian bird-like creatures. As far as he could remember, he never saw beasts like them back in the Source.

Still, she took to the challenge as well as he expected and watched as she climbed up into the saddle and followed after the rest of the caravan. He followed after her, of course, and kept behind her all the way across the bleached out forest area of Lakeland until the trees were replaced with sand and rock.

_‘From this parched earth the nation of Nabaath Areng once rose. When I journeyed here, long ago, I spoke with a sun-weathered elder. He told me Amh Araeng meant ‘majestic land’ in the language of his people,’_ he thought to himself as they came to a landing to what remained of the ruins of the ancient fortress._ ‘And so it might still be… were it not for the Light’s unrelenting onslaught…’_

He did his best not to think of those memories, watching how she dismounted and stepped off the platform and cast her gaze around the broken and crooked remains of what had once been considered a jewel in the desert.

***Claire***

The first thing that Claire thought of when she stepped onto the soft sands was that the entire fortress here looked… crooked. Indeed, everything here was lopsided and it was somewhat disorientating as she stepped towards Cassard, who was overseeing some of his workers dropping off a few crates. But now that she was here, she had no idea what to do… she knew that Alisaie was supposed to be in this area… but where was she to even start looking? If this place was even a quarter as large as Thanalan, she could be out here for days. Thankfully, Cassard seemed to be aware of this problem.

“Now, the Exarch’s letter said I was to take you to the Inn at Journey’s Head, which is where this Alisaie friend of yours is staying,” he informed her, “But that’s a fair old distance. So I propose we make a stop in Mord Souq to break up the trek—allowing me to attend to some business, and you to enjoy the local hospitality. Sound good? Good!”

She saw no reason why not. Who knows? Perhaps she would even run into Alisaie in the markets if she was lucky enough. Though, she was well aware of the fact that she was never that lucky.

Cassard stopped long enough to bark at his crew that he was off and that he better not find any of their goods covered in sand by the time that he got back. The crew all waved them off as he led the way out of the old stronghold.

“Right, we head southwest, straight as an arrow!” Cassard said and she followed him out into the sands. As soon as she stepped through the archway, she blinked back the bright light as she looked across the malms and malms of sand that stretched out before her. The first thing she noticed were the empty ruins that scattered about the area, half-buried in the sands, while what could only be described as cactaurs the size of Gigas lumbered about. The ones back outside Ul’dah were harmless in comparison… then again, she wondered if a constant stream of light was what caused them to grow so large?

There was a deep canyon directly down the hill of sand from her, connected by a sturdy-looking rope bridge over that deep gorge. On the other side she could see a mixture of towers and windmills spinning almost lazily; a stark contrast to the large cliffs and plateaus in the distance as they were set up against what looked to be a massive wall of crystalized light.

She could not help but continue to stare around as she accompanied Cassard across the sands. He had warned her that most of the beasts will leave them alone so long as they don’t stray too close, but it was good to move fast.

He quickly led her up the hill to where the bridge was positioned—but before they crossed over, Cassard stopped her.

“Stop here a moment,” he said, “This is your first visit to Amh Araeng, is it not?”

She nodded and he then pointed behind them as he instructed her, “Before you cross the River of Sand, you need to turn around and feast your eyes on that!”

She looked back to really get a good look at the fortress they had just left and she felt her eyes widen at the sight.

“They built them big, didn’t they?” Cassard asked, understanding her stunned silence, “That’s Qasr Shari, a fortress meant to protect the northern reaches of Nabaath Areng. Seeing what was left behind, I believe it when they say that it was once one of Norvrandt’s mightiest nations.”

She could see that as well. It was a grand sight to see the stronghold shining in the light. It was smaller than Ul’dah, much smaller, but it was still just as grand with the bricks that gave off a coppery color and she was visited by an urge to climb up to the top and look out from there.

She wondered what the view would have been like a hundred years ago?

“…At least until the Flood came along,” Cassard sighed, “Great chunks of Nabaath Areng’s lands were lost to the Light, its great city included. The few who survived didn’t see much point in staying. Most of them, anyway.”

She wasn’t sure what she could say to that as she looked back at him, hating to have to tear her eyes away from the ruins.

“No, not many choose to come here these days, not with everything in ruins,” Cassard explained, “Even that hulking great fortress has becoming little more than an amaro roost for me and my caravan. But not everywhere is as deserted as this place. Just wait until you see Mord Souq…”

Well, she guessed that was one good thing. Just looking at these ruins, knowing that not even a hundred years ago was once a large city…? It would be like returning to Ul’dah only to find a ghost town. That though sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine as Cassard only smiled, not noticing her discomfort, as he asked if they should press on.

She nodded, but took one last long look at the fortress before she turned and followed him across the bridge. It wasn’t too much of a walk later did they come to the base of the tower and she could already hear the sounds of what sounded like crowds of people talking, and wonderful aromas began to drift in her direction. Exotic perfumes and new foods more likely than not and she was suddenly curious to see what she could find here.

Unlike the fortress though, this place seemed to be very much alive and thriving. At least, judging from the sounds she heard.

“Here we are—Mord Souq! By the blessed shadow, I love this town!” Cassard boomed out jovially. “Mord Souq… not just full of Mord, but Humes, and all manner of others, too! It has long been a refuge for folk displaced by the Flood, so the population is nothing if not diverse. Oh, have you met a Mord before?”

She didn’t even know what a Mord was. Then again, she was still getting the hang of calling people by different terms here, so it wouldn’t surprise her if she found out that a Mord was something familiar.

She merely shrugged at that, hoping she didn’t appear to be completely clueless.

“They might look like shifty little blighters, but a more welcoming lot you could never wish to meet!” Cassard reassured her. “Speaking of which, we should pay our respects to Master Ghen Gen. I’ll go ahead and let him know we’ve arrived.”

He then turned and walked straight through the town with her following behind. There were certainly no small amount of people walking about. Many were pushing carts full of goods, others had baskets full of shopping, and no shortage of merchants trying to draw people to their stalls. Cassard hadn’t been lying when he told her that this city was full of Humes and many other manner of people. It was a jumble at first, making her way through the crowds… seeing all types of people… including what looked like furry…?

No, it couldn’t be. She was wondering if she was just seeing things… at least until she found Cassard, and knew that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her.

“Go on!” he encouraged her as he gestured to the one he was talking to, “Introduce yourself to Master Ghen Gen!”

Master Ghen Gen was…?

“So this is a Mord…?” she said, with only the barest trace of surprise in her voice. For she knew what Master Ghen Gen was… even though the term that he went by was very different where she was from. There was no mistaking those long ears, furry bodies, long tails, and squinty eyes though… turns out that the Mord… were Kobolds.

Rather than mention that however, she raised her hand in greeting to Ghen Gen, who looked at her with bright curiosity.

“Master Ghen Gen, this is the friend of the Exarch I was telling you about,” Cassard began making introductions. At that, Ghen Gen couldn’t have looked more thrilled at the thought of meeting a new ‘customer’.

“Very good, very good!” Ghen Gen said as he hopped about on his rat-like feet, “Though friend or no, all are welcome in Mord Souq.”

“Souq is Mordish for city,” Cassard added to her, “As things stand, this souq boasts the largest and busiest marketplace in all Amh Araeng. You’ll find ore from the mines here, of course, but all manner of other things too—many of them rare. As I told you before, not many visit Amh Araeng by choice, but Mord Souq’s a different story. Merchants come from malms around to purchase the relics the Mord dig up.”

“Aye, that they do, for Mord do not dismiss the spoils of the earth,” Ghen Gen declared proudly, “We clean them and polish them and reveal to the world their true value! That is why they come here! Come from far away! Come with much money!”

Well, however many differences there were with the people here and the people back in the Source, it would seem that there are just as many similarities. As she was waiting now for was for the Kobold’s unique language to come through. Honestly, if Ghen Gen started talking like a Kobold she did not think she could hide her smile… grin… smirk.

She had to fight the chuckle as her thoughts drifted about like that.

“And so our souq is always busy, busy, busy! No such thing as a thing no one needs!” he finished happily.

“You say that every time, Master Ghen Gen!” Cassard laughed good-naturedly, “Some sort of family motto, wasn’t it? Or perhaps a Mord philosophy—for which we should all be very grateful. Would that everyone was so willing to take in refugees regardless of race or creed.”

Indeed, perhaps the people of Limsa Lominsa and the Kobolds of O'Ghomoro could learn a thing or two from Mord Souq.

Just then, Cassard folded his arms as he then instructed her, “Now, then—if you intend to spend any time here, you’ll want to gain the trust of the locals. And there’s a little custom all newcomers are expected to observe…”

Custom? What was this about? No one mentioned anything about a custom? She was just wondering if she had already done something wrong with the two of them chuckled at her confused expression.

“The cracking of the coinpurse!” Ghen Gen answered happily, “You buy one thing from the market. Price can be high or low, just as long as you buy!”

Really? She just had to buy something from the markets and that was it? She looked to Cassard, who nodded to confirm this. Well, that was all well and good but… she knew that gil would serve her well enough back in the Crystarium, but she had no idea if it worked the same in this place. But once again, it seemed that Cassard had this covered as well.

“…As the good Mord says,” Cassard said, “In fact, the Exarch sent a little something to cover this very expense.”

She then watched as he pulled out a large golden coin with a strange crest stamped across it. It certainly looked old, and he looked at it with great interest.

“A Voeburt gold piece, no less!” he said enviously, “The first I’ve held in years.”

Voeburt? Was that another city here in Norvrandt? She was about to ask when he passed the coin over to her, as if suddenly eager to be rid of it. As she turned over the heavy coin in her hand she heard someone call out, “Voeburt gold!? Real Voeburt gold!?”

She looked up, only to realize that what looked like every single merchant in Mord Souq was now staring at her. And before she knew it, a flood of people were flocking to her, merchants completely abandoning their stalls as they all but stampeded their way over to her. She could only stare, not sure what to do as she was suddenly surrounded on all sides as they eyed the gold piece she held with hungry expressions.

“Here, newcomer!” someone yelled excitedly, “Crack your coinpurse with me!”

“No, no, you want my goods, newcomer!” another cried, “I have jars and pots, all smooth and shiny!”

“Over here!”

“Come and look!”

“Buy and buy!”

Soon she had no idea where the voices were coming from and she backed away, half wondering if she should just throw the coin at the crowd and let them fight each other for it, when Master Ghen Gen called out to them angrily.

“Enough of that! Calm, I say!” Master Ghen Gen scolded them all like he was telling off a crowd of misbehaving children. “This one must still journey through the barrens. Nothing bulky! Nothing heavy! No pots!”

His shout was enough to cause them to stop trying to get her attention, and some wehre even looking away in embarrassment as Master Ghen Gen shook his head at them.

“Ah, thank you,” she said as he turned back to her with a suggestion.

“Nothing better for the road than a full belly,” he told her, “Spend that piece at Rhon Ron’s place, yes? Eat for three before you leave!”

Now that she thought of it, she was getting hungry, having not eaten anything since she first arrived on the First and nodded in agreement. That was when Ghen Gen gestured over the heads of the crowd to where a Mord stood, looking like the only one who didn’t join the others in trying to win the coin. When he noticed her looking at him, he held up his hand in a friendly way.

As she thought it over, Master Ghen Gen shooed the others away, reminding them all that this was very poor business and that they should be ashamed of themselves for their behavior.

“Rhon Ron’s shop is best for eating!” he informed her, giving her a little push in the middle of her back towards the stalls, “Crack your coinpurse and gorge on the delicious delicacies.”

She supposed that it was for the best, after all, some were still looking at her curiously as she slowly began to walk through the markets, as if hoping that she would change her mind and spend the coin with them. Well, the sooner she got rid of the coin, the sooner they would leave her alone. At least she hoped so.

Her feet soon found herself to another small stall where she could smell cooked food and her stomach was starting to rumble from hunger. As soon as the Mord saw her, he jumped up happily and welcomed her over.

“Welcome to Rhon Ron’s, traveler!” Rhon Ron said happily, “I have wares to empty your purse and fill your belly! Take your time! Stare and sniff before you choose! But no drooling on the merchandise, yes?”

She then began to look over the wares and… they weren’t what she was expecting. Then again, she should have known better from her experience with the kobolds to know that what they considered ‘food’ may not necessarily be what she would consider food… or even edible for that matter.

Such as the large matt on the ground where she saw some glazed worms all curled up and she shivered at the sight.

“Everyone’s favorite!” Rhon Ron said, noticing her looking at them, “Plump white worms slathered in honey. Once you eat a ‘Glazed Wriggler,’ you’ll never want any other treat!”

Somehow she doubted that and privately thought that she may sooner starve than eat worms. She didn’t even want to think about how it would feel to have them going down her throat. Needless to say, she quickly turned her attention away from that food as she looked to a pot where she saw several large frogs skewered and roasted.

“Oh, you’ll like those!” Rhon Ron added, “Chewy Skewers’! Find small frogs hiding under rocks, spear with stick, then roast over fire. Crackly on the outside, gooey on the inside—perfect for snacking!”

No… that was alright. She thought she could see the eyes from the frogs looking at her accusingly and immediately lost her appetite. She politely refused before looking to another mat on the ground to see some red meat sliced up.

“That’s my ‘Everburning Boundy,’ made with the best parts of the lizard,” Rhon Ron explained when she asked what kind of meat that was, “Cured with special spicy spices. Some find the smell… challenging, but it’ll warm you up on a chilly desert nights!”

Well, just the smell of it was enough to make her nose burn and cough before looking to the last mat where there were several loaves of bread.

“I call that ‘Mushloaf’! The middle is stuffed with bittersweet cactus fruits, so even if the bride dries out, it’s still moist inside,” Rhon Ron finished as he smacked his lips, “Keeps you going in the heat!”

Well, nothing here really screamed out for her to try. But, he seemed to have mistaken her silence for her trying to decide.

“They all look tasty, yes?” he asked proudly, “Which to choose, which to choose!”

In all honesty, she really didn’t want to go to any of the other stalls in case the merchants all flocked to her, but she suddenly realized how much less hungry she was after seeing what was on the menu. She felt she had to pick something so in the end, she went for the bread, only because out of her options, the Mushloaf seemed the most… safe.

“Ah, very wise!” he jumped for joy, “You won’t wither on the sands with a gut full of cactus fruit filling! You have the gold…?”

She handed the piece over, feeling that it was more trouble than it was worth as he admired the coin in his large fingers.

“…And done! One Voeburtite honor buys you forty loaves of bread!” he said and her eyes widened.

What?

He then passed over a large sack full of the bread and she suddenly had no idea what to do. Well, with his expectant face, the sudden thirst and hunger still causing her stomach to make noise, she felt that she might as well try one. She pulled out one of the loaves and looked over it before she took a bite.

It was… slimy. The outer part of the bread was dry and crusty until she reached the middle of the loaf where she felt a cool liquid drip down her throat. But the taste was sweet, sour, and bitter all at once and she had to screw up her eyes as she all but forced herself to chew. Each swallow was painful and she was starting to think that maybe she should have gone for the worms… at least they were small. Still, with the ache in her belly, she had to find a way to quell it… and even managed to swallow a couple loaves before she fell to her knees, fighting the wave of nausea that was threatening to rise up in her.

Now this was impressive… she was an adventurer who was used to strange foods. There were plenty of times in her journeys where she was miles away from civilization and had to survive off the land…

But nothing was quite like the experience here with this food.

Soon, she drew the attention of a crowd, who noticed her on her knees and were asking if she was alright. It was when someone suggested more food that she realized she couldn’t do it.

“I think I’ll… sh-share… the rest…” she panted and held out the sack to them, who let out startled and excited cries.

“Our visitor invites us to feast!” Rhon Ron called out to everyone, “Let us give thanks for her great generosity—and small appetite!”

Oh, she was more than happy to give the bread over to someone else, and they were all sharing the contents with everyone else. How these people could eat it here, she had no idea, but they had bigger stomachs than she did.

“Consider your coinpurse cracked!” Rhon Ron said, “I am pleased to accept your custom, and Ghen Gen will be pleased that you honored ours!”

She got up to her feet, but felt dizzy and almost fell over as she wheezed for air, having to fight to keep her body from betraying her.

“…Keeping the merchandise down, yes?” Rhon Ron asked worriedly, “No returns!”

She didn’t think it possible, but she had a feeling that the food may taste better coming up than going down. But she forced herself to nod so that she didn’t hurt Rhon Ron’s feelings as he waved her off.

“I am honored to have been chosen! Go to Ghen Gen! Let him know that your coinpurse has been most decidedly cracked,” she thanked him, though she still had to hold onto her stomach as she walked back, feeling queasy. If Alisaie was here, she had to find out how she was able to survive with the food here.

After walking around for a bit, she felt that she could speak to people again without throwing up and returned to Ghen Gen—feeling resentful for his suggestion. Cassard, however, was applauding her when she stepped up to them as if she were a returning hero.

“I’ve never seen anyone eat so much of Rhon Ron’s ‘cuisine’ in one sitting…” he said in awe, “You’ve a stronger stomach than I!”

He knew what she would be having? He could have warned her and she could have avoided this sickening feeling! Oh, she had a few choice words for him and actually had to stay silent for a moment so that she could mentally curse him out. Once that was done, she looked back to Ghen Gen and told him that she had cracked her coinpurse.

“I was watching from here, Claire!” Ghen Gen confirmed, “You honored our custom, and with great relish! You will always be welcome in Mord Souq—if you need anything in Amh Araeng, we are here to provide!”

She gulped down before thanking Ghen Gen, and even shot Cassard a dirty look as he watched as he chuckled. Honestly, she almost rather have run a series of impossible tasks like she usually had to do whenever she arrived someplace for the first time than have to swallow some of Rhon Ron’s cooking. She was never going to complain about such tasks again if her alternative was to feel this sick.

She walked away from Ghen Gen with Cassard at her side as they headed to a series of crates near one of the exits to the markets.

“You have courage, my friend!” he informed her, “Rhon Ron’s wares are more ‘exotic’ than harmful, but I don’t envy you the bellyache you’ll have on the morrow.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m having one right now,” she hissed under her breath before responding in a much more normal voice, keeping all her resentment bottled up, “You didn’t think to let me know what I was getting into?”

“I would have, but it’s somewhat of a tradition here,” he laughed, “To try some of the local cuisine and experience firsthand the visit to Mord Souq.”

This guy was seriously pure evil.

Still, she kept her opinions to herself before asking when they would be leaving, she still wanted to find Alisaie and make sure to check on how her friend was doing. As soon as she asked him, he suddenly nodded at that and asked, “…Would you mind if we delayed our departure a touch? I have a few deals left to close before I can conclude my business here in Mord Souq.”

“Do you need help?” she asked, not resisting it because she knew the sooner she helped out, the sooner they could be on their way out.

“Oh! Offering your services, are you?” he asked happily, “Aye, well an assistant would certainly help hurry things along!”

And he handed her a receipt for some goods that needed to be picked up around the markets. She went off to work off her meal and get a good look at everything around her. Once she was away from Cassard, she took out the list and read over it:

_Table cactus—Thon Ton_

_Iron ore—Thoi Toi_

_Nabaath Areng antiques—Mhil Mi (to be collected from Mhui Mul)_

The list was confusing, especially since she still had no idea who anyone was or where to find them. Still, she made her bed and had to lie in it as she went wandering off. Thankfully, many of the people were able to point her in the right direction, no doubt hoping that she had more Voeburt gold and would spend it with them, and she was able to track down what she was looking for. Soon enough, she returned with a couple sacks and a crate of supplies back to Cassard, who was surprised to see her back so suddenly.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been round the entire market already!?” he asked as she set everything down. He looked over it all, just making sure that she had everything, before nodding, “Aye, that’s the lot, all right. Good work. And quick work, too, considering you’ve not set foot in the place before. I’d thought you one to sit in the city like the Exarch, but something tells me you’re not a stranger to visiting strange lands…”

Please, she gets bored having to stay in one place for too long. She was actually somewhat offended by his remark and wondered if she looked like that.

“Unfortunately, your efficiency presents something of a problem,” he added guilty, and her heart sank, “I’d hope to conclude all my business before you returned, but it seems there’s been some confusion over one of the orders I placed. I’ll have to drag in my middleman and sort this mess out. I’m sorry to make you sit around and twiddle your thumbs…”

She frowned at that, wondering what to do now. She was in half a mind just to ask for directions and see if she could find Alisaie on her own when…?

“…Cassard? It feels like an age since I last saw you!”

Both of them looked up to see a Hyur—or she guessed it was a Hume—woman with long blond hair that fell down her back and a grey dress waving at Cassard. She walked over with a sunny smile as she greeted Cassard as an old friend.

“Well, if it isn’t the lovely Tesleen!” Cassard said happily, and Claire thought that she could see a slight blush across Cassard’s cheeks as he greeted her. “It has been a while, but your timing couldn’t be better.”

He gestured to Claire and Tesleen glanced at her with polite interest as Cassard explained, “This lady was on her way to meet with Alisaie. I’m supposed to be taking her to your corner of the desert, but a misplaced order has commandeered my attention…”

Claire greeted her politely, but that was when she noticed a strange look passing over Tesleen’s face as she observed her. Her eyes then widened, as if she couldn’t believe what she was looking at, and whispered with an edge of excitement, “…Wait, I know who you are. Alisaie has told me so much about you! You’re Claire, aren’t you!?”

Claire stared, taken aback, and for a moment was unable to find something to say. Finally, she just nodded and stuttered a little, “Ah… Y-Yes, I am. You know Alisaie?”

“I knew it!” Tesleen gasped excitedly, a big grin spreading across her face like a jack-o-lanturn, “How wonderful to meet you in the flesh after hearing all those stories!” Then, as if fearing that she was being a poor host, she blushed a little as she cleared her throat.

“I’m Tesleen. I work as a carer at the Inn,” she introduced herself proudly, “And I’ve gotten to know Alisaie quite well since she took up guard duties there.” She looked to Cassard and reassured him, “Do you want me to take over as Claire’s guide, Cassard? My shopping’s all done and packed for the road, so it would be no trouble…”

“That would be a great help, thank you!” he agreed positively before clapping a hand on Claire’s shoulder as he told her, “Well, it looks like you’ll be able to head straight out after all. My caravan and I will be in the area for a while yet—seek me out when you’ve had your fill of Amh Araeng, and I’ll send you back to the Crystarium. Take care with you desert crossing and good fortune with meeting your friend! I’ll be around when you’re ready to head back to the Exarch.”

She nodded and thanked him for taking her this far as her spirits soared at the thought of finding Alisaie again after all this time. She turned back to Tesleen and asked how her friend was doing.

“Oh, she’s doing well,” Tesleen reassured her, “I left her at the Inn just a few hours ago, in fact, and I’m sure she’s going to be in for a big surprise to see you. She talked about you all the time, told so many stories that I was quite eager to meet you myself. But whenever I asked where you were now, she become very… quiet. She just said that she knew you would show up eventually and she would have to be ready when you did.”

“Did she now?” Claire asked, feeling relieved to hear that Alisaie was in good spirits. In fact, she could not stop the smile, and Tesleen was beaming back.

“Alisaie has been desperate to see you, Claire, so let’s get you to her sooner rather than later!” she said eagerly before pointing out towards the exit. “The Inn isn’t too hard to find, really—you can actually see the top of the rock spires from here.”

Indeed, she pointed a little way to the south where she could see the tips of pointed rocks in the distance.

“We just need to swing around the ridge, then head south,” she instructed, “Come on, I’ll get my supplies together and meet you outside!”

Claire was ready to go and had to wait for Tesleen to show up, weighed down with a heavy looking crate. Claire offered to carry it for her, but Tesleen insisted on doing it herself—but then grew worried about the local wildlife. She warned her that coyotes could often be seen in this area and they would have to be careful as they crossed. Claire promised to protect her on the way back, but for some reason, her answer did not seem to surprise her.

“I thought you might,” she admitted with another motherly smile, “Alisaie was always saying how much y—Um, I mean, let’s get going, shall we?”

Claire was surprised by that but press for any information on that as she nodded.

“So what has Alisaie been up to?” Claire asked curiously as they began the walk across the desert towards the spires.

“Oh, she took up guard duty here several months ago,” she explained, “She started off here as a guard for Mord Souq, but when she heard about us over at the Inn, she felt that she would be needed there more. I tried to tell her that it was important to guard Mord Souq and she would probably be more comfortable there… but she insisted on it.”

Claire chuckled, not surprised in the least by that. That girl was as stubborn and headstrong as an aurochs.

“And like I said, she talked about you all the time,” Tesleen added, “I don’t think a day has gone by that she didn’t talk about you. In fact, she started telling our patients about you and they seemed to greatly enjoy it. Some of us carers began telling the stories as well because they liked them so much.”

There it was again. Carers… patients…? Just what kind of place was this Inn? It sounded less like an Inn and more like…?

But she wasn’t able to finish those thoughts when she heard growling and she looked up to see a rather scrawny coyote charging at them. She put those thoughts aside as she reached for her sword, swinging it about, not even noticing how Tesleen gave a sharp intake of breath, and charged at the animal. She almost felt bad for the thin creature, knowing that if they were preying upon travelers like this, she didn’t want to imagine how thin their food sources must be.

She ran the brute through with her sword though before swinging it up onto her back once again. She looked about, trying to find a trace of a pack, but didn’t see anything, before asking Tesleen if she was alright.

“And yet hardly a match for you, it seems!” Tesleen said, not even dropping her crate, “I’d always thought Alisaie was strong, but in her mind, she was never…hmmmm. Now it makes sense.”

“What does?” Claire asked curiously, but Tseleen seemed started that she said that part out loud and cleared her voice a little before shaking her head and telling her not to pay attention to that. Now Claire was starting to grow curious, but at that moment she thought she heard a growling noise over a sand back and decided to check it out. She went on ahead just to scout out the area and make sure it was safe of coyotes. Like she thought, she found a pair of them as thin and vicious as the first, but they fell to her sword quickly enough before returning to Tesleen.

They continued on their way, with Tesleen telling her more about what Alisaie had been doing since she first came here. The first thing she found from Tesleen was that she was good company. She was cheerful and was a great storyteller, especially over some of Alisaie’s adventurers. It turned out the girl had never cooked a decent stew before in her life and her first attempt had been a disaster.

“And she still ate every bite of it herself?” Claire could not help but chuckle at that.

“I told her that she didn’t have to do that and that I would make dinner that night, but she insisted on eating it herself,” she laughed. “To be honest, I’m just glad that the food didn’t go to waste… and that the rest of us didn’t have to eat it. I’ll not lie, it looked bad… and out here we eat sand worms if we don’t have enough food to get us through the week. Needless to say, Alisaie didn’t feel well when the morrow came.”

Claire laughed at that, wondering how someone could mess up stew that badly.

“Thankfully, after she recovered, she started paying close attention to what I would do to the pot when I set it over the fire,” Tesleen grinned back. “Her cooking skills have much improved since then and could almost pass for acceptable.”

Claire knew that they shouldn’t be laughing at that, but she could not help it, enjoying the way that Tesleen spared no detail about it. She also made a mental note to show Alisaie some basic meals that could easily be made on the road when she got the chance.

What got her attention more than anything else though were the stories that Alisaie told Tesleen and the others. It was clear to her that Alisaie had built her up into this larger than life legend, and she was very uncomfortable about answering some of Tesleen’s questions about her homeland.

Perhaps she seemed to sense this and Tesleen immediately turned her discussion back to the different landmarks and the type of creatures that roamed this area.

They crossed over a ridge, and passed some crumbling ruins that the brick had been dyed from the constant glare of the light above. To Claire, the entire desert felt vast and empty despite all the cliffs and ruins that covered the landscape. If not for Tesleen talking, she doubted that she would be able to hear anything else but the wind across the sand and echoing through the empty buildings. She was suddenly glad for someone else’s presence… this entire desert felt almost like… a graveyard.

She just listened to Tesleen talk the rest of the way as she pushed such depressing thoughts to the back of her mind. When they came across a large rock crevice, she turned to her with another sunny smile.

“This is it,” she said, “Thanks to you, I didn’t have to drop my shopping even once! Come to think of it, I’m glad I didn’t make the trip alone… it seems you ended up escorting me!”

“Glad to help,” Claire said honestly, “A friend of Alisaie’s is a friend of mine.”

“I’ll have to repay the favor somehow, but first, let’s head inside, shall we?” she said and led the way into the crevice.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but the inside was very sad. It reminded her a great deal of Little Ala Mhigo and the people living there were living out of tents in the dark… but even that place seemed to be better off than here. This inn was actually a large, empty space in the middle of a hollow circle of rocks. There were shabby tents and cots set up all around the surrounding walls with people scattered here and there. She could all but feel as if a heavy, sickly weight seemed to hang about the people here like a dark cloud. Most of them were very thin and pale… were they sick? She remembered Tesleen mentioning patients and she could not help but wonder if this was some sort of infirmary? If so, what kind of sickness was this? For no one looked injured… just weak.

She followed Tesleen a few feet inside to where an aetheryte crystal sparkled and spun lazily as Claire continued to look around.

“Welcome to the Inn at Journey’s Head,” Tesleen said, “You might be our first visitor from the Crystarium since Alisaie arrived. It’s not much, but its home for the afflicted and a handful of carers.”

“The afflicted…?” Claire repeated slowly, looking back to her in confusion. But it seemed her answer confused Tesleen, who seemed taken aback by her question.

“You… don’t know…?” Tesleen asked slowly before another she gave her another smile. It wasn’t a happy one though, it was more piteously, as if she felt sorry for her for finding out something in such a way. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone besides Alisaie who was so unfamiliar with our situation here. Most folk have grown up knowing someone who knew someone…” She thought it over, as if wondering what to say. “Hm. I might leave out something obvious, so it may be best to have Alisaie give you the full explanation.”

Claire somehow doubted that. In fact, she had the feeling that Tesleen could not bear to have to come out and tell her the truth. But Claire respected that decision, knowing that Alisaie wasn’t the type who would sugar-coat bad news.

Tesleen put down the supplies before looking around, unable to find Alisaie in the area before reasoning that she must have set out on patrol while she was away. Rather than have her wait around her, she suggested that Claire see if she could find Alisaie, who usually was at the old watchtower if she wasn’t here at the Inn.

Claire thanked her for her advice before setting out, feeling the incredible emptiness the moment she was back out in the open air.

She set out a little more to the west and began to look around—searching for a flash of long white hair, but not finding anything but sand for malms. Eventually, she found her steps to the edge of a cliff where a wooden watch tower stood, empty and silent as the rest of the buildings here… but it was also where she could get a good look at the great wall of Light crystal that stretched so high that they cast facets of twinkling rainbow lights upon the sands.

It was actually quite beautiful… though she knew right away what it was. This was part of the Flood of Light… seeing the way that it rose up and curled around like the foams of the sea…? The way that parts of buildings were swept up and imbedded in the very crystal like water…? How could it be anything else?

Somehow seeing that wave of crystalline white brought a wave a terrible grief through her heart.

And it seemed she wasn’t the only one. For out of the corner of her eye, she thought she could see him standing there and watching her.

But when she turned her head to look properly, Ardbert was gone.

She knew he said he would be watching… in fact, she could all but feel his eyes on her at that moment. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that to be honest. Yet, if this was how she felt staring at that wave she didn’t want to imagine how he felt when he looked at it.

Thanalan was a barren desert, but there was still so much life… in the plants and animals that roamed those sandy hills… the settlements that were scattered about… that desert felt alive. Here though, this desert felt… not dead… but more along the lines of… dying. She shifted her shoulders, feeling uneasy as those thoughts came to mind, but that was how the very air about her felt. Looking at this place, she could tell that not even a hundred years ago, this area was once a thriving city. But now, the winds drifted across the sands felt slow and heavy as they bounced off the empty walls of the abandoned buildings so that it gave the impression that the abandoned city was crying over its fate.

She knew what the Exarch said about this world… how it was just clinging onto life. It was hard to imagine that when you look at the Crystarium. But here… in otherwise lifeless desert… she fully believed it. But she was still struggling to learn what was truly happening here and how she could help. What did the Exarch expect out of her? What did he think she could do to bring this world back from the brink?

She knew that she had done some impressive feats so far—but—saving what was left of an entire world? What could she realistically do that could tip the scales and pull the people back? It was clear to her that the Exarch had some plan or even a clue as to what to do otherwise he wouldn’t have gone through so much time and effort in bringing her here across worlds.

That was when she remembered what he had told her in the tower.

_“He watched you die…”_

As the Warrior of Light… facing death on a daily basis was nothing new. She had long since lost count of how many times she came close to actually dying, only to escape at the last minute. But here, he had come out and told her very bluntly that if things didn’t change then that would be the fate that awaited her. She was going to die by the Black Rose.

If she had to be honest with herself, she never once thought that she would go out in such a way. Death on a battlefield, sure… getting slaughtered by a primal or burnt to a crisp by a dragon…? She had prepared for that possible outcome many times.

But poison?

She shivered and hugged herself when she realized that she was shaking slightly.

But how was she supposed to stop it? What could she do? While the Exarch seemed keen for her to learn about this world and had been mostly honest with her, he had yet to come out and express just what it was that she was supposed to do? It wasn’t like she could just go around from area to area and just help the people there anymore… could she?

What was she supposed to do?

Realizing that she had reached the watchtower, she looked around, almost forgetting why she came out here. Though she didn’t see Alisaie anywhere near here, she did spot some promising footprints. Kneeling down, she studied the small footprints in the sand and reasoned that they looked to be about the right size. It looked like the steps were leading off towards the northwest, and so she quickly set off in that direction, hoping she could catch up with her in time.

It was tricky to try and follow the tracks since the wind covered most of them up with sand… but every once in a while she was able to pick up the trail and at least had an idea of a direction. As she walked on, she could not help but reminded of the time she had to track down heretics in the snow in Coerthas in the middle of a snowstorm. She could not help but laugh at the memory and wondered how she was ever able to find anyone through all that?

Still, if she could track a person through that, this was going to be so much easier. If nothing else, the person she found at the end of these tracks was bound to be far friendlier than the spear-wielding heretics.

After continuing on for some minutes, she came across a pile of sand with all manner of footprints that crossed off in all directions. She frowned at that as she bent down to examine then. There were signs of a struggle… bandits or thieves perhaps? Or maybe…?

She looked around, now starting to grow worried as her eyes found the destroyed fortress in the distance that were set against the wall of Crystalized light.

But then it came. She felt it more than actually saw it coming. Her head jerked up towards the direction of the crooked tower and saw something flapping away from the reasons. She stared at it, recognizing it as the same type of white, winged creature she saw in Lakeland… white as marble with beautiful wings that shone as brightly as snow. But the thin and lumpy creature attached to those wings looked more demon than angel as it desperately tried to get away from across the sands.

It looked as if it was struggling to get off the ground as it flapped furiously, its intent was only to get as far away as possible. Claire was in half a mind to follow it when she heard a voice calling out from above… a very familiar voice: “Get back here!”

***Alisaie***

Gods damn it all! She turned her back for one second and the blasted sin eater was making a run for it. She had chased it all across the area, eventually tracking it to the tower and climbing it to the top just to get a shot at it.

But of course, the creature had already fled downwards after she gave it a slash across its back and damaging its wing in such a way that it could no longer take to the skies. Well, it was its own fault for trying to ambush her while she was on her patrol and she was going to make sure that it would be the last mistake it ever made.

She didn’t realize that anyone else was even in the area by the time she took a running jump from the tower. But as she fell, she saw something out of the corner of her eye, and it drew her attention. At first she thought it was another eater here to ambush her… only to blink and realize that it was a person.

But not just any person… even at this distance, she recognized her anywhere. She could never mistake that person.

“Is that? It can’t be…” she whispered, almost forgetting where she was.

In fact, she was so surprised that when she noticed the ground coming up to her, she almost panicked. She rolled her feet to a point that she was able to land upright in the soft sand before running at the wounded eater. She focused everything else out as she gripped the creature with a line of aether and drew in close to slash viciously at it.

She jumped back as the eater howled in pain and fell onto the sands… no longer moving. She lowered her weapon as she watched it slowly begin to dissolve into white aether. As she breathed in hard, her heart pounding painfully in her chest, she heard footsteps in the sand behind her.

"Impressive," said the voice she had been yearning to hear. She did not look at her first even though she felt herself smiling a little proudly at the praise.

"Just a lesser sin eater. Nothing to write home about,” she said, unable to look at her. "I knew you'd turn up sooner or later, but I had been hoping for sooner."

She was almost afraid to look. What concerned her was that this wasn’t the first time that she thought that she saw her while out here on the sands. There were a couple of times that she thought she saw their champion standing there and she would feel excitement and joy rush through her only to run at it, her name on her lips, and watch as the mirage faded. Which left her feeling low and hating herself…?

But she turned her head slightly to see her out of the corner of her eye and saw her kind face smiling at her. Alisaie knew that it wasn’t a hopeful illusion this time. She was really here. Guilt rose up inside her as she lowered her head, not sure if she should cry or not. Once she regained control, she finally turned around to face her and gave her a warm smile.

“How are you?” she asked.

Claire only grinned back.

“I’m glad to see you safe,” she said, and suddenly, Alisaie couldn’t take it. She could feel her eyes beginning to burn and before she knew it, she ran to her and flung her arms around her friend’s neck and bit down on her lower lip to stop crying. Words could not describe how good it felt to not only be able to see and hear her… but to touch her and really say to herself: she’s here… she’s real. Alisaie buried her face in her friend’s should, not even minding the cold metal as she could feel a few stray tears escape down her eyes. She didn’t care though, knowing that there was no one around for malms and Claire wasn’t the type who would embarrass her like that.

Claire just held her and rubbed her back in a soothing way before Alisaie pulled back when she regained control of her emotions. Claire merely gently wiped the few tears from the corner of her eyes as she just smiled back.

“I’m glad to see you too,” she said.

“What happened? Is everyone alright back home?” Alisaie asked quickly, desperate for news, “I know that time here is faster than back on the Source, but I just have to know what’s going on. What of the battle? Did anything else happen?”

Claire nodded and gave her a rundown of all the events that led up to her arriving here. How after Alisaie collapsed out there, her body was returned to the Rising Stones and the fighting continued at the borders. She then told her about all the battling later on when the Garleans tried to break through their defenses, and they were forced to hold off the fighting for as long as they could. By the time she arrived, Hien, Lyse, and Yugiri battled the Ascian using Zenos’s body and were struggling just to stand when she picked up the battle from where they left off. Alisaie was furious with the Exarch for pulling Claire away when she was up against such a dangerous foe, but was relieved to hear how Estinien had managed to get her off the frontlines without much trouble. After that, the Alliance managed to hold their own until something caused Zenos and most of the Garleans had retreated to their borders. Things had been quiet since then, and with the time in between the fighting, Claire was able to find the beacon the Exarch sent to her, and he managed to finally bring her across the rift to this place.

“When did you arrive?” Alisaie questioned, mentally planning to kill the Exarch if it turned out that Claire had been here for a while and he didn’t send word to her.

“Less than a day ago,” Claire admitted. “I ended up waking up someone across Lakeland. It was by good fortune I made it to the Crystarium so quickly. The Exarch told me where to find you so I came as soon as I could.”

“So everyone back home really is…?” Alisaie began as she thought of people like Tataru and Krile.

“Doing well, last I left them,” Claire reassured her. “I have a way to send messages to them as well, and I sent word that I arrived safely. I don’t think we need to worry about the Garleans for the time being.”

Alisaie sighed in relief at the news.

“We’ve fought them to a standstill, then…” Alisaie summed up for them as they walked across the sands, towards the graveyard. She paused there for a moment as she thought over everything that she just found out before adding, “The Exarch did say that the Empire seemed to have drawn back when he last looked in on the Source. But without knowing for sure how fast time was passing there, I couldn’t help worrying that a lot might have happened since then. I’m heartily relieved to hear that it hasn’t—just as Alphinaud must have been.”

She saw Claire’s eyes light up at the mention of her brother and she smiled back.

“As you can imagine, both he and Urianger were desperate to hear the news from home when I arrived,” she sighed as they came to a stop near the foot of the graves. “I haven’t actually seen Thancred and Y’shtola yet, but they will have heard all the latest developments from the Exarch by now—or should have, at least.”

While it was a load off her mind, Alisaie could not shake the feeling of guilt that seemed to churn inside her as if she had just swallowed something unpleasant.

“When I think of how frantic Tataru and the others must be,” she admitted as she played with the cuff of her sleeve, unable to really look at Claire as she talked, “I want nothing more than to rush back there and reassure them… but we still haven’t found a way to reverse the summoning. And even if we had, we couldn’t just ignore Urianger’s vision.”

Claire didn’t ask about the vision, so she could only assume that the Exarch must have already told her about it. Or at least, informed her a summed up version. Hearing the truth from Urianger was so much worse as he described what he saw.

With a great effort, Alisaie forced herself to look at Claire’s face, trying not to think of seeing her form pale and cold from poison as she explained, “He may use ten words where one would suffice—and they may often obscure as much as they reveal…but on this matter, he was clear as day. I do not doubt for one moment that he saw what he claims.”

No, that was not a talk that she ever wanted to have with anyone. In fact, just listening to them was enough to give her nightmares for the first couple months that she lived here.

“Nor how difficult it must have been to speak about them,” she added softly, “The Eighth Umbral Calamity and your death aren’t exactly topics for idle conversation.”

** _*Memory*_ **

_“You have to be kidding me!” Alisaie all but screamed at Urianger, who tried to hold up his hands in an effort to soothe her. It had only been hours since she was first brought to this strange world. Two hours after she woke up in a tower made of crystal, without a stitch of clothing on… and staring at a stranger in a hood._

_Her hand had gone instinctively to her side for her weapon… only to realize that she was as bare as her nameday. This normally would embarrass her to no end, but at that moment all she felt was cold fury flooding through every inch of her body and left no trace of embarrassment or even fear. It didn’t stop her from charging and attacking him, screaming out every insult and curse she could think off as she shook him, demanding that he send her back._

_The hooded man stuttered, trying to calm her down and explain, but she was too far gone to even want to listen to him. She had to get back… she had to! How did this happen? She had been on the battlefield mere moments ago as they made their stand against the Empire when that voice struck again. She remembered how she reached out for Claire… worried sick for her when she saw her in pain… but then she was pulled away… only to wake up… here._

_She didn’t need to be scholar to know what happened. She collapsed and her body was left behind back home while she was… wherever here was. _

_Loathing rose up in her at the mere thought that she had left her friend all on her own back there in the middle of a battlefield and she began shaking this masked man harder than ever, barely even noticing the crystal that coated parts of his body. As far as she was concerned, he was the cause of all of that._

_She made Claire promise her never to leave her… and in the end, it had been her to break that promise instead. And just the thought that she left her there on her own when so much was happening that finally caused the tears to fall and she sobbed; continuing to pound her fists against this stranger. She had to get back… to apologize… make sure she was alright…?_

_She was so upset that she didn’t stop screaming until she heard the doors open behind her and she spun around, murder in her eyes, only to stop did when she saw that it was her brother and Urianger standing there. For a moment, she could not speak, but then she let out a cry of relief as she charged at Alphinaud, almost knocking him to the ground as she flung her arms around his neck and broke down completely._

_He was startled by this, but hugged her back tightly as she cried into his shoulder._

_Once she got some control over her tears, she felt Urianger drape a blanket over her shoulders to give her some modesty. Wrapping the blanket tightly around her, she rounded on Alphinaud, all but screaming at him now for how worried they were over him._

_She was still scared and confused to what was going on, so she could not deny that it felt good to take out some of that frustration on him._

_No one dared to say a word as they let her go on for some time. In fact, she went on so long, that she was beginning to wonder why they weren’t trying something to calm her down… at least, until she heard Urianger and the robbed man secretly whispering if it would be for the best to put her under a sleep spell until she calmed down._

_Unfortunately for them, she heard this and turned her furious gaze on them both, who stood still as statues and didn’t seem to want to dare move._

_After about an hour of this, she had finally paused to draw breath, and as soon as she started breathing, she couldn’t stop. Alphinaud rubbed her back, trying to reassure her that it was alright and that she was safe._

_“It’s not me that I’m worried about,” she retorted, shaking her head as she glared back to the robbed man, whom was calling himself the Crystal Exarch. He could call himself whatever he wanted, but all the stress and worry she had been under was because of him and she wasn’t afraid to let him know that. “I have to get back! We all have to get back! Claire is on her own… wait… is she here to?”_

_She immediately began to stare around, as if thinking that she would appear out of thin air._

_“Unfortunately… no…” the Exarch said, speaking for the first time in half an hour—and speaking nervously like he feared that she would start screaming again if he so much as opened his mouth. “I fear that was my fault. I thought for sure that I summoned her soul this time that I never once expected…?”_

_“Expected what?” she demanded, stumbling slight over the blanket that was becoming entangled around her legs while Alphinaud and Urianger were doing their best to calm her down to a point that she could listen. “Who are you? Where is this place? What have you done? It was you! I recognize your voice! You were the one who brought us here! Why?!”_

_Looking back, Alisaie knew that she was on the brink of hysteria at this point. But she was so upset and disordered that her emotions were all pulled tight like bowstrings and were just ready to break. _

_After bringing her a drink of water, Urianger took over and gently explained what was going on._

_The First? They were brought to the same world that Minfilia went to with the Warriors of Darkness? To help save what was left of this dying world?_

_The Exarch then stepped forward, still very anxious as he explained the situation as best as he could… how this world was pulled back from the brink at the last possible moment almost a century ago… but all that it did was buy them time. If nothing was done, and soon, this world would be finished. _

_At this point, Alisaie was calm enough to start listening to his words as he lowered his head and apologized for their suffering and current situation. He explained that out of desperation, he reached out to the Source for aid. That was when she watched him walk over to a part of the wall where the crystal seemed to shine a little bit brighter. She walked over to get a good look at it as he held up his staff… and in the facets of the crystal she could see an image appear. Her eyes widen in shock as she saw Claire there, running across the battlefield carrying her own body in her arms while Hien and Yugiri ran behind her._

_She was so shocked to see that that the Exarch took the time to inform her that while she may look and feel solid… the truth was that she was just a soul that had been given a physical form in this world. Her real body was left behind for the others to look after and what they were seeing now was happening back in the Source at this moment._

_It was through this mirror that he was able to watch over Claire until he felt the time was right to summon her here. He explained that after observing the Source, he had discovered Claire and of the many miracles she had performed. And though he was well-aware that it was wrong to forcefully summon her so far to a battle that she had no responsibility over… he wasn’t sure what else to do._

_“It is my hope that she will do what no one else can do and save this world,” he had finished as he let the image fade and turned back to her. “My original intent was to summon her, and her alone.”_

_“So then why did we all get dragged along?” she demanded as he lowered his head in shame. _

_He told them that it was his mistake. Turns out that pulling someone from one world to another across the rift was a very difficult task and that he underestimated how resilient their friend’s soul was. He explained that while she, her brother, and the other Scions were not the target of his spell, Claire’s soul was so rooted to the Source that it refused to go and unknowingly hid behind the souls of others. Apparently, to bring someone across the rift… he needed a certain… connection… a bond strong enough to reach out across the Reach… and though he had come close… the Warrior of Light slipped through at the last possible moment and their light would pull back as if anchored there and his fumbling hand would accidently pull someone else instead. It would seem that Claire’s fate was directly tied with the rest of them and just a single tremor on the Exarch’s part grabbed their souls by accident._

_Once they were sure she wasn’t going to lose her wits over this news, Alphinaud reassured her that Thancred and Y’shtola were also here and were doing well… as well as the time difference. She was shocked to learn that time in this world was so fast for them that it had already been four years since Thancred had arrived… and two years for both Urianger and Y’shtola. _

_And while they were still looking for a way to get back, for the time being, they would have to make the most of their current situation._

_She spent a couple weeks at the Crystarium after that first encounter as she began to understand why the Exarch felt compelled to do what he had done._

_But the worst part was after she left the tower and brought straight over to a spare room in the Pendants so that she could have a meal and new clothes, did Urianger set her down on the bed and told her of the vision he had while drifting across the rift. In all honesty, she didn’t really recall her own trip across the rift that clearly… it had happened so quickly and she could only remember the dark and twinkling lights before awakening in the tower._

_But nothing could have prepared her for what she learned what was to befall the Source. She couldn’t believe it… how the First fell to the Light and the influx of Umbral aether flooded into the Source and that was what led to the Eighth Umbral Calamity… where countless people died from the Black Rose poison. She could only sit there in horror as he told her about how the Scions also fought bravely to stop it… but in the end… they were no match for it._

_In fact… they were the last to fall. He had told her how she was with Alphinaud and Claire when they fell to the poison. Alphinaud’s body was the first to give in and as she reached for him, unable to even see… she also fell. Claire remained standing the longest, but even she was starting to gasp for air as blood was coughed up. She took on the corrupted aether and the foes before for as long as she could… before she also collapsed. _

_The three of them died together that day on the battlefield. _

_Alisaie was so shocked that she could only sit there as a dull buzz seemed to fill her head. In fact, she was so still and so silent for so long that Urianger began to shake her fretfully. Her first instinct was to deny what he said and she shook her head, refusing to believe it even as he rubbed her back soothing and tried to think of something to say._

_“Does Alphinaud know about this?” she asked him, surprised by how faint her voice sounded as waves of shock washed away from her. _

_Urianger nodded grimly._

_“Aye, my lady,” he confirmed, “I told thy brother not long after he first arrive in this world. Which was just some few days before thou didst arrive.”_

_“And how did he take it?” she asked, dreading the answer and Urianger turned his gaze down to the floor as a shadow passed across his face._

_“Let us just sayth… he took it as well as we could hope for,” he said._

_“Not very well then,” she muttered, only imagining how her brother would have reacted at such news._

_“Our first act was to search for a way to return to our comrades upon the Source,” he reassured her, “But I fear that we are needth here most of all.” He reached over and took her hand and promised, “Thou hast thine word that we have not abandoned thee or any other. But can thou understand, Mistress Alisaie, why we cannot return home just yet?”_

_She nodded and hugged herself._

_Not long after that, Alphinaud returned with a tray of food for her and sat down as he tried to comfort her. But she barely picked at her food as she tried to go over everything that she learned. Alphinaud informed them that rather than risk summoning someone else here by accident, the Exarch would now do his best to focus on sending a message to Claire and see if he could somehow send a beacon to her instead. That would serve to strength the bond and ensure that she cross over the rift… but that may take time since he used up so much strength already. After a couple minutes of silence as they all sipped at their tea, Alphinaud gently begged her for news of everything that happened on the Source. He had been aching for news on their friends and what happened since he last saw them. But she wasn’t fooled, she could see that he was desperate for information on Claire._

_Alisaie wiped at her eyes with a weary hand as she told them what happened. _

_“After we brought you home, we went off to the front lines to fight against the Empire,” she told him. “It wasn’t easy but we were able to push them back to a point that they retreated to their borders for the time being. Claire was alright… last I saw her… she cut her way through that warzone like you would expect.”_

_She saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly but then it fell as a look of deep melancholy washed over it and she reached out to take his hand in her own. She told them every detail that she could remember, of the battle and how they managed to push the Garleans back. Now that she thought of it, perhaps it was a good thing that she was pulled through this time. If Claire had been the one taken, she didn’t think she would be able to handle it being stuck alone. She probably would have lost it completely._

_But still, this wasn’t fair… there had to be something else they could do! They didn’t know what was coming… they had to at least try to warn them of the Black Rose so that they could prepare for it._

_“Is there some way that you can send one of us back?” she asked desperately, “Or… I don’t know… send them a message? I need to… I need to tell her what’s going on. I need to let her know that we’re alright and… I have to apologize! I have to tell her that I’m sorry!”_

_“Sorry for what?” Urianger asked._

_“Because I left her there!” she all but gasped out, too tired to even yell, “I made her promise me that she wouldn’t leave me there alone but what do I do? I left her there! I have to tell her…?!”_

_Urianger was the one who stepped in and gently shushed her._

_“I knowst that this is hard on thee,” he told her calmly as silent tears fell down her face and she wiped them back, too upset to be embarrassed. “I think that we all reacted similarly when we awoke here and torn from our friends and home. But for right now, we knowst not how to return.”_

_“So we’re stuck here?!” she gasped. “But what about your vision? They don’t know about it yet! How can we stop it from coming true?”_

_“The Exarch is doing all he can to try and reach out to Claire,” Alphinaud said, “And if all goes as he hopes, she will soon be here. Until then, we have to do our part in making sure that this world doesn’t fall. If we save this world, then we may be able to prevent the Eighth Umbral Calamity.”_

_There was silence after that as they let her digest all she heard. In the end, Urianger promised that he would be just outside if he needed them, but felt that they needed time to go over all of this and decide what they should do._

_Alisaie just hugged herself as her brother leaned his head against her shoulder, trying to comfort her. But this was just as hard on him, she could tell just by looking at him._

_“You miss her, don’t you?” she asked._

_He sighed as he turned his face so that it was pressed against her tunic, not saying a word. At that, feeling the hint of despair that was taking root inside him, she told him about how she had been spending a lot of time with Claire and reassuring him that she was doing well._

_“I swear, I didn’t see so much as a scratch on her when I caught up to her on the battlefield,” she finished. As she looked over to her brother’s face, his eyes were closed, but he was smiling slightly, as if enjoying her stories. _

_If nothing else, Alisaie was glad that she wasn’t waking up here all alone. Her brother and those she cared about most were safe, and she was grateful for that._

_It took a couple of days for her to start getting used to their situation. She stayed close with her brother as she tried to learn everything she could about this world as quickly as possible. Once it fully settled in what was waiting for them, she knew that even if there was a way for her to get home, she couldn’t leave now. She didn’t want to return only to face such a terrible future._

_Alphinaud chose to remain in the Crystarium so that he could go over some of the countless tomes in the Cabinet of Curiosity, but he wasn’t planning to remain here for more than a few weeks. He had already began making preparations to head out to the largest city in Norvrandt—Eulmore. _

_Apparently the people there had all but given up hope of this world being saved and weren’t interested in fighting the sin eaters any longer. He wanted to see for himself just how bad the situation was there and see if there was any way he could coax them into helping fight once more. As for Urianger, he was also planning on leaving very soon, making plans to head out to Il Mheg and see what magicks he could learn from the Fae folk—as well as study up on what had once been the nation of Voeburt._

_Alisaie wished them the best of luck, but sitting around reading books wasn’t her style. If Claire was going to be brought here, she was sure that there was going to be a lot of fighting involved and she had to be ready. She decided to head out to one of the more devastated areas, which was too the south of the Crystarium and train. _

_She was going to make up for leaving her friend no matter what. While she knew that she would never be as strong as Claire was in battle, she was not going to be dead weight. She would train and be a proper ally…_

_Once she packed up some food and some spare clothes for the journey, as well as the weapon that she got the Mean to forge for her, she set off without a glance back. She stopped only long enough to inform the Exarch that he would do well to inform her when Claire arrived._

_Knowing their champion as well as she thought she did… she knew Claire would not stop searching for a way to bring them back. She had faith that she would arrive eventually… she only hoped that it would be as soon as possible._

_But even as she left, she could feel distrust in the Exarch. While she was now aware that she and the others couldn’t just walk away… she couldn’t help but blame the Crystal Exarch for all of this. After all, it was the Exarch’s fault that they were all here to begin with! If he had it his way, he would have pulled Claire away from the Source and leaving them all panicking and worrying about how to wake her up. She frowned as she tried to imagine how they would all react if she had been the one who had collapsed and they would have no idea what happened. _

_She shivered just thinking about it. _

_But this…? This was worse than she ever imagined. _

_If they don’t help then the Rejoining would happen… and if that was allowed to come to pass then not only would the First collapse, but the Eighth Umbral Calamity would all but destroy the Source… and Claire would die. _

_The added fact that she would also die was hardly registering in her mind._

_Claire had always been the hero… larger than life… her biggest inspiration and someone that she not only trusted with her life, but admired and cared about her like her big sister. Though she never once admitted this to anyone, fearing they would laugh, she sometimes like to pretend that she was her big sister and she could not help but smile at the thought. _

_But hearing the cold truth from Urianger… how he saw their greatest champion fall should they let history play out like in his vision? She didn’t believe it. However after seeing the fear and trauma in his eyes… there was no doubt in her mind that he truly believed what he saw. And so how could she not agree to help?_

_She didn’t want to believe it… but in that moment… she made a choice. She didn’t care what it took. Even if it meant that she would be trapped here forever, even if it meant tearing down that hateful light-filled sky, she was going to find a way to make sure that this future never came to pass._

** _*End of Memory*_ **

No… that was one thing she never wanted to see come to pass. Just the thought was too scary for her to even imagine.

“As much as I might want to go home, I don’t want to go home to that,” she said in determination, “We can’t allow the Rejoining to happen, which means we have to save the First from the sin eaters.”

“Was there any doubt that we would?” Claire asked back and Alisaie beamed at her, feeling that familiar comfort that she had been longing to feel for a long time.

She turned to the wall. That’s right, she was still new here so she probably still doesn’t know much of what was going on.

“That great wall of white is a remnant of the Flood,” she explained. “A hundred years ago, the balance in the First tipped decisively in favor of Light. From that moment, it rose and swelled with each passing day—and then, without warning, it burst forth like water from a broken dam. …A colossal wave of pure Light, drowning everything in its wake. Only Norvrandt was spared. For the most part, living things are composed of aether of various different aspects. But when exposed to such a flood, their aetheric harmony is shattered, and their natural form breaks down.”

She sighed, knowing that she needed to know this… Alisaie had been horrified to know just what the sin eaters were and how they were ‘made’.

“Then they either perish… or are warped into mindless abominations,” she admitted. She barely glanced up at Claire, who she could feel was staring at her as this new sunk in.

“Yes, that’s how the sin eaters came to be,” she admitted miserably, thinking back to the first time she had witnessed a person become a sin eater. Someone was trying to make their way across the desert towards the Inn when she ran out to meet them. Until that point, she had thought, or maybe forced herself to believe, that sin eaters were just some random monsters because the truth was too horrible to accept. But as she reached them, she watched as their body contorted with agony and…?

“They were once living creatures—or people—that were caught in the path of the Flood,” she muttered as she thought of the random eater she killed mere moments ago, “Once the change is wrought, there is no going back. In that instant, they are gripped by an insatiable appetite for aether, and will happily gorge themselves on any living thing within reach. But even that is not the worst of it. The stronger sin eaters can plant Light in us like seeds in soil, corrupting our aether, and triggering the birth of new monstrosities.”

Like poor Halric—one of the children who was currently waiting for the end. After witnessing her first sin eater transformation, she found out that they had a child with them, who had hidden behind some rocks as he witnessed his only family transforming in front of him. He screamed and shouted at her the whole time she took him back to the Inn, blaming her for being left alone.

Alisaie could not bring herself to say anything… knowing that Halric was also suffering from the Light’s corruption.

“They are creatures of base instinct that exit only to feed and to multiply,” she muttered sadly, “They feel no pity, know no remorse, and are utterly deaf to reason. Which is why they must be destroyed. Every last one of them.”

She pointed to the Inn that had been her home for the better part of a year.

“The infirmary is full of the sin eaters’ victims, left here to spend their final hours waiting for the change to overtake them…” she explained. “It’s just a matter of time—more for some, less for others. Those patients will all become monsters in the end.”

That was when she remembered that they still had a patrol to finish. Unable to face Claire with the tears that were welling up in her eyes, she suggested that they split up and finish it in double time so that they could have more to talk about when they returned to the Inn. If Claire noticed the unshed tears, she was kind enough not to bring it up.

It only took about twenty minutes before they met back up at the Inn, and Alisaie was able to talk again without being reduced to tears. She had already cried more than enough in front of her and she didn’t want to give her an excuse to think that she couldn’t handle whatever this world had to throw at her.

“I expect you noticed it yourself, but individually, these lesser sin eaters are no more deadly than any natural predator you might encounter in the desert,” Alisaie explained. “It’s when they appear in numbers that they pose a threat. Much like the voidsent, they have an unfortunate tendency to flock to the strongest of their kind. Thus when a powerful sin eater goes on the hunt, it might be attended by a veritable swarm of weaker kin. Imagine an army of such creatures descending on a village or hamlet… that’s the basic idea behind my patrols: to cull their ranks often enough that their numbers won’t be overwhelming when the big ones come out to play. And you’ve certainly helped on that front.”

“I’m glad to help,” Claire said as they walked back into the Inn to where Tesleen was waiting for them.

“Here we are,” she said as Tesleen waved as Claire told her about how Tesleen had been the one who guided her here and she all but demanded, “She hasn’t been telling you stories, has she?” When Claire had a rather amused look on her face, Alisaie wanted to just curl up inside her tent and never come out as she groaned out, “Oh gods…”

Claire merely rubbed her back as they appeared in front of Tesleen, who couldn’t have looked happier to see them both.

“Alisaie tells me you helped out on her patrol,” Tesleen said gratefully, “you have our thanks… and my apologies for leading you from one battle to another ever since the moment we met!”

“Don’t worry,” Claire told her as Alisaie kept her head down in case she said anything else to embarrass her any further, suddenly wishing that she didn’t tell so many stories.

“In any case, I’m glad to see the two of you found each other,” Tesleen told her, “You have no idea how badly Alisaie has missed your company! Everything is always, _‘If Claire were here, she would—‘_”

“That’s an exaggeration!” Alisaie cried out at once, her head finally jerking up at the teasing, “And I don’t sound like that, either! I was simply trying to view matters from another perspective, and I respect Claire’s methods!”

Tesleen laughed as she agreed, “Honestly, after seeing her in action, I can understand why. The way she leaps into the fray without hesitation, it really is something to behold. I might be a little smitten myself.”

Alisaie gasped at that, now certain that she was glowing with humiliation at this point. Just as she was about to turn tail and make a run for it, Tesleen only chortled waved her hands down in a soothing way, “I'm only teasing! Though I've no doubt she deserves all the admiration she gets. Just as you do.”

That was what she got for sharing. Maybe she should just head out on another patrol.

“I’d love to lay out a welcome meal, but the duties I put off when I went to the market are still waiting for me…” Tesleen went on to Claire, suddenly sound tired. “Argh! There are a hundred and one things that need doing! I’m sorry, but would you mind waiting here with Alisaie?”

“What, and twiddle our thumbs while you work yourself to death?” Alisaie asked, determined to move this conversation from more awkward waters, “Surely there’s something we can help you with?”

“…I could do with a hand, it’s true,” Tesleen agreed, “Thank you. You can start by helping me sort out the larder, Alisaie.” When she nodded, she looked to Claire and asked, “While we do that, could you tend to a few patients, perhaps? There are three in particular I meant to visit—it’s just a matter of saying a few words to them, and seeing that their skin isn’t caked in sand. Their names are Pawnil, Todden, and Halric. They may not give much in the way of a response, but I promise they’ll be pleased to meet someone new!”

As Claire went off, Alisaie silently fumed as she helped Tesleen sort the larder from one part of the Inn.

“Ah, what’s wrong?” Tesleen asked good-naturedly, “I would have thought that you’d be happy to see your dear friend again.”

“I was, until you had to go and say something like that,” Alisaie muttered. “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but what did you tell her?”

“Nothing too special,” Tesleen informed her simply, “Just that you had missed her dearly and how happy I knew you would be to see her again. Come on, I can see the spring in your step now. You really are happy, aren’t you?”

Alisaie huffed and looked away as Tesleen laughed again before falling silent. Her hands suddenly stopped working and Alisaie looked up to see what distracted her.

“Oh, I really hope that Halric is able to understand,” Tesleen sighed as she watched Claire bend down to speak with Halric. The boy barely even moved as she wiped some sand off his cheek and Alisaie bit her lower lip in worry, her annoyance with Tesleen leaving her at the sight of it.

Halric didn’t speak to anyone for the first couple days he spend here. But when Alisaie began to tell some of the stories of her adventures to the patients, she always spotted Halric listening in… never getting close enough to draw anyone’s attention to him, but always there whenever she was asked to tell one. She soon realized that hearing stories of Claire were his favorite ones and it wasn’t too long before he shyly asked her to hear some of them again.

She had wondered how he would feel if he was able to meet her in person… but at this point it was hard to tell if he was even aware that anyone was there.

Alisaie just turned her attention back to the larder and began to pound it with more fury than ever, trying to get her feelings out before they finished up. Perhaps that sudden burst of anger was enough to cause them to finish up quickly, for they were almost as fast as Claire was when she returned.

“You’ve seen to the patients?” Tesleen asked, “How were they?”

Claire told them about how some of them, while not saying much, did look at her with great interest. All but the boy Halric, who barely even moved when she went to talk with him. Tesleen didn’t look surprised by that, but was slightly disheartened.

“…Good, that’s good,” Tesleen said bracingly, “I knew they would enjoy meeting you. I am concerned about Halric, though… I’ll have to speak with the other carers, but I think his time may be near.”

Alisaie’s eyes widen with horror. No… Halric was still a child… and he had been here less time than she had! She didn’t want to see another last meal so soon!

Feeling bile rising in her throat, she stepped in, ready to take Claire away so that they could discuss more about the situation here in the First. She informed Tesleen that she was going to take Claire back to Mord Souq and asked if she had any errands that needed doing while they were out. Hoping that she could take some of Tesleen’s chores off her when she was about to speak to the other carers about Halric.

“Well, I suppose there is one thing…” Tesleen said. “Would you pick up a nectarine from the markets, please? Cassard’s caravan just passed through, so Rhon Ron should have some fresh fruit.”

Alisaie knew the real reason she was asking for a nectarine. It was the one food that Halric always asked for whenever they asked him what he wanted for mealtimes. They couldn’t afford to get them all the time, at least until Alisaie started going out and hunting for meats across the desert that saved them a little bit of money, but he always had the biggest grin on his face whenever they managed to scrap together enough for some extra treats for him and the others.

“Come, then, Claire—there’s something I want you to see,” she said, “right after we stop at Rhon Ron’s stall, of course.”

So it was with a false bravo that she took Claire back out into the open air and led the way back to Mord Souq.

***Claire***

“Oho, back again, are you?” Rhon Ron asked after half an hour of trooping across the sands together, “You need another taste of Rhon Ron’s wares?”

No, thank you. She was just starting to feel better and had no desire to make herself sick again.

“Actually, we’re looking to buy a nectarine,” Alisaie said, “Do you have any in stock?”

“Oh, yes! Nectarines, peaches, grapes! Fresh and juicy!” Rhon Ron assured her.

Really? Why didn’t he say that before?! She would have happily bought a sack of fruit in exchange for that Mushloaf! She was silently fuming, but punched it down, silently telling herself that she should have asked to see if he had fruit the first time. Still, it was quite galling as Rhon Ron went over to a crate and pulled out a large and plump nectarine.

If it was any consolation, he held it out to Claire.

“Hm… Giving how richly you cracked your coinpurse with me, I might still owe you food…” he instructed before dropping it into her hands, much to her surprise, “Here, take this one! Free of charge!”

“Thank you,” she said, now torn if she should be glad of his sudden charity or annoyed that he didn’t have them out for sale at the time. Alisaie, however, seemed more startled to see the nectarine than anything else as she watched Claire tuck it into a pouch at her belt.

“Gods, I’ve never seen a Mord merchant give away something for nothing before,” Alisaie said, looking at her with wide eyes, “How much coin did you spend here…?”

“Just one,” Claire smiled back and Alisaie was looking baffled. In fact, Claire had a feeling she would be asking about it when they had the chance.

After a moment, Alisaie just shook her head, letting it go before asking Rhon Ron, “Oh, yes. I’ll take a jar of honeyed worms as well.”

Did she just hear her right? Claire stared at her, actually taking a step back. Friends that they might be, she did not think she could stomach seeing her eat a worm.

“Hm? Oh no!” Alisaie cried when she noticed the look that Claire was giving her, “They’re not for me! It’s… and offering of sorts.” Looking awkward, she turned back to Rhon Ron and asked again for the worms and he handed her a small jar of the glazed larvae—which she was kind enough to wait until their backs were turned before giving the wriggling creatures a look of disgust.

“Right, that’s our shopping chores taken care of,” she said as she took her arm and led her away from the stall, “Let’s head up past the aetheryte to the main tower—the view I want to show you can only be seen from its very top.”

Claire could only nod, wondering just what it was that Alisaie was so eager for her to see. She wanted to ask, but suspected she would be getting the answer soon enough. Even as the Mord who stood guard at the base of the tower refused to let them pass until Alisaie held up the jar.

“Here are your precious worms,” she said, giving the jar a shake and she could hear the disgusting sloshing noise from the worms inside as they rolled around, “That buys us a trip to the top of the tower, does it not?”

The guard gasped at the sight of the jar, all but drooling over the sight of it.

“Glazed Wrigglers!” he gulped in a conflicted way, “You actually brought them! I really shouldn’t let you, but…just this once, all right? Only once!”

He took the jar hungrily as Alisaie linked her arm with hers once more and whispered with a smirk, “Never fails. Shall we?”

“You’ve done this before?” Claire pointed out as Alisaie shrugged in a not-so-innocent way.

“The one surefire way I’ve learned that gets through the Mord is their stomachs,” she confessed, “Though how anyone could stomach any of the food from Rhon Ron is a mystery to me.”

Claire could not help but smirk at the thought as they climbed up the stairs to the very top where Claire almost hit her head on the trap door. After climbing out onto the flat roof, Alisaie pulled her to the far edge where they could overlook the entire desert from here. But instead, she was pointing to the crystalize wall of Light.

They climbed the stairs to the top to where they came to a flat top and she led her to the far edge where they had a view of the valley below. But Alisaie pointed to the crystal wall.

“Look, over there—where the wall is broken,” she said pointing out and Claire could see that there was a gap that she didn’t notice before on the ground. It was hard to make out from here, but through the crack, she could see a stretch of what looked to be white sand… in fact, it looked familiar but it wasn’t until Alisaie spoke did she realize what it resembled.

“That’s what the land became after the Light flooded in,” she said, “An empty white nothingness.”

Now that was what brought the memory back… it resembled the Burn. Those countless malms of nothing but dead white sand. Hardly any life surviving and a vast stretch of emptiness. Wait, the Exarch said that about ninety percent of this world had been wiped out from the flood… did that mean that…?

“Life cannot exit in such conditions,” Alisaie sighed, “The primordial Light would wreak havoc on the body’s aetheric balance.”

There was silence as Claire stared off—trying to digest all of this. So almost this entire world was covered with a dead stretch of lifeless sand? This was becoming harder and harder to digest and she wasn’t sure how to take it.

She then felt Alisaie looking at her as she asked, “That nectarine you bought… it’s Halric’s favorite fruit.”

Why would she bring it up?

Claire forced herself to turn away from the dead part of the world to look at her in confusion; but she pulled out the plump fruit and they looked at it. But from Alisaie’s silence, Claire felt she was missing something here.

“Most of the patients, Halric included, survived the attacks of powerful eaters,” Alisaie explained sadly, never taking her eyes of the fruit. “But their fate was sealed all the same. The monsters’ corruption has entered their bodies, and their very essence is being subsumed by Light. The twisted state of the world itself just makes matters worse. Under normal circumstances, a person aether naturally tends to equilibrium, but for these poor souls, the opposite is true.”

Claire wasn’t entirely sure she understood where Alisaie was going with this. She felt that she was about to take a test where she should already know the answers to but didn’t prepare for at all. Regardless of the reason though, she had a bad feeling that wherever this was leading to wasn’t going to be an answer she wanted to know about.

“Sooner or later, every single one of them will turn,” Alisaie sighed and they could see the Inn from here as well. “Tesleen and the patients, they all know this. They know what has to be done before the change goes too far—before the eater within takes over. The preferred method is mixing poison into their favorite food. In my time here, I’ve borne witness to a lot of last meals.”

So then… this fruit was for…?

Claire felt a rush of cold wash over her as she stared at the fruit, wondering how it would feel to know that this would be the last thing you would taste. She almost felt the urge to hurl it away from her and off the ledge.

But then… what other options were there? To become a monster or a quick and painless way out? Suddenly, she felt the urge to turn around and return back to the Source.

“I feel just as helpless as before,” Alisaie muttered suddenly, “No matter how hard I fight, it’s never enough.” She then looked back at her with a new flash of emotion in her eyes. “But it’s a war I mean to wage, nonetheless,” she continued, “…Speaking of wars, do you remember how I made you promise not to leave me, and then promptly collapsed?”

Remember? She tried not to.

“Well, let’s just say I had a few choice words for the Exarch concerning the timing of his summons…” Alisaie muttered darkly as Claire thought back to that exact moment. So even as she carried the girl back in her arms, she was already chewing the Exarch out?

“But even if the fault lay with someone else, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d abandoned you on the battlefield,” she finished, her head down in shame, “So I swore that I’d make up for my absence there by making a difference here. And that’s what keeps me moving forward… even when things seem hopeless…”

Claire could only smile back as she said, “It’s alright. I never blamed you. I know you would never have left my side otherwise.”

That seemed to have the desired effect of bring Alisaie out of her grim mood, at least partially. A heathy touch of red spread across the girl’s fair skin as she smiled back. But then they looked back to the fruit as they knew that there was only so long that they could wait out the inevitable.

“On which note, it’s time we headed back,” she decided, “The longer we keep Tesleen waiting, the harder this will be for her…”

Claire wasn’t sure she completely understood, but she agreed and they set off together. They climbed back down the stairs until they were safely at the bottom and were preparing for the trip back across the sands.

“I’m glad I was able to show you that,” Alisaie told her, “When it comes to understanding the catastrophe which befell the First, one glimpse of the empty wasteland beyond the wall is worth more than an hour of Urianger’s lecturing. And I needed you to know beyond a doubt that Tesleen has no other choice. The nectarine will be a kindness. It isn’t just the threat posed to others… when a person becomes an eater, the pain appears to be excruciating. The carers are truly fond of their wards, and would spare them that suffering. It is their way of fighting back against a fate worse than death.”

“I fear I still don’t know much about this world,” Claire said, “But…?”

She trailed off, unsure of what she could really say. That was when she felt Alisaie’s hand in her own and she looked back up in surprise. Alisaie was blushing worse than ever as she kept her head turned determinedly away—and Claire had the impression that this was really more for her sake than for her own. She could only gently return the gesture by squeezing her hand back.

They walk back was mostly silent, but it was a very comfortable silence—merely enjoying each other’s company. Claire could not help but wonder how long it had been since Alisaie had someone to really talk to about all of this… sure she had Tesleen and the others back at the Inn… but it wasn’t like she could come out and tell them she hailed from a different Star. It must have been lonely here for her…?

She then squeezed her hand just a little bit more firmly; hoping that Alisaie understood what she wanted to say.

Of course, when they did get back, Alisaie let go at once as soon as Tesleen saw them enter through the rock’s opening.

“You’re back! I hope you had a nice time,” Tesleen called warmly, but then her smile faltered as she asked, “Did you… manage to find a nectarine?”

Claire wordlessly handed it over, feeling as if she was going to be sick again.

“Thank you,” she sighed as she turned it over in her hands before looking up sadly, “Alisaie’s explained why I wanted this, has she? I can see it in your eyes. But we may not need it just yet. I spoke with the others, and we’ve decided to keep an eye on Halric for now. Thanks to you, though, if his time does come suddenly, we’ll be ready to send him on his way with a taste of happier days…”

“Thank you for understanding…” Alisaie whispered to her softly as Tesleen laid the fruit down on a table.

Claire did her best not to focus on Halric’s fate for the rest of the day. Thankfully, she found herself busy helping Tesleen with some other chores around the Inn and it was easy to forget for the most part. But every time she spotted the pale, silent boy sitting there as still as a statue, she felt as if her heart was about to fracture. He was a child… barely even ten years old at the time.

She then turned back to Alisaie to ask what it was that they were to do about ridding the world of this eternal day.

“The Exarch didn’t tell you anything about that?” Alisaie said as they carried stacked some of the supplies that Tesleen had bought earlier into a carved out portion of the Inn that served as a kind of cellar.

“Not really,” Claire answered, “I think that he felt it best for me to find you and Alphinaud first before telling me anything else.”

Alisaie sighed as she brushed her bangs out of her face.

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” she confessed, “I swear, that man is just as much fond of his secrets as Urianger is, if not more so. And there is a scary thought if ever there was one.” She thought it over before asking, “What do you know about him?”

“Me? I only met him twice… barely for a few hours in total,” Claire answered back.

“Really?” Alisaie questioned, “Well, it’s just the way that he talked about you sometimes it was as if he…?” But she stopped there and shook her head again. “Never mind. I’ll not lie though, I find the man very difficult to trust. I know that Y’shtola, for one, didn’t trust him at all and left the Crystarium soon after arriving… at least, that’s what Urianger said. I can’t say I blame her. I don’t know what to think of him. You are usually a good judge of character though, so… what do you think?”

Claire frowned as she thought it all over.

“I do think that he desires to help the people here,” she said slowly, “But…?”

She could not explain it. But there was this strange whisper in the back of her mind that was telling her that there was something about the Exarch that she needed to be weary of. He didn’t seem like the type who would lie… but he wasn’t afraid to hold back the full truth though. She honestly didn’t know what to think of him. When she told this to Alisaie, she nodded back.

“I feel the same way,” she confessed. “And I can see why that would be hard to trust. But at the same time, I do think that he is our only way home so we have to at least here him out. But I swear, if he ends up stabbing us in the back or something I’m gonna…!”

The rest of her threat went unheard for Tesleen came over to thank them for all the help for that day and that they could take a break for now.

“Oh, but look at how late it has gotten!” she said as she dusted off her hands, “You both must be so tired by now. How about you get some rest for the night?”

It was night already? How could she tell?

But it seemed that the other patients were already beginning to doze off from where they sat. Perhaps they considered ‘bedtime’ the time where everyone else around here grew too tired to even sit up straight anymore?

Tesleen, however, was starting to fret on where everyone was going to sleep since they had one more guest here.

“Now, Alisaie, would it be alright if Claire shared your tent with you?” Tesleen asked. “I would offer her a cot here, but there may not be enough room and…?”

“It’s fine,” Alisaie said cheerfully as she brought her to one of the smaller tents. “It’ll be small here, but we’ve slept on worse.”

She then took Claire to a tent near one of the entrances and the two squeezed inside, though it was just barely large enough for both of them. That was when Claire began to unload her bag and she felt around it for her sleeping roll. That was when she felt something soft and woolly and pulled it out to see what it was. That was when she found the cape that see Temulun Khatun had given her before leaving the Steppe. And wrapped up inside it were the bundle of food she had also given her. Curiously, she opened one of them to find the Buuz still nestled inside it—have been kept fresh with both the Fire and Ice crystals that were tucked in with it.

Soon the entire tent was filled with the rich aroma of the Buuz and Alisaie’s head jerked up at once.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked and Claire laughed to see the hungry look in Alisaie’s eye as she broke the food between the two of them. Alisaie refused at first, insisting that it was hers, but Claire’s stomach still felt a little funny from her last meal and didn’t think she could swallow all of it on her own this time.

It honestly didn’t take too long to convince Alisaie to take a portion of it.

“Oh, I can’t tell you how much I missed this,” she sighed longingly as she took a bite and swallowed with relish, “Food from the Source. Not that the food here isn’t good, it just… doesn’t taste the same.”

“Like that time you first tried cooking stew?” Claire asked with a grin and Alisaie choked on her food.

“Tesleen did not tell you about that?!” she demanded, now looking like she had a bad sunburn as Claire could not help but laugh and she waved her hand down at her in a soothing way as the younger girl leaned back and huffed. “Oh, I am going to kill her! Alright, I admit it, I’m not a famous cook! But hey, I see it as a valuable learning experience.”

“Could be worse,” Claire offered with a rather awkward look and she confessed how she had eaten all that Mushloaf, which caused Alisaie to start laughing.

“That’s what they did to me!” she grinned. “The Exarch gave me a few coins for the road and I cracked my coinpurse at Rhon Ron’s too! I thought the loaf would be the best choice but boy was I wrong!”

Soon they were both laughing as they enjoyed their meal, and soon they were talking more than either of them had for a long time. About daily life here in the deserts, about some of the people that Alisaie had met while passing through, and even the occasional visits from Urianger and Alphinaud while she was here.

“I haven’t seen either of them for a couple weeks now now,” she confessed after Claire told her that she heard that Urianger was in a place called Il Mheg. “I haven’t actually been to visit Urianger either for that matter. But I hear from them every once in a while—just to check in on me. I even paid Alphinaud a visit once or twice while he’s over trying to gain access to the city of Eulmore. Apparently, things haven’t been going well for him because… well, I’m sure you know.”

“Know what?” Claire asked in concern, hear heart beating a little harder at the thought of something wrong. But Alisaie was giving her a strange look.

“What? You haven’t seen him yet?” Alisaie asked in surprise, “I would have thought that rushing off to him would have been the first thing you did once you learned where we all were. Why haven’t…?”

Claire shifted uncomfortably and Alisaie’s eyes widened as she asked, “Are you turning red? That’s a first.”

“It has already been a year since we spoke,” Claire reminded her softly, “Even longer if you count when he left us in Doma. And besides, I wanted to see how you were before…?”

“Before what?” Alisaie cut in before realizing where this was heading, “Oh… I think I get it. You can’t be worried that he would forget about you already, are you?”

She rolled her eyes as she leaned back, licking what was left of the Buuz off her fingers as she scolded, “Well, you don’t need to worry about that. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of you. He got himself a new journal while he was here and when he last came here to visit, I got a look at what was in it while he was getting a look around. Most of them were just little doodles on the first page, but you remain his favorite muse…”

Claire knew her face was burning, but she could not deny that she felt truly happy at that thought. But Alisaie was shaking her head, as if disappointed in her.

“I think you knew that though,” she scolded, “It’s not like either of you could ever do anything like that to each other. He loves you and I swear that he still does. This last year away from you… it wasn’t easy.”

Claire raised her head as Alisaie suddenly looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

“I think that this last year damn near killed him,” she muttered.

“Alisaie?” Claire said softly and Alisaie jumped, as if forgetting she wasn’t alone here.

“Sorry,” she said a little too quickly, “Just thinking about something that he said when he was last here. Anyway, I look forward to seeing the look on his face when he finds out that you’re here.”

“But I am glad that I came here to see you,” Claire told her warmly, grinning at the embarrassed look on Alisaie’s face.

There was a couple minutes of silence before Alisaie raised her head and asked hesitantly, “Ah, Claire…?”

Claire looked up and it looked as if Alisaie was on the verge of saying something… but she then forced a laugh that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she told her to forget about it. She couldn’t help but get the feeling that Alisaie was hiding something from her… but after a quick change of subject, Claire soon forgot about it as they talked well into the night—or whatever counts as night here.

“You do get used to sleeping out here even with all the light in the sky,” Alisaie reassured her as they laid down, feeling weariness start to take hold. “I just close my eyes and turn my head towards the ground…?”

Claire did just that. And she was surprised at how easily she did find herself drifting off—at least—that was the impression she got when she next opened her eyes. After crossing over to a new world and exploring this new land, she supposed that anyone would be weary enough to doze. At first, she thought that she drifted off for just a few minutes… at least until, she realized that she was alone.

She slowly raised her head and looked around, the red cape from the Steppe had been draped across her like a blanket and she looked around to see where Alisaie was. Just as she began to sit up, she heard voices just outside the tent speaking in whispers.

“What did you tell her on your way here?” Alisaie’s demanded in a hush tone.

“Nothing,” Tesleen said back innocently. “Just that you were desperate to see her again. Which isn’t a lie. You talk about her all the time… and the way you do can’t help but make me think…?”

“Think what?” Alisaie demanded back in a hiss.

“You know…?” Tesleen said and Claire could tell that there was a teasing grin there.

“What? No!” Alisaie snapped back. “Just because I look up and admire her and consider her a dear friend doesn’t mean what I think you’re thinking about. Besides, she and my brother are in… well… alright, I don’t know what to call it. But I can tell you here and now that he is madly and hopelessly in love with her. And she, for some strange reason, seems to love that stick-in-the-mud twin brother of mine.”

Claire had to bite back the chuckle, while Tesleen didn’t need to bother.

“Oh, right… your brother, I remember him now,” she said, “Wow, if you two didn’t look so alike I never would have guessed that you were siblings. I guess that we should be glad that you two don’t dress alike?”

“Ha, we used to,” Alisaie said with distaste. “Mother used to adore getting us the same types of clothes because she thought that we were so cute. Just thinking about it makes me mad.”

Tesleen chuckled again as Claire laid back down, preparing to go back to sleep when she heard Tesleen ask, “But what about what your brother said when he as last here? That fight you had?”

“It wasn’t a fight,” Alisaie countered. “It was… a disagreement. It’s what siblings do, alright?

“But it sounded like a fight to me,” Tesleen as Claire raised her head slightly, wondering what they were talking about.

“It was simple misunderstanding, that’s all,” Alisaie said with an air of annoyance. “I explained how I felt about everything afterwards and we parted ways. I have nothing else to say. So please don’t bring up anything you heard. Claire is going to have enough on her plate without worrying if the two of us are getting along or not.”

“Strange,” Tesleen said and there was no hint of a tease in her voice now, “I thought that you two were arguing about Claire?”

Now Claire was dying to know what was going on, and was in half a mind to get up, but the talk soon turned into whispers that not even she could hear. Eventually, they seemed to come to some kind of agreement and Tesleen let the matter go as she bade Alisaie a good night. She could hear her walking away, her footsteps crunching on the rough ground, as Alisaie came back into the tent.

Claire closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep as Alisaie laid down next to her and curled up. Claire did not open her eyes again until she heard Alisaie’s slow and deep breaths and knew she had fallen asleep. She looked at the girl’s sleeping face and was burning with curiosity.

Perhaps she was just worrying too much.

But she decided that she would ask her about it when they next returned to the Crystarium. This thought seemed to comfort her even as she took the Mol’s blanket and draped it across them both and she found herself retreating back to the safe haven of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Wow, that turned out to be longer than I first planned. But I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I had to imagine just what I would think that Alisaie would have gone through if she was suddenly pulled from another world after everything that happened and well, I’m proud of it! As for the ‘disagreement’ the twins had? Trust me, I have this all planned out and you will find out soon. I can’t say for sure when the next chapter will be up, but I am going to be trying to shoot for at least once a week since it does take so much time in just writing out the dialogue and get inside the characters heads. Anyway, I hope that everyone is enjoying the story so far and I’ll be seeing you all again soon.)


	4. The Time Left to Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the Warrior of Light has finally tracked down Alisaie across the desert sands and the reunion couldn't be happier. But the Inn that they are staying at is a place were people come to live out their days before the promise of a painless death. Yet one of the youngest patients has gone missing and he has to be found before the sin eaters catch up to him. And if they can't save a child, what hope do they think they have to save an entire world?

***Exarch***

The Exarch had just received his reply from Urianger, informing him that he understood and that he would be ready for whatever came next. However, it would seem that Y’shtola had either not received the message he sent to her, or was ignoring him completely. That second option seemed more likely, but he did not feel any frustration with the woman for her lack of cooperation. He knew that if it were the other way around, he would feel the same way… unwilling to trust in someone who carried as many secrets as he did.

He did not push the matter, knowing that when her friends needed her, she would be the first to jump in to lend them her aid. As for Thancred…? Tracking him down had been much harder. Since the day that he left the Crystarium to infiltrate Eulmore and freed his new ‘companion’, he had not spoken to him for the last three years. But he was confident that he would show up sooner or later… they still had time and he was a patient man.

He had faith that everything will work out and the pieces would all fall into place when the time was right.

Though that didn’t stop him from worrying. He would be lying if he did not admit that it didn’t bring him a sense of relief whenever he saw that she was alright. Even though it had barely been a full day since she departed from the Crystarium, he decided to check on her… only to make sure she was doing well and if she managed to find Alisaie.

So when he next had a moment to spare, he checked his seeing mirror; he was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only had she found her friend, the two of them were quickly catching up for lost time. He watched for a few minutes as the two young women shared a meal together in a tent as they talked. He could not hear what they were saying, but she could see the way their eyes lit up and smiled at each other as they prepared for bed. Indeed, Alisaie was looking like she might explode from happiness at being reunited with her friend.

Hopefully, this would go some way into earning Alisaie’s forgiveness. He knew that she had yet to do so since the moment she was brought to this world.

He was going to dispel the image after that, yet he soon found his gaze drifting back to the warrior of the Source. She seemed to be looking happier as well… but there was a sort of grimness that he didn’t remember seeing when she had been here. He suspected that by being at the Inn, she must have learned a little more of the sin eaters and just what they are doing to the people. He didn’t want to just throw all of their problems onto her without her first seeing and getting to know the people of the First. Though it was a dirty trick, he was all too aware that she was too kindhearted for her own good and that if she were giving the chance to get to know the people and feel compelled to help them.

That would explain it.

He hated having to do it, to all but force her to witness the horrors that the Flood had done to this world… but he knew that this was something she needed to know about no matter how painful. She needed to understand and see with her own eyes to fully comprehend what a job they had before them.

He sighed, knowing that she was still largely unaware of the full situation here in the First, as well as the full connection between the shards and the Source. But he did want to believe that this was the best way to reveal the truth to her… in pieces. He had tried to explain the full details to Urianger, and the poor man nearly had a nervous breakdown from all the information at once.

Once she reunited with both twins, saw a little more of the world, and prepared herself for the battles ahead… he felt that would be a good time to explain more of their situation and the nature of the Lightwardens. That would be when all their problems would start…

He would never say that he doubted in her strength and skill. He knew that if there was any out there who could slay a Lightwarden, it was she. He had always known that she would be their best—and only—chance to pulling this world back from the dangerous precipice that it was just barely balancing upon. Yet he could not help but worry about the strain it would have on her over time and if she would be able to handle it until the end. Despite the faith and high regards he had for her, he did not think that she would be able to contain the light from five Lightwardens and be able to keep it contained for long. One or two… sure, three would be pushing it… but five?

He feared that it would be too much for her.

But to save the first, he knew that she must suffer through it before the end.

He bit his lower lip as he seemed to become lost in his thoughts as he lowered his hood for a moment so that he could see her face clearly without the cloth covering half of his vision. It felt very strange to be able to reveal his entire head at that moment… despite the fact that there was no one else in the room with him. He could not help but feel almost naked after so many decades of hiding his face.

Right now his biggest concern was that he might accidently let slip more information than she needed to know. He would have to be on his guard at all times now, must choose his words with great care. If he took a single misstep, and accidently caused her to discover who he really was and the true endgame he had planned for her… they would have no future.

She must not know the full truth until the end. He had been preparing for this moment for almost a century now and he could never forgive himself if he messed everything up for them all because of his own weakness.

As his thoughts began to lead down a spiral of emotions he wasn’t willing to worry about at that moment, he heard a knock at the door to the Ocular and he paused until he heard Lyna’s voice calling out, asking for permission to come in.

“Ah, yes, of course,” he called back, quickly pulling his hood back up to cover his head once more, “Just a moment.”

He then looked back at the mirror one last time to see the two lying down as they prepared to go to sleep. She looked to be in good hands for now, and so he held up his staff as the image faded, before turning to greet Lyna as she walked in.

***Claire***

Claire eventually found her way out of the peaceful release of dreams and back into the harsh view of reality. She opened her eyes and gazed around, still seeing the bright light creeping into the tent, almost causing one to think that it was the afternoon. Yet once she remembered where she was, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was actually the middle of the night and she would just never be able to tell the difference.

Either way, she found herself unable to drift back up and she slowly sat up, yawning widely before glancing down to see that Alisaie was curled into a warm ball and had moved several ilms closer to her so that she was curled up snugly at her side. Claire smiled a little as she removed the blanket and covered her friend with it before she carefully moved out so that she didn’t disturb her.

Judging from the darkening circles around her eyes, she had a feeling that it had been a long time since Alisaie had a full night of sleep and was loathed to wake her up.

Yet even as she exited the tent and stretched out, her side hurting slightly from the rock that she had slept on, she could not help but gaze up at the sky above her and remember what she overheard the ‘night’ before.

Alisaie and Alphinaud had an argument? Over her? Now, those two arguing wasn’t anything new to her. Most of the time it was just the two of them poking at the other, trying to get a reaction or just goaded each other for the sake of it. Well, perhaps a little more from Alisaie, but this didn’t sound like anything remotely harmless. It sounded like it had been a serious argument and she really wanted to ask about it.

But how could she do that without explaining how she accidently overheard them before?

Perhaps she was just worrying about it overmuch. After all, the two of them would be stressed about their whole situation and she was probably making a big deal out of nothing.

“Oh, good morning!”

Tesleen was making her way over towards her, carrying a couple buckets with her. Claire nodded when she approached and said to her, “I do hope that you had a good night’s sleep. Not as comfortable as some of the cots, but with so many…?”

But Claire shook her head in understanding.

“You need not worry,” Claire chuckled in reassurance, “I’m used to sleeping on the ground. What are you doing now? Do you need help?”

“Oh,” Tesleen laughed, as if she had forgotten what she had been carrying and explained that she was just going to collect some water from the well for the day. She tried to refuse the aid when she offered to help, trying to say that she was their guest and she couldn’t impose on her any more than she had. Claire insisted, and was able to accompany her out of the Inn, to where there was a small well near some of the ruins.

“We have another well inside the Inn, of course,” Tesleen explained, “But I find that the water from this well tastes just a little bit… better.”

In truth, it seemed that Tesleen was happy to have someone here to help her, because she would have had to make a couple trips back and forth with these buckets. With both of them though, they only had to come back once and they had a series of pleasant talks the entire way.

Once they filled the last of the buckets with water and began to head back, Tesleen fell silent for a moment.

“Is there something wrong?” Claire asked her curiously.

“Huh? Oh ah… not really, I…?” she said slowly and even slowed her walk down to a shuffle s she seemed to struggle to come up with something to say. Claire wondered what was wrong until Tesleen stopped walking completely and turned to her.

“Forgive me for asking you this… but I’ve been dying to know for a long time,” she said softly. “From where to you hail from?”

Claire felt her insides freeze at the question as Tesleen turned red and looked away.

“F-Forgive me for pushing the matter!” she said quickly, “It’s just that… you and Alisaie… you aren’t like anyone I’ve met before! It’s almost as if you come from a land that has not yet been touched by sin eaters and I just had to know if there was truly a place like that left in the world that was like that.”

Claire didn’t know how to answer her. While she didn’t want to come out a lie… who knows how she would fare if she told her the truth?

She bit her lower lip, her mind torn. Should she tell her? Would she even believe her? But one look at Tesleen’s face, she found she could not bring herself to lie. Not completely anyway.

“Outside this small world that you know… there lie so much more,” she said at long last and Tesleen looked up to her as Claire looked away with a sad smile. “I don’t know how much I can tell you because I’m not sure I can believe half of it myself. But know that I am here… because I want to help. Does that make sense?”

Tesleen looked long and hard at her, and for a moment, Claire was certain that she was going to question her. But she just smiled again as she said, “You know what? I can believe that. And I guess, that’s enough for me. But I would like to see it someday… where you call home.”

Home… where did she call home anymore? What counts as a ‘home’? For some, it was the place where they were born. For others, it’s where they built a new life for themselves.

But she could only hide her doubts as she beamed back and changed the subject to more of the kinds of foods they had here, foods that didn’t come from the Mord—that is—and what they did for fun around here.

“I’m glad I finally got to meet you,” Tesleen told her suddenly. “Alisaie talk about you so often that I could not help but start to wonder if you were even real. Some of what she said sounded so incredible.”

“She has clearly built me up,” Claire insisted calmly. “I’m no one special.”

“Not to her,” Tesleen stated, “I swear, if she hears someone speak badly about you, her entire personality changes and she about bites their heads off.”

Ah, right… that was starting to lead into what may be considered dangerous territory. But after another full minute of thinking, she found that she could not hide her curiosity and asked, “Is it true that Alisaie and Alphinaud had a fight?”

Tesleen looked started at that as Claire confessed she overheard them talking before and Tesleen lowered her head in shame.

“I shouldn’t have brought it up,” she said worriedly. “I was just worried about her and it slipped out. Please don’t tell Alisaie, though. She would be upset if I told you… she seemed to think that you didn’t need to have any further problems without adding her own.”

“What happened?” Claire asked worriedly. “Were they alright?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly what it was about,” she confessed, “I really shouldn’t have overheard it myself. I headed out of the Inn to call Alisaie over for dinner when…?”

“What happened?” Claire asked again, pressing for information.

“Well, it started off alright,” Tesleen said, “Alisaie came with me to Mord Souq to help carry supplies. While we were there, I met a boy who looked just like her—in fact, he looked so much like her that I thought it was Alisaie at first. Imagine my surprise when he spoke and it was someone else! I thought I was seeing things for a moment before she caught up with us and introduced her brother to me. Anyway, the two of them talked on our way back to the Inn, just telling each other what they’ve been up to. Apparently he had been having trouble trying to get into Eulmore so that he could see what the city was like. He helped carry supplies back to the Inn with us, and after he dropped them off, they decided to take a walk outside. I left them for a little while, you know let them catch up with each other. Anyway, it was a couple hours later I went out to get them, wondering if they would like some food… that was when I overheard them arguing.”

“About what?” Claire asked.

“I can’t say for sure…” she shrugged. “I was far away and I could only hear traces of what they were saying. Mostly from Alisaie because she seemed to be yelling at him and he was trying to calm her down—but even he started to shout after a while. But I’m sure I heard your name more than once and both of them were looking angry. I went back after that and waited. When they returned though, they seemed calm enough. I thought that it was just a family argument.”

“And Alisaie never said anything else about it?” Claire asked, now really burning with curiosity about what could have caused Alphinaud of all people to start yelling.

“No, after she got back she really wasn’t acting any differently than usual,” she frowned as she thought it over. “I tried to talk to her about it, you know, just in case she needed someone to talk to… but all she said was that she and her brother came to a disagreement and let it go.”

Claire thought that over. A full shouting match like that? She had wanted to just assume that it was the stress from being away from everyone in the Source, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Was it possible that they were just angry that she was taking so long to get here and they were taking it out on each other? She suddenly felt guilt begin to settle in.

Tesleen seemed to understand her anxiety and put a hand on her shoulder in a kind way.

“I swear, the two of them parted on good terms,” she informed her as they stepped back into the welcomed shade of the Inn and set the buckets down, “Alisaie was there to wave him off when he left. And even she left once or twice to visit him. She was never gone for long, but it didn’t seem that they had this massive falling out or anything.”

Well, that was one good thing. It seems that they let the matter go, and she should probably do so as well. They had more important things to be worrying over instead of an argument that happened months ago.

“Thanks,” she said and Tesleen smiled back before clapping her hands together.

“Oh, no problem, I’m glad to help,” she said. “Though, I was hoping you could do one little thing for me?”

“What’s that?”

“Promise me that you’ll tell some of the patients here stories of your adventures?” she said.

Claire blinked in surprise as Tesleen blushed slightly and laughed.

“The patients here all enjoy hearing stories, and ever since Alisaie started talking about you, they can’t seem to get enough of them,” she informed them, “In fact, we’re starting to come up with some stories of some of your ‘adventurers’ because we were running out of material to work with. I’m sure that they would appreciate it?”

Claire blinked, but began to laugh as well and agreed, though she found it strange that they would want to hear so much of her ‘adventurers’ while they had to be careful with how they worded it so that no one got too suspicious.

“Thank you, it means a lot,” Tesleen said before remembering something and asked, “Oh, that’s right… how long will you be staying?”

That was a good question, one that Claire didn’t think about since she set out from the Crystarium.

She came out to find Alisaie… but she honestly did not know when she would be going back. Alisaie was still needed here as a guard after all, but they had to continue on with their goals of saving the First and finding a way to return to the Source… which they still were no closer to finding a solution apparently.

“I don’t know, I will have to talk to Alisaie about it,” she confessed. “But, I would be happy to tell you a couple stories if you like?”

“Then it’s a promise,” Tesleen grinned back. No sooner did she say that did Alisaie come rolling out of the tent. She looked around, looking tense, before she saw her and her shoulders visibly relaxed as she came over to her.

“Well, I’ll let you two talk,” Tesleen said as she clapped her hands together, “I have to make the morning rounds!”

She waved them off, telling them to be safe, as the two of them went out together to patrol the area once again. Aside from a stray sin eater, there didn’t seem to be much around the area. Soon, it turned less into a patrol and more for a chance for the two of them to talk, which led to Claire asking her where they were to go from here.

“I know that our time here is limited,” Alisaie sighed, “I will have to find a way to break the news to Tesleen. I suppose we could wait, at least another day or two… just to make sure that the people here will be looked after for a while. I’ll have to talk to the Exarch and see if there is a way that we can try and open up some kind of trade with them. Or even have guards volunteer to help keep watch from time to time.”

They walked on again for a few minutes before Alisaie paused when a couple of mummies spotted them and were racing towards them with remarkable speed despite the fact that they were dead. Alisaie grinned as she charged in and Claire watched on. She wanted to show her just what she learned here.

Which somehow turned into the two of them facing off with the other. Well, she was fighting while Claire ducked and dodge as she observed her stance with a critical eye.

“You’ve gotten good,” Claire complimented as the two continued their dance.

“Yeah,” she said proudly, “I learned a handful of new techniques while I was here and I was planning to show them off when you got around here.”

And so they spent that entire rest of the day sparring with each other as they allowed themselves to be able to forget some of the grimmer topics. For a brief moment, Claire could almost pretend that they were just having a friendly brawl somewhere in Gyr Albania… and they weren’t trapped so far away at that moment. Alisaie seemed to be enjoying herself immensely and grinned as their blades crossed paths.

“Your swordsmanship has definitely gotten better,” Claire laughed as she spun about and got behind Alisaie, “You’re relying on it more than your magic now.”

“Well, I had some good motivations this last year,” Alisaie countered as she did a near perfect back-flip and landed safely away before she cast a Flare spell at her.

They continued until she could see Alisaie grow tired and they took a break upon those sands. Sitting together as they looked to the sky, just dreaming of a clear black sky with countless stars.

***Alisaie***

But the time that they felt they should return to the Inn before Tesleen worried, most of the day had already gone by. It was still hard to tell the time in this place since the sky was forever so bright, but her internal clock told her that it was somewhere in the late afternoon by the time that they finished the patrol and returned to a warm welcome.

“I think it’s time for that welcome meal, don’t you?” Tesleen asked as she waved the two of them over to the table, “Take a seat, and I’ll make us a nice stew!”

Food sounded so good right that they both quickly took a seat at the table while they continued talking. It was difficult now that they were back in the company of others, so they had to be very careful with what they said. No mention of other worlds and especially of the situation back home.

Instead, Alisaie poked her brain for more advice for battling techniques and abilities that she wanted to learn. Claire had admitted been looking into experimenting with new abilities—and Alisaie would be lying if she said that she wasn’t dying to know more.

After half an hour of cooking, Tesleen poured generous amounts of her wonderful stew into some wooden bowls for them before filling some tin cups with some cool water before serving it to them. Alisaie could taste the meat mixed in—though she learned a long time ago that here in the deserts, you don’t ask what kind of meat you’re eating.

She made that mistake before and she had almost caused her to start gagging. If you wanted to eat, you don’t question where your food comes from unless you want to lose your appetite very quickly.

But this stew was hearty and there were a mixture of vegetables and spices mixed in. Her mouth watered just from the rich scent and gratefully began to eat.

It was nice to be able to sit back and rest for a moment. Alisaie felt like she was on pins and needles since she first arrived in Norvrandt, but now… for some reason, she felt that she could relax a little. What could have…?

Her eyes then found Claire, who was also enjoying her stew, and looked back with a gentle smile before Alisaie made her want to hit herself in the head with how obvious the answer was.

Oh, now it made sense.

She didn’t bring that up though as she told more about the areas she explored across the desert—which reminded her a great deal of both Gyr Albania and Thanalan put together. The deserts here were cut almost clean in two, separated by a deep canyon between the west and the east. This was the area where the Flood had been halted, but the damage had still been severe and you could clearly see the scars left over from the deluge of Light. Alisaie had explored mostly this side, but with the canyon and pointed mountains that stood between them, she rarely had a reason to go over to the western part of the deserts. Now that she thought of it, Alisaie was curious to know why she was never interested in going until now.

As they talked, Tesleen had laid the nectarine lay on the table for safe keeping… and she did her best not to look at it. She didn’t want this good mood to fade so quickly. So they talked and laughed even after their bowls were empty, and their stomachs were full.

“Speak up if you’d like another helping,” Tesleen said motherly, still stirring the pot, ready to serve more if they asked, “I made a bit more than usual today.”

“And you’ve added something special to the broth, if I’m not mistaken?” Alisaie asked, having noticed the different taste. She couldn’t pinpoint just what it was, but it made her tongue tingle in pleasure at the thought of it. After spending a couple months out here, she had secretly planned to become as good a cook as Tesleen was that she began to really pay attention to the ingredients that were added to meals now. She had thought cooking was easy compared to fighting and tried to surprise the careers by making a meal for them… only to realize how it failed so utterly. She could put on a brave face about it now, but when others talked about it, she wanted to curl up and die of embarrassment.

“Aye, well, it’s not often we have visitors from the Crystarium, so I may have thrown in a few extra bits and bobs,” Tesleen grinned back with a wink and pride in her voice.

“You needn’t have gone to the trouble,” Claire told her politely, acting the part of the perfect house guest once again.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really!” Tesleen reassured her, “And we do so rarely have guests.”

She turned back to the pot, her back to them as she stoked the embers under the boiling pot.

“In a place like this, you learn to take what moments of happiness you can get,” she sighed as they looked on. Alisaie understood that just days after meeting with Tesleen… the people had so little to be happy for these days that they had to work very hard to find ways of coping and just a funny story or a small act of kindness could mean so much to one person.

“I remember when I first came here with my mother,” Tesleen explained almost absent-mindedly, “She was showing the early signs…”

Alisaie felt her heart act for her friend before she looked up to some of the other patients—knowing each one by name. Most who arrive are pale and unsteady on their feet, but they were still people. Over time though, they lose their ability to speak, moving becomes difficult, and it’s like they shut down.

“I knew there was no way to save her, but I just couldn’t face what needed to be done,” Tesleen confessed sadly as she stirred the pot. “That’s the way of it for most people—why they travel for malms to stay here. Beaten, broken souls come to wait out the inevitable. To receive the mercy of a painless death.”

She was silent for another long moment before glancing up at the sky.

“When my mother finally left this world, I was mad with grief, but also thankful that her passing was a peaceful one,” she finished softly.

But was that really the only thing that could be done for them? Alisaie had tried looking into a possible cure, but she knew precious little about the arts of healing and medicine. And with her duties, she didn’t have time to do much studying up on it. There were a few books on healing here, but most of them were about the types of plants—most long since gone—that could be made into potions or how to bandage a wound properly.

In all honesty, Alisaie had no idea what to do to help them.

Tesleen looked back at them, and Alisaie, who was so used to seeing her with a smile, had a hard time recognizing her at that moment as she had a rather grim expression on her face.

“It’s never easy, ending a life you’ve cared for,” she sighed downtrodden, “Even when you believe they go on to a better place. I often find myself wishing the Warrior of Darkness would come and do that for me.”

That name?

Alisaie had heard that term before… she thought of those five warriors who called themselves that very thing back in the Source.

“The Warrior of Darkness…?” Alisaie questioned.

Tesleen seemed surprised when questioned, and it was clear that this was something that seemed to be common knowledge to the people of the first. Once again, Alisaie felt stupid—like she was missing something obvious.

"You've never heard the tale? I'm not sure where it began, but every child in Norvrandt could tell you a version of it,” Tesleen said as she thought it over. A smile, more a sad one this time, came to her face as she began to recite, as if from a storybook ling since memorized: "Warrior of Darkness, servant of death; take care of our souls at our dying breath… Let sinners and eaters of sin go with thee; that all may return to the sunless sea.” 

Those words sent a strange chill up her spine.

As if remembering where she was, Tesleen blushed slightly as she added, almost apologetically, "...Well, that's the version I was taught anyway. It's just an old bedtime story ─ he's certainly never deigned to visit us here."

"Which is a good thing, surely?” Alisaie questioned, almost having a sense that some dark shadow watching over them, “He sounds rather ominous."

But Tesleen didn’t seem to think along those lines. She didn’t even need to think it all over as she replied with a sunny smile, "Do you think so? I always liked the idea that he treated every soul the same, even the sin eaters."

Alisaie wasn’t sure if she truly understood, but Claire, who was stirring her spoon around her empty bowl—lost in thought—spoke up.

“I think I can understand,” she said, and for some reason, Alisaie saw how her head turned slightly, as if she was looking at someone over her shoulder. But when Alisaie looked, she didn’t see anyone there.

“I mean… that there will be someone there to guide you to where you need to be when your time comes,” Claire finished.

“I guess something like that,” Tesleen agreed as Alisaie could not help but wonder about that. While on one hand, she supposed she could understand that. But on the other hand…? She shivered as she suddenly remembered Urianger’s prediction again and frowned at the thought. Her own death… she could not help but wonder if that was the future for her and if there was a way to change it. Her hand trembled slightly and she had to grip her spoon to keep the others from noticing. While the idea that she was doomed to die by poisoning scared her… it were the deaths of the others that scared her more than anything else.

She looked back up at Claire and wondered if there was a way they could prevent that future from ever coming true. She would give anything to see that happen, even if it meant she would have to shake hands with this Warrior of Darkness at the end of it.

Besides, this was just a story, right? She was just overthinking the whole thing. She chuckled, feeling a little stupid taking a fairytale so seriously, and was about to open her mouth to ask for another serving when…?

“Tesleen!”

They all looked up to see that it was one of the carers, her eyes wide with worry, sprinting towards them. At once, Alisaie could feel this sense of dread rising inside her even before the carer skidded to a stop in front of them while she gasped, “Have you seen Halric?! I swear, I only took my eyes off him for a moment…”

What? They only saw him a little while ago and he could barely move on his own! Alisaie jumped to her feet with Claire as the panicked caregiver began to cry,

“This is all my fault,” the girl sobbed, “The patients were acting strangely, and I let it distract me…”

Strangely? The patients hadn’t been acting strange to her…? At least, no stranger than usual? But as she tried to calm her breaths, she began to look around, realizing that the patients were all now looking up at the sky with dazed expressions… but that wasn’t anything new? Alisaie came out from around the table, feeling a strong sense of foreboding now and shook slightly as she asked, “Where could he have gone?!”

The boy could barely move on his own now. How could he have gotten up and left them without anyone noticing? Tesleen was looking about with surprising calm, yet her eyes were wide as her head spun around as if thinking that Halric was hiding behind a tent or something around the area. But when she didn’t spot him, she turned to the two of them.

“Claire, Alisaie—we have to look for Halric!” she said urgently, “I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but if he’s wandering out there alone…”

“We’ll assign search areas and split up,” Alisaie agreed at once, trying to think of anyplace that Halric would go. This area was full of sand worms and mummies with sin eaters aside. It was dangerous for a healthy child to be out there on their own—and Halric was far from healthy. Still, she doubted that he could have made it too far at this point. “Any idea where he might be headed?”

“No, he’s never done anything like this before,” Tesleen said anxiously, “But it can’t be a coincidence that the other patients are suddenly so agitated. They can sense something… in any case, let’s keep the search close to the Inn. Halric isn’t very sure on his feet, so he won’t have gone far. I’ll search the east side!”

Alisaie turned to Claire, telling her to look to the south and she would check the north and western part of the Inn. Between the three of them, they should be able to find him—hopefully before something else finds the boy first. She sprinted outside, knowing the area like the back of her hand, and tried to think of a place that Halric could be. She headed more to the northern part of the Inn, closer to the Crystal Wall, and continued to scan the sands for anyone.

What she forgot about was the light reflecting off the wall—making everything feel so much brighter and causing her eyes to squint from the intensity of it. But she continued running, almost blindly, as she began to pray that they would be able to bring Halric back safely.

Yet, after about twenty minutes of searching, she was beginning to lose hope and wondered if he continued further west…? Seriously, how could he go in his weakened state? Something had to have gotten his attention to cause him to leave the safety of the Inn…?

She was knocked out of her thoughts as something large and white barreled towards her. She lightly leapt out of harm’s way as she turned her blade towards the eater, feeling some measure of release when she sliced it wide open. She left it to die as she ran on, now calling out Halric’s name in the vain hope he would answer her back.

As she continued running, feeling a pain in her side as she gasped for air, a malm ahead of her she spotted Claire, who was also looking around the sands.

She took one last gulp of air and she sprinted to her friend’s side, skidding to a stop and knocking sand everywhere.

“Any sign of him!?” she called, but her hopes sank when she saw Claire shake her head.

For crying out loud, where was he? How hard could it be to spot a child in a wide-open area like this? That was when she gulped and a wave of cold washed over her at the thought that maybe Halric had less time than they thought? That he had already…? And that some of the eaters she slew on her way here could…?

No, no, no… she wasn’t going to think like that. Tesleen had said so herself that Halric still had a little bit of time left! So she had to believe that he hadn’t transformed yet. Still, not having found anything yet…? She was feeling the fear claw at her insides almost like a wild animal.

“No luck, then. But he surely can't have gone far. We should keep looking,” she frowned as she tried to reassure herself as much as Claire. She began to strain her mind as she tried to think of someplace they could look as she added, “The sin eaters are out in force, and if we don't find him soon, you can be sure they will.”

But before they could even move, she heard it right over their heads. The beating of great wings. She looked up instinctively as she saw it… a great white eater—the largest she had seen yet. It certainly looked more hume-like than any other eater she had seen but it was the size of a Gigas with elegant white wings, bleached white armor, and a glittering sword in its hands as it soared overhead. It was actually somewhat beautiful and one could easily mistake the creature as some sort of angel if they didn’t know its true nature.

She felt Claire tensing up at the sight of it and they stared as it appeared above their heads.

“Did you see the size of that thing?” she croaked out, “It must be one of the nasty ones.”

Her eyes followed it the whole time as it went zooming onwards, not even glancing down at them—so intent on reaching its destination. Normally that was enough for her… but one would think that it could sense them directly below? Why was it heading off in one direction like—? Oh gods…!

“And clearly it’s got somewhere to be,” she gasped as that familiar bad sensation washed back over her. “Wherever it's going, it can only mean trouble. After it!” 

Both of them bolted after the eater, trying to track where it was going while avoiding the creatures on the ground as they charged after them. They knew that they were being reckless just running in without even looking at where they were going and risking the desert wildlife on the ground. But Alisaie could not take her eyes off it as she kept her head craned upwards, sometimes even losing the eater amongst the bright glare of the sky. But eventually, they saw that it was slowly beginning to land as it came closer to the ground.

“There it is! Is that—Oh…oh no!” she pointed before her eyes widened in horror. Someone was standing there before the eater as he floated down, its feet just lightly brushing up against the ground beneath it as a light wind scattered the sands from each beat of its wings. The figure was small and pale, even from this distance, but was standing unnervingly still as the eater raised its sword. The figure didn’t even try to move as it looked at it; Alisaie’s heart sinking fast.

“Halric!” Alisaie cried and they began to run faster than ever before, but she knew that they were too far away to make it there in time. But she had to try! She couldn’t let him get hurt! She had to…?

They charged in as the eater brought its sword down—but Tesleen got there first. She had come from somewhere behind the eater and leapt up, a rather rusty sword in her hands. But she was no weakling, able to swing the sword and sliced through part of the eater’s wing with a single slash. The eater was knocked out of the air as it had just lost most of its left wing.

Tesleen didn’t even stop to admire her handiwork as she landed and slid down so that she was in front of Halric.

“We have to run!” she screamed at the boy, who did not even look up. The boy was as unresponsive as ever, and seemed to just be staring blankly at her. But with Tesleen’s attention focused on Halric, she didn’t even noticed the blade that was being raised behind her.

Alisaie opened her mouth to scream out a warning… but it was too late. She could only watch as the white blade came down and skewered her friend with surge of white light. It was as if the entire world stopped spinning around her and Alisaie’s eyes widen in horror—unable to believe what she just saw. She was vaguely aware that someone was screaming… only to realize that the scream was coming from her own lips.

“Tesleen, no!”

It was too much… this couldn’t be happening. Not now… not again… was she going to lose someone important to her right before her eyes and she would be unable to save them? She couldn’t stand it… not again! NOT AGAIN!

But Tesleen’s pain-filled face suddenly broke into a shaky smile as she stared long and hard at Halric, who didn’t so much as flinch when he saw her impaled through the back.

The eater’s mouth opened up as it began to suck in the aether that was quickly draining out of Tesleen, who ignored it as she held up her hands, as if hoping to touch Halric’s face. That was when she heard Tesleen wheeze out, her voice carrying despite how weak and rasp it sounded, “We all deserve happiness… wherever we can find it…”

The kind caretaker’s eyes filled with tears as she smiled a little wider and gasped, “The time left to you… is precious… no one should die… in pain…”

Alisaie couldn’t take it. She began to run again, praying against hope that if she just moved fast enough and got to her side then maybe—somehow—she could find some way to save her. She could not just sit back and do nothing! She just had to reach her…?

But even as the more reasonable part of her mind tried to fight for control, Tesleen just continued to smile, accepting what was about to happen, as she whispered, “Mother… Mother, I…”

That wretched eater finally pulled its blade out of her, leaving a gaping hole in her stomach, bright light shining right through her as Tesleen’s eyes widen with fear and pain. Alisaie stretched out her hand, already trying to cast any healing spell she could think of even as Claire grabbed her from behind and held her back. Alisaie fought tooth and nail to pull herself free, but her grip may as well have been made of steel for all the good it did.

She could only watch on in horror as Tesleen struggled to even scream before she fell to all fours and began to throw something white and blazing. It was Light aether mixed in with her own blood that shone as brightly as snow on a sunny day. She coughed and gagged as choked out screams struggled to break free. But when she had thrown up all she could, she slowly leaned back on her knees and stared ahead with eyes, once filled with warmth and mirth, were blank and unseeing. Tesleen’s mouth fell open as an unearthly sound began to cry out from her and tears of bright silver began to fall. Soon it looked as if her entire face was coated with liquid silver as her tongue came rolling out—as if starving for food.

She reached out a single hand, as if desperate to touch Halric once more, before her entire body was bathed in light... leaving behind a feathered cocoon.

How Alisaie broke free from Claire’s grip, she didn’t know. Perhaps she was so shocked by what she saw, she didn’t realize that she was able to fling her arms off her as she began running. Claire was right behind her as they tried to reach the others. But the cocoon almost immediately cracked open and that… that thing… broke free. This was the creature that the Light made out of Tesleen and the first thing she saw were the pair of marble-white wings and claws that tore through the fragile casing. It was vaguely in the shape of a person… but other than that, there was no way that—that thing—had ever been a kind-hearted person.

“On no, no…” Alisaie cried as she stretched out her hand, despite knowing that it was far too late. “No, no, no, no, no!”

She fell to her knees as a wave of shock washed over her. She could only stair as the first eater rose into the air, despite missing most of one of its wings, and took off—having had its fill of aether. Tesleen… or whatever was left of her… crouched down as it looked at Halric. It was a long, skeletal-looking creature that was more beast than human. It was covered with a mixture of hair and scales that were all bright white, and it was hunched over like a gargoyle as its wings were stretched out.

She could just see a trace of Tesleen’s face upon the creature… but its eyes were black and empty… as if someone tore out her eyes and left black holes and black dried blood around them. It reached out a clawed hand, as if some part of her remembered who she was, and just stared at Halric before it floated upwards into the air.

It’s bowed head turned to look at them and she could hear it… Tesleen’s voice speaking out faintly, as if determined to say her last words:

_“Forgive me...Alisaie…” _

Alisaie just feel to her knees and broke down as the eater left, following after the one who killed her. She sobbed into her hands, a part of her still refusing to believe what happened, even halfway to convincing herself this was a bad dream. She wanted to believe this so much that she grabbed her cheek and began to pull and tear—trying to wake herself up.

Why didn’t she do something? She should have done something, anything to help her! But there was nothing left around her as the image played itself over and over in her mind. Tesleen’s pain as those silver tears fell down her face until she was coated with the white aether… her jaw stretching open in a horrific way as she let out a silent scream…?

Why didn’t she help her? This was what she trained for, wasn’t it? She had been working to grow stronger and protect her friends and family… and yet she still couldn’t do it when the time came! Why? Why couldn’t she do anything right? Why couldn’t she protect anyone? Why couldn’t she be strong like Claire?!

_‘I’m sorry Tesleen,” _she thought to herself mournfully, wishing she would just wake up already, _‘I am so… so sorry…”_

But she knew it was real when she felt Claire’s warm hand upon hers, trying to get her to stop. She looked up, her vision so clouded over with tears she could barely see her face. Claire didn’t say a word as she looked at her with… sorrow. Not pity… sorrow. As if she understood completely how she felt.

“Is this a dream?” she asked quietly.

Claire’s eyes misted over as she dropped to her knees next to her and pulled her into her arms as Alisaie clung on with everything she had left. She buried her face into her front as she sobbed her heart out. Claire just held on tightly and rubbed her back as Alisaie continued to shriek and cry… barely even noticing how Halric remained there as still as a statue.

The only signs of anything happening were the mostly destroyed wing that lay in the sand as it slowly began to dissolve… and the sword that was now left behind without its owner.

***Claire***

Claire had seen many different types of transformations over her life as an adventurer. All of them standing out vividly in her mind. She remembered Ysayle when she became Shiva… the heretics of Ishgard giving themselves over to their dormant dragon blood… she had even witnessed those who turned to the darkness and saw what became of them.

But that… that was by far the most horrific transformation she had ever seen.

The pain in Tesleen’s face showed to her how painful that had been… how she finally understood why the carers at the Inn wanted to give their patients a quick and painless way death. That had to be better than the agonizing transformation that turned one into… that?

Alisaie was almost inconsolable at this state.

She doubled over, sobbing, and Claire merely sat, helpless, staring at where they’d disappeared over the cliffs as she held onto the near hysterical girl. How long they sat there like that, she long since lost track of time. Only that when Alisaie’s tears were beginning to run out did she remember that they weren’t safe out here.

She heaved Alisaie up to her feet, holding tightly onto her with one arm, and took Halric’s hand with the other as she guided them across the sands. Her own mind was blank as they made their way back to the safety of the pointed walls around them. They were greeted by the panicked caretaker from before, whose face melted from worry to relief when she saw Halric with them. But when she saw Alisaie’s distraught expression, she began to question what happened.

It looked as if Alisaie tried to explain, but she just shook her head, the words not coming. Claire sighed as she told the girl what happened. To say she was shock was an understatement, and she turned on her heel and went charging back into the Inn, howling with grief the whole way.

“I…I’m sorry, Claire,” Alisaie whimpered, looking like letting go of her was the last thing she wanted to do, “I tried to tell the carers what happened, but… I can’t be the shoulder they lean on. Not like this.”

Claire nodded in understanding as she gently pulled her fingers off her, leaving her near the entrance with Halric.

The others barely handled it better than the first carer when she explained to them what happened.

“It’s just so unfair!” Cassana wailed. “Tesleen was always so cheery with the patients, telling them not to be scared, that there wouldn’t be any pain… of all the people in the world to suffer such a fate!”

Claire did not know how to make it better, but no one seemed to expect her to. What could one do?

“I imagine you’re just as shocked as the rest of us, so I appreciate what you’re doing here,” another carer by the name of Willfort choked out, “Me? I can barely… I don’t have the words. Without a body, we can’t even give her a proper burial! And she cared about that sort of thing—about giving people the chance to say their good-byes…”

But it seemed that her quiet stance seemed to prevent them from becoming hysterical. But she knew that it was really because it hadn’t settled in yet. After all, they saw Tesleen not even an hour ago… only to be told that she would never come back. Once she explained the story to the others, she returned to the entrance where Alisaie and Halric were waiting.

Alisaie still seemed to be in a state of shock and Halric was as unresponsive as ever. He stood motionless, staring up into the sky where the sin eaters made their escape. What he was thinking was anyone’s guess at this point.

“Alisaie…” she said softly, gently reaching out to try and comfort her. Perhaps that was enough for her to understand her intentions for Alisaie sniffled a little and finally spoke without sounding close to breaking apart.

“…Thank you,” she finally said, “What you’re doing, it… it means a lot to them. To me.”

Claire just looked on sadly, not sure what else to say or do. What does one say or do after witnessing something like that?

It almost didn’t feel real… like Alisaie had been pleading for… that it was just a bad dream. But she knew better than to wish for something like that. She just did what she felt that Tesleen would have wanted her to do. But that kind-hearted woman… deserved a better fate.

“…Sorry to interrupt,” Willfort said slowly, his voice still thick with grief, “We realized we haven’t thanked you for rescuing Halric. You weren’t hurt at all, were you?”

“Hurt…?” Alisaie repeated, more of a growl of frustration than anything, “There wasn’t even a fight. I was too late. Too slow. And I thought I could protect you…”

“You can’t blame yourself for things beyond your control,” Cassana responded bracingly, “You brought Halric back safe and sound—no one could have done any more.”

Alisaie turned to the two caretakers as she told them apologetically, “I’m sorry, but I’ve come to a decision: I won’t be continuing in my role here. I hope you will forgive me for leaving you…”

Claire’s eyes sadden, having a feeling that would be the decision she would come too. Too many memories here… even though she had only been here for less than two days, she could not look around and half-expect Tesleen to be there with that sunny and cheerful attitude of hers.

Alisaie took several deep breaths as she braced herself before requesting, “And that you will delay Halric’s last meal for as long as you possibly can. Not until it’s too late, of course, just… give him what time you can.”

The two looked at each other in surprise—as if that was a fact that went without saying.

“We always do,” Willfort reassured her.

Alisaie forced a smile, but Claire could see that it was cracking under the strain. Rather than press the matter, she said to them both, “Of course. She would have done the same.” She then turned back to Halric, who still stared up at the sky.

“Farewell, Halric,” she said kindly, and it was then that Claire realized she was using the same tone that she used with Ba Gu, “Keep Tesleen’s words close to your heart.”

The boy didn’t even move and she sighed as she walked past him, pausing only to ruffle the boy’s white hair in a gentle way.

“Wait!” Cassana called before Alisaie took more than a few steps away, “You’re leaving this very moment? I understand how you must feel, but surely this is a bit hasty? Do you even have anywhere to go?”

“I have a destination in mind, yes,” Alisaie said, not looking at any of them as she folded her arms and cast her gaze skywards, “And a purpose.”

Claire looked up, looking at the Light with new understanding. So long as the sky was like this, the people will never know peace. This world was broken and fading away… but it wasn’t yet gone. There was still roots that ran deep and determined to hang onto life. These were good people and they deserved to live. She looked back down to Halric, who was still staring off in the distance where Tesleen was taken.

That was when she had an empathy… perhaps Halric went out there because he wanted to face his fate? Perhaps he didn’t want to live as this near lifeless shell any longer?

But something new seemed to be lit inside him. She wasn’t sure about that, more like a gut feeling, but it was as if the boy seemed gain a spark that wasn’t there before.

She wanted to give that boy a new future… she wanted to see him live again. And perhaps… if they brought back the night sky…? He would be able to.

“This damned Light, building without cease…” Alisaie said, unaware of what Claire was thinking, “It’s the reason we can’t save those corrupted by the eaters. But what if we corrected the balance? Even if it were only little by little—even if it took years—it would surely make things better.”

“Now, hold on there,” Willfort said quickly, an edge of hysterical laughter threatening to break through, “Everyone knows there’s too much Light, but how could you ever hope to get rid of it? You’d have to change the whole world!”

“That’s right…” Alisaie said and Claire smiled as she stepped forward to stand with her. The two looked at each other as a silent understanding passed between them.

Change the whole world… that was what they did best, was it not?

“We should return to the Crystarium,” Alisaie instructed, sounding more like her old self than ever before, “I may not be able to repel the eaters on my own… but I can still use the skills I have gained here to hurt them.”

The two of them then walked off, their heads held high, never once looking back at them. Claire could all but feel the exasperated and doubtful faces seeing them off, but she didn’t care. Let them doubt them… those thoughts would keep them pushing forward.

But once they were out of sights she reached out, meeting Alisaie’s hand halfway, and their fingers became locked together as they continued onwards towards the old fortress where their rides back were waiting for them.

A couple hours and a long walk back through the desert later, they had arrived at the fortress, just as Cassard was finishing loading up a handful of amaro for the return trip to the Crystarium.

“Claire!” he called when he looked up and spotted the two of them coming towards them, “Good to see you again! You look like you’ve a story or two to tell…”

Claire only forced a smile, suddenly remembering that he had been a friend to Tesleen as well. But he couldn’t tell him… not after so soon?

Thankfully, he seemed to sense that she was not in a talkative mood and cleared his throat as he reassured her, “But I sense you’d sooner get back to the Crystarium.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she answered back as Alisaie sniffled a little behind her. She turned to see that Alisaie was just wiping the tears from her eyes, but making it look like she was just getting the sand out. She reached over and gripped her hand, just letting her know that she was there and that it was alright to cry in front of her. After a couple shaky breaths, Alisaie turned back to her.

“Forgive me, Claire—I couldn’t stay there a moment longer,” Alisaie turned to her, her eyes hazy and the cheek that she had been pulling at earlier was red and sore-looking, “But I was serious about what I said. While the men and women at the Inn battle against this blight with kindness, I must fight it in my own way. With steel.”

Claire only beamed back at her as she asked, remembering something from a lifetime ago, “From Eorzea’s sword in the darkness… to Norvrandt’s sword in the light?”

At those words, more tears welled up in Alisaie’s eyes as she began to cry in earnest once again.

“Gods above,” she whimpered, recognizing those words as her own, “It feels like an age ago now…”

Claire just stood there and let her cry it all out as Cassard looked on nervously behind them, as if not sure what to do.

“Miss Alisaie?” he finally asked nervously, “…Is there anything I can get you?”

“Your swiftest amaro!” she snapped, suddenly annoyed that he was there, “I need to return to the Crystarium—immediately!”

“A-As you wish!” he choked and Clare had to fight the chuckle as he all but tripped over his feet to get to the Amaro.

***Ardbert***

He was content to just watch and see how things went from here on out.

But he honestly could not say that he had ever wanted to see something like that. He knew what the sin eaters were, of course, but that was the first time that he could really remember seeing someone transform like that.

During his many years of wandering, he had seen many different sin eaters in different forms, but to see one die in such a horrific way?

He wished he could just forget… to just forget everything and leave this world behind.

But the fates clearly had something planned for him and he followed after the one person who may be able to help him find the answers he need. He never got close enough for her to see him, but he had the feeling that she knew he was there… at times she would turn her head in his direction—as if sensing his presence there. She did not tell anyone else about him, not yet, anyway. Perhaps she thought that he was of threat to her or her friends… or mayhap was even worried the others would think she was losing her wits.

For right now, her entire focus was taking care of her young friend, who needed a friend now more than ever. He had seen how she held and comforted her even moments after losing her friend to the eaters. He watched how she held her close and rocked her gently as she rubbed her back and offered a silent kind of comfort as she let the girl—Alisaie—cling tightly and cry.

Oh, how many times did he wish he could do that over these last few decades? To be able to cry and feel the touch of another? He could still vaguely recall when he was a child and had nightmares… how his parents would hold him just like that and rock him until he fell back asleep. He would give anything for that kind of warmth and understanding.

The two eventually returned to the Crystarium, where they went off to the pendants, exhaustion truly settling in. Alisaie was glowing red as she quietly asked to stay with Claire for a little while, before realizing what she said and apologized as she backed up. Claire only smiled as she placed a kind hand on her shoulders and stirred her into her room where they could talk.

He watched as Alisaie sat at the table, not really looking at anything as Claire went to the stove and began to make some kind of drink. The scent of chocolate suddenly filled the room, and she returned with two steaming mugs that she set down in front of them.

Alisaie took her drink, but didn’t sip it right away… just stared into the mug with a lost and confused look on her face. It seemed that now that they were away from others, leaving just the two of them, a more vulnerable side to the girl was starting to surface.

Claire looked down at her own cup before taking a sip.

“You know, if I had to pick a last meal, it would probably be this,” she said softly at one point. She smiled down at the drink, as if lost in a private joke before she set the drink aside and turned her full attention to Alisaie.

“I’m sorry about Tesleen,” she said softly, reaching across the table and placing her hand over Alisaie’s still one. Again, the younger girl didn’t say anything and Claire frowned slightly as she finished, “But we will find her. I know that it’s not what you will be hoping for… but we will make sure to put her out of her suffering as soon as we…?”

“I know I just…” Alisaie snapped, sounding angry. But as quickly as the fire sparked to life, it faded and she sighed. “I just… I hate myself for not being able to do anything. I mean… I trained there all that time… but when it came to show what I learned…? I failed. How can I be of use to you or anyone like this?”

Ardbert stood silently as he watched the scene as if from the end of a long tunnel.

Words that brought back painful memories…

_‘I have to grow stronger! I have to be better! Otherwise, how can I protect you or anyone else that I care about?’_

His friends just smiled at him and reassured him that they would be there together and that was the reason they were here. To make sure to get him out of trouble that he inevitably would get them all into.

He was sure that they had been joking at the time, but they came through for him again and again. They were fine companions… each one of them.

He would give anything to see them again… just once.

Claire suddenly got up and walked around the table until she was sitting beside Alisaie. She didn’t say anything at first as she put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close for a hug.

“It’ll be alright,” she said softly as she held her close. “I’ll do what you cannot do… and I expect you to step up and do what I cannot do.”

Alisaie let out a shaky chuckle as she set the drink down and hugged her back tightly.

“I’m starting to think that there’s nothing you can’t do,” she informed her and this time Claire let out a laugh that sounded more like a scoff.

“You clearly haven’t seen me give a public speech,” she said and they both let out a laugh at that as Claire rubbed Alisaie’s arm, as if she knew the girl was cold, and just offered her support. They sat like that for some time until he could see both of their eyes beginning to droop and Claire offered that they get some rest.

She stood to close the window, hoping to give themselves a break from the constant glare of the light, and give them some relief.

She then turned to look back at Alisaie and asked if she would like to sleep here. Alisaie turned red at the thought, but it was clear that she didn’t want to be left alone right now. After they both finished their drinks, Claire insisted that she stay here for the time being since she couldn’t remember if the Exarch said her room was taken. That was a lie of course, but it gave Alisaie the excuse she needed to stay here and share the large bed.

Ardbert watched as they set their weapons down and both fell onto the bed, not bothering to change. But as he watched with a smile as the girl seemed to curl up next to Claire, Claire’s head suddenly jerked up and over to his direction as he faded away.

“What’s wrong?” Alisaie asked worriedly, following her gaze, but he knew she couldn’t see him. Claire was silent for a moment before she shook her head.

“It’s nothing,” she reassured her as she gave her a kind smile. “Let’s just get some sleep for now. We’ll be needing it.”

He did not so much as move as they both laid down and soon enough, Alisaie’s exhaustion seemed to finally catch up to her as her deep breaths echoed around the large room. Claire, however, remained up for some time after that. She had one arm still wrapped around Alisaie as the girl all but cuddled at her side… but she had the other hand behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling with the most thoughtful expression on her face.

He wanted to ask her what she was thinking about, but didn’t want to disturb this otherwise peaceful moment. Eventually, Claire looked back down at Alisaie, who muttered something that sounded like she was insulting someone named ‘Alphinaud’ and Claire cracked a smile at that. She gently brushed the girl’s white bangs from her face before she shut her eyes and finally drifted off.

He was glad that they were able to find a measure of peace… he couldn’t even remember the last time he was allowed to sleep and step away from reality. He took up his self-appointed duty as guard, ready to yell to wake the Warrior of Light up should something happen, but everything remained quiet around them.

Eventually, his thoughts carried him away from this room and to memories that brought him both joy and terrible grief… of friends that had left him behind… or perhaps he had been the one who had left them?

He wasn’t sure anymore.

Several hours later, the two began to wake up and he left the room as they stretched out—both looking a little happier than they had been the day before. Good, they couldn’t afford to let grief weigh them down with so much to be done.

The two stayed close as they returned to the tower, where the Exarch was already up and waiting for them. He was positively beaming when he saw Claire… and a little jittery when he saw Alisaie, who was oddly formal, but cold, when she saw him.

The Exarch seemed to take this as a good thing though as he cleared his throat and turned back to Claire, eager for her to meet up with this Alphinaud fellow… Alisaie’s brother. Ah, wait… now he remembered. He had seen those two back on the Source. It had been so long that he almost forgot about it… and he wondered just how many of her friends were in the First as well?

“You will visit Alphinaud in Kholusia, then?” the Exarch asked and when Claire nodded, he clapped his hands together as he proclaimed, “Excellent. As I mentioned, your destination is an island off the west coast, so you will need a mount capable of making the journey.”

Ah, Kholusia… it had been so long since he had last been there. Where his adventure first began…? That’s right, it was where he first met Lammit… where he…?

The Exarch handed Claire a letter and instructed her, “Here is a letter of introduction. Present it to Szem Djenmai, the Master of Beasts at Temenos Rookery, and he will take care of you.”

Claire nodded and turned to Alisaie, who gave her a big hug.

“Thank you for seeking me out, Claire—it meant a lot to have you there at my side,” the elven girl said, “I was tempted to set off again the moment we had decided upon a direction, but you have still to visit Alphinaud, haven’t you? And if I know my brother, he’ll be on the cusp of discovering something vital to our success—if he hasn’t already. I’m content to stay here and consider our options for the time being—but don’t keep me waiting too long, eh?”

“You sure you don’t want to come?” Claire asked her as she brushed the girl’s bangs out of her face in an affectionate way.

“No, thank you,” Alisaie murmured as she played with the sleeve of her coat, “I’m sure you and my dear brother will have a lot of catching up to do. When you see him though, tell him I send my regards. Oh, and I haven’t forgotten.”

Claire arched an eyebrow at that and asked, “Forgotten what?”

“Oh, never you mind that,” she shrugged, but there was a hint of nervousness there. “He’ll know what I mean. Anyway, I will look forward to seeing you both return.”

Claire looked confused, but she nodded as Alisaie smiled, the first real smile she had since she left Amh Areang. The two waved her off and he followed after Claire, who began to look around for the Rookery before remembering seeing the amaro near the entrance to the Crystarium.

There wasn’t much to say about this part, but it gave him time to be able to look over the amaro as she approached one of the Zun, handing him the letter. Oh, those great reptilian birds… Ardbert could not help but smile at the sight of them as he remembered another old friend.

Before his thoughts could carry him too far, Claire was asking about the amaro and if they were often used for travel.

“That’s right,” the Zun said proudly, “Mounts like my grey friend over there are a common sight in these parts. But I gather you hail from further afield. More accustomed to chocobos, perchance? I hear there are a few places where they ride little else.” He looked over her for a moment before coming to a decision.

“…Hm,” he grunted, “Seeing as you are plainly unaccustomed to riding amaro, I think it best I accompany you on this flight myself. Any Zun worthy of the name could do it, of course, but the Exarch sent you to me. Ensuring you arrive safely is my responsibility. Gather your things and meet me at the amaro Launch. One of the junior tamers will attend to you while I ready the mounts.”

He barely heard her thank him as he quickly followed, ready to head back to Kholusia… where, for him, everything began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So we still don’t know what the ‘fight’ between the twins was all about. But something is definitely up. Too bad that the world is close to ending otherwise we would be able to enjoy seeing the drama unfold. But now the time has come for the reunion with our lovebirds. They hadn’t seen each other since Alphinaud left Doma that day and one cannot help but wonder just what could have happened between them since then. It has only been weeks for Claire… but for Alphinaud it was close to a year. How does one react to seeing their beloved after all that time?)


	5. In Search of Alphinaud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire finally arrived outside of Eulmore, knowing as the City of Final Pleasures, all in the hopes of being reunited with Alphinaud. But the more that she continues to look around this dying world, the more she begins to see just what a big task is set before her. But how will Alphinaud react after so much time apart? This is the first time that the two had seen each other since they parted ways in Doma... will absence make the heart grow fonder?

***Ardbert***

He knew that the wind rushed passed him as he silently continued to follow after the warrior—though he could no longer feel it. He remembered what felt like an eternity when he last stood upon the cliffs that overlooked the rest of Kholusia before the Flood… how he and Lammit overlooked the water and they spoke of how good the breeze felt.

At that moment he would give anything to be able to feel that breeze once more.

Right now though, the wings of the amaro were beating in an almost relaxed way as they travelled over the ocean, which was eerily silent. Claire soon mastered how best to ride the amaro and was travelling alongside the guide as the slight spray from the water splashed upwards. The waves were no longer what some would consider ‘right’ with most of the worlds ocean now gone, but the waves lapped lazily as the glare from the Light made it look almost black.

The Zun guide then urged the amaro upwards so that they were able to pass around the cliffs… and that was where one could see it. A fair distance away stood a city—though one quite different in his day.

‘_The whistling breeze mute,’ _he thought to himself as he continued to follow_, ‘The pounding surf, frozen. Time itself takes a breath. At Light’s edge, all is perfectly still. The world captured in a painting locked in a moment. Music, faint and fleeting drifts coastward on the lifeless air. And in the distance… beyond the broken earth, a city beckons…’_

Yes, even from here, he could hear the faint sound of music from those who choose to wait for the end to come. He rarely ever passed through this area during his decades of wanderings… too many painful memories.

But he landed with the others and kept out of sight as Claire slowly dismounted and petted her amaro gratefully as she began to look around the area.

For her sake, he hoped her memories of this place were better than his own.

***Claire***

It turned out that riding an amaro wasn’t too different from a chocobo. In fact, the ride had been a little bit smoother with their longer bodies and four wings so that it didn’t make her feel that she could be bucked off at any moment.

She gently petted the amaro’s more reptilian beak as she silently thanked him for carrying her this far, before she was able to really get a good look around the area. They arrived upon a rocky cove, where the ground was made up more of pebbles than actual sand, and she could see the cliffs that stretched out around her.

In fact, this area reminded her so much of La Noscea that she was actually trying to remember if there was any place around Limsa that was like it here? She took a few steps away from the amaro as her guide also landed and was already rewarding the pair with treats. She just kept her ears open as she stared around.

Everything around here was so… still. She could hear the waves gently washing up on shore and a slight breeze upon her skin… but there were no familiar cries of seagulls, the sounds of creaking ships as they set sail upon the waves, nor of the buzz of fishermen who were out and catching for their meals today.

It was unnaturally quiet and she didn’t like it at all.

It made her feel as if time was standing still here. And if not for the waves that just kissed the shore as the tides rolled in and out, she would have thought that they were frozen. But as she strained her ears for any kind of sound, she could have sworn she could just hear the light lick of music in the far distance. She reached her hands up to her ears and cupped around them to try and detect where it was coming from… but with the slight echo off the cliffs around her it was difficult to be able to tell.

“We are arrived,” grunted her guide and she turned back to Szem Djenmai, who stomped over to stand with her.

“Arrive where?” she asked him curiously, “Is this Kholusia?”

“This is Cracked Shell Beach, on the eastern coast of Kholusia,” he nodded with his deep voice, “You should be safe here for the present. Compared to the mainland, sin eater attacks are far less prevalent. And the native beasts are not any more dangerous than elsewhere. It is the people you should be wary of…”

That sounded ominous and she wondered if that was the reason why everything around here seemed so quiet. But she was sure she wasn’t imagining things when she heard that tune… that joyous tune that was continuing to play from far off.

“Do you know where that music is coming from?” she asked, still struggling to pinpoint the direction of the melody.

He nodded before he looked her head and she followed his gaze to see a city perched upon the cliffs. At first, it reminded her greatly of the city of Limsa Lominsa and how it was built high into the cliffs upon the ocean—which was the perfect location for a city of pirates and fishermen. Yet, thanks to the bright light overhead, she couldn’t really get a good look at it other than seeing the colors of gold and purple mixing together.

As soon as she began to wonder if Alphinaud was there, her heart suddenly began to beat a little harder and she realized that the two of them were to soon be reunited. The thought both excited her as much as it suddenly terrified her.

“Spy you that city in the distance?” Szem Djenmai asked, “That is Eulmore, the island’s main settlement. It rivals the Crystarium in scale, and was once an ally in our battle against the abominations.”

Once? What did he mean by once? Did that mean they were no longer allies? Just the thought of those monsters was enough to send disgust through her mind and feel sick at heart. She looked back to him and questioned him as the Zun let out a tired grunt.

“For years, the Eulmorian elite have fancied themselves the masters of what remains of our broken world,” he explained, “They have gone as far as to offer the leaders of other settlements their protection—if we bend the knee.” He let out a rough laugh at the thought as he gave the city a look of disgust. But rather than say what he was really thinking, he informed her, “But to say their ideals are questionable would be putting it mildly. The Crystarium is one among many who resist their heavy-handed authority, and while we are not at war, our relationship with Eulmore is strained at best.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, looking back to the city and trying to squint through the yellowish light to be able to get a good look at it, “Don’t they fight the sin eaters as well?”

“No one knows how, but the eaters mostly leave this area alone,” he explained, “Those who live in the city, or even at the base, are able to find some measure of relief… from what I’ve heard. How that is, I don’t know. But I would be cautious around this area. It may be wise to conceal your ties with the Exarch during your stay here, especially in the vicinity of the city.”

She nodded in understanding and he nodded back in a pleased way.

“I am glad we understand each other,” he grunted, “Now the Exarch has instructed me to divulge a secret that should make finding your friend a good deal easier. Listen closely…”

She actually gulped down at the thought as he reached for a pouch that hung at his side.

“…If you head south along the coast, you will eventually come to a fisherman’s shack,” he instructed. “A friend of the Crystarium lives there—a man who goes by the name of ‘Eybor’. Eybor keeps an eye on everything that happens in Kholusia, and will be able to point you in the right direction. Just hand him a sprig of thyme—that will let him know you can be trusted.”

He then pulled out a sprig of thyme from the pouch, still green and smelling herb-like as he passed it over to her.

“Here—this should be enough,” Szem Djemai informed her as she carefully took it, temporarily overwhelming the scent of salt. “Find your friend, I will stay here with the amaro until you are ready to return.”

She thanked him and headed off, almost wanting to run all the way inland. But if this place was even just a fraction as large as La Noscea then she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to find Alphinaud unless she got incredibly lucky and she didn’t want to push it right now.

Instead, she walked along the rocky cove, taken aback by the sight of strange creatures with large ears and ugly faces. She couldn’t imagine what they were… at least until she saw them shuffle on large flat feet while carrying packs and she realized… these were goblins. While she wasn’t sure what they were called in this world, but she was sure she was seeing what goblins looked like without their masks for the first time. If this was what they looked like without their masks… perhaps it was better that she never dwell on it.

Still, these guys weren’t looking too friendly and she didn’t stop to find out as she stepped carefully around them. As she walked around, she could see other familiar-looking creatures such as the goobbue type of beasts that lumbered around and the hawks that snapped and shrieked if she drew so close.

She made sure to stick closer to the water’s edge, ready to dive in to get away if she had to, as she contemplated her location. She could see a few scattered islands about her across the sluggish waves, as well as abandoned boats and driftwood that seemed to have found their way to shore. It looked to her that this had once been a land full of fishermen, and perhaps pirates, just like Limsa… but something—eaters perhaps—seemed to have drained away the life on these shores.

While there weren’t any ruins scattered about like in Amh Araeng, this land clearly showed the hallow remains of it once being a thriving land… at least until the Flood.

She paused there for a moment as those words seemed to echo in her mind. The Flood… it all seemed to come right back to the Flood. While the people here were spared being swallowed by that wave of Light… it seems that all it did was postpone the end and gave them a slow and painful death instead.

How though? What happened?

What could she do to put a stop to this?

She forced herself to walk on as the Exarch’s words played themselves inside her head. Again, she thought back to how confident he had been before when he said that he believed that she was the key to saving this world—or what was left of it. However, he hadn’t been able to properly explain how they were to go about saving it. And even if they do, how can they expect the people here to survive on this one continent for the rest of time? Was it possible that the rest of this world could be salvaged? How can they do that with so many eaters about? And how were they supposed to get rid of them to such a point that they don’t need to worry about them anymore? It seemed to her that the only way they could do that was to kill every single eater and restore the 9/10th of the world that had already been lost… but again, how were they supposed to do that when a hundred years of fighting wasn’t enough?

What did the Exarch expect out of her? Why did he think that bringing her here was the answer to their prayers when she knew so little about it? What was it that she was supposed to do?

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the ghostly image of a man with an axe and she turned her head sharply… only to see nothing there. This wasn’t the first time that she thought she felt eyes watching her and she suspected that Ardbert was, indeed, keeping an eye on her. She looked at the spot for a moment before moving on, trying not to dwell on the feeling that she was being watched all the time.

Ah… she only just spotted the small shack up upon a sandy hill and quickly made a beeline for it. When she arrived, she saw that the shack was hardly large enough to count for a shed, and looked around the area. It felt like this entire island was all but abandoned at this point and she was starting to wonder if there was anyone else here when she heard the door swing open on rusty hinges. She looked up to see a Hothgar man walk out, stretching his arms over his head and yawned as if he just woken up from a nap.

Taking her chance, she approached the man, who jumped at her sudden appearance.

“What you after?” the man, she could only guess to be Eybor, asked, “Fish? Crab? Think I’ve got an eel in a barrel somewhere, if you’ve a taste for ‘em…”

She shook her head as she handed over the sprig, which got his attention.

“Ooh,” he said in understanding and took the sprig from her and looked over it curiously, “I do love a bit of thyme. Chuck some in the pot, and it’s like a bloody festival of flavor.” He tucked it away in his shirt for later before asking her with more interest, “…Now what is it I can do for you? Can’t say as there’s been any major upsets to report these past few weeks.”

“No, I’m here trying to find my friend,” she explained, “His name is Alphinaud. A white haired Elezen—I mean, Elf. I was told that he was here and…?”

She trailed off, worry beginning to settle in that she may have come to the wrong place.

“Alphinaud, eh?” he repeated thoughtfully, stroking his furry chin, “Aye, I know the one. Our young champion of the downtrodden. Eulmore’s richer than all of Norvrandt put together, but it’s a different story for them as live outside the city. Most spend every wakin’ moment just tryin’ to stay alive—which makes your friend’s dedication to helpin’ others stand out all the more.”

That sounded like him and she all but beamed at him as she asked quickly where she could find him.

“Aye, I can hazard a guess as to where he is now, get a message to him,” he promised, “But you’ll need somewhere quiet to meet, away from pryin’ eyes…”

She was all but bouncing on her feet as he thought it over and then turned to point to the hills to the west of here.

“Make for Stilltide—that’s the fishin’ village just up the path here,” he instructed, “You’re lookin’ for a rundown excuse for a tavern the locals call the Leaky Keel. Wait there, and I’ll see that Alphinaud joins you.”

At that moment, she was so happy that she actually gave the man a quick hug—taking him aback—but looked relieved that he could help. He even patted her on the head and warned her to stick to the road. While the eaters in this area were sparse, the wildlife were still fierce and won’t hesitate to attack anyone who strays from the road.

She quickly headed off, wondering how Alphinaud had been doing all this time. She knew that it had been almost a year since he was brought here and she was somewhat nervous to see what kind of changes he had gone through during that time. It sounded like he had been doing alright, judging from what everyone had been saying, and it removed some of the dread she had been feeling.

But her overwhelming feeling was a longing to see him again.

She climbed up the steep slopes until she left the sea behind her and she was in more of tall grasses and scattered trees. She gazed about and couldn’t help but see just how… yellow and withered everything looked. Whereas it’s counterpart in Limsa was green and lush, perfect for farmland; this place had certainly seen better days. And it wasn’t just because of the constant glare of the light overhead that bleached the land, it looked as if no one had ever had reason to care about it before now.

And this showed itself all the more when she arrived outside a tiny village with some of the saddest looking shacks she could remember seeing. There weren’t many people around here, and those few who she did spot were watching her with rather dazed and grim expressions, as if they had all come back from a funereal. They didn’t say anything to her—a couple looking hopeful that she was here to do some business perhaps—but that was about it.

Soon she found the largest building was the tavern she was looking for and stepped inside with the doors barely creaking—as if they don’t see much business. She could smell ale in the air as well as what seemed to be a hint of herbs from behind the counter. There was only one person there, a tall Elven woman who was wiping down the counter.

The woman looked up when she heard her footsteps but didn’t say anything at first as Claire looked around, wondering how long she would have to wait for Alphinaud to arrive. After a couple minutes, the woman suddenly asked, a little standoffish, “This your first time in a tavern? It’s customary to buy a drink if you mean to loiter. What’ll you be having?”

Claire was a little taken aback by her sharp tone, but she figured that she could order something just to make her happy. She simply chose a glass of water, not feeling that drinking was something she should be doing right now.

“A fine choice,” the woman answered as she reached for a mug, “And what’ll you be paying with?”

But when Claire pulled out some gil, the woman held up her hand and looked over the coins with curiosity. Claire was wondering if there was something wrong until the woman shook her head.

“Well now… those are exotic,” she said as she folded her arms. “Where did you come by coins like that?”

“The…” she began before remembering the warning her guide had given her about mentioning the Crystarium and cleared her throat as she confessed, not entirely lying, “From my travels.”

The woman looked suspicious at her vague answer, as if suspecting what she was about to say, but she didn’t press the matter as she looked over the coins.

“I’m sorry, dear,” she sighed finally, “I don’t doubt they have value. But I don’t have a touchstone to test their purity, and I’m not about to go begging for one from the neighbors—so we’ll just have to come to some other arrangement.”

“Like what?” Claire asked, worried about what she had in mind. After thinking it over, the barkeeper, Theva her name was, suggested that she do a little extermination work for her. Apparently the fields to the north of here where they grew vegetables were suffering from an swarm of pests and she wanted someone to go and check up on them—and slap the guard awake if it turns out he was sleeping on the job.

Claire agreed, having a feeling that she may be waiting for a while anyway, and was glad to have something to do. It was hard though because she didn’t want to leave when she knew that Alphinaud was on his way to meet her. But she reasoned with herself that there may be a chance they might cross paths outside? Well, either way, she made sure to be quick about this task.

After all, she started off as an adventurer by doing these small favors and odd jobs. Indeed, it brought back memories of her early days as an adventurer and how she wandered the hills of La Noscea and helped out the people there. She found herself smiling as she remembered how eager she had been when she got off the boat and got her first look of the city, wanting to explore every square inch of it until she was ready to venture beyond the safety of the walls. She even laughed as she remembered the first creature she ever slew was a wharf rat that snapped at her heels when she walked by.

Everything seemed so easy when she looked back. Back when her biggest concern was getting jobs to make some money for some food and the latest armor and weapons she could buy from the stalls in the markets. And she could still remember how proud she felt after completing a request and given some few coins for her services.

Eventually, her feet stopped as the more carefree memories were quickly followed by darker ones. The primals she faced… the battles she fought… dungeons she had been forced to explore…?

Where did everything change for her?

She had come to this thought more than once in her life and despite her best efforts, she could not pinpoint the exact moment did her life change completely. Was it when she killed her first primal? When she defeated Gaius and the Ultima Weapon? When she first joined the Scions? When she confronted the Ascians?

That first day she got off that boat in Limsa?

She didn’t know.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

She suddenly raised her head and looked around the area… almost believing that she was back in those simple days. Her eyes suddenly began to sting and she ran the rest of the way up the hill until she spotted the large fence that guarded the crops. The walk did give her time to think it all over on her way up there and she could not help but feel a sense of sorrow, though she wasn’t sure what it was that caused it.

Enough dreaming of the past. That’s not going to help anyone right now. She even gave her cheeks a light slap to bring her back to the matter at hand; she had a job to do. And different world or no, she had a reputation of seeing her tasks through to the end and she wasn’t going to let a job go undone.

It didn’t take her long to finish taking care of the pests. The crops were all thin and sickly looking as she carefully began to look through the plants to check for anything that shouldn’t be there. She hissed angrily when a swarm of insects stung her hands and she swatted them all furiously—feeling a grim satisfaction at the sight of the dead flies.

She stretched out, feeling pretty good about this before turning to the tower that stood guard over the crops and wondered what the guard did all day if he wasn’t guarding the fields. She approached the door and knocked; but after a while she finally forced the door open… only to find it almost empty with only a couple mice scurrying across the dusty floor.

She frowned at that, having a bad feeling about this whole thing, and looked around the entire tower. It looked like someone had cleared out of here in a quick hurry, and had been missing for at least a couple days—a week at most. She then checked the surrounding area, trying to make sure that no one was around or if the guard wasn’t lying somewhere hurt nearby. But once she was convinced that there was no one else, she made her way back to the tavern where Theva was waiting for her.

“Welcome back, dear,” she welcomed, seeing the couple stings on her hands from where she was stung by the pests and knew she had done her job. “What did that good-for-nothing caretaker have to say for himself?”

She told her what she saw, or rather, didn’t see, and offered to look around for the missing guard. Theva was slightly concerned about hearing that the guard was gone, but she didn’t seem too surprised as she shook her head.

“…Gone?” she grumped, “Hmph. Must have left to join the rest of the hopefuls.”

“Hopefuls?” Claire questioned curiously and Theva seemed surprised by her confusion, as if she had expected her to know the answer to that without having to explain it.

“In Gatetown,” Theva said slowly, as if reminding someone what apples were red and oranges were orange. But when Claire just looked on with a puzzled expression, she added, “Outside Eulmore?”

She knew that Eulmore was the name of the city… but what did that mean to her? At that, Theva seemed to realize that she was completely lost and asked, “You don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, do you. And there I was thinking you were another dreamer.”

Claire made to apologize, ready to try and explain it was her first time visiting Kholusia was even wondering if she could try say she just came from Amg Araeng, but Theva didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer as she waved her hand and reassured her, “Well, never mind all that. Take a seat whenever you like, dear, you’ve more than earned it. I’ll even throw in another drink, on the house.”

Once she took her seat, Theva came to the table and set down the glass of water she ordered before… and even a small mug of mead with a wink before heading back to the counter. Theva left her alone for the most part, and aside from the occasional creak of the building or the slight rumble of voices outside, Claire found herself waiting in silence.

She spent another ten minutes waiting, taking sips of water, her insides turning around with nervousness. She could not help but feel a little ridiculous she was acting here… and she suspected that if someone like Tataru or Krile were here, they would joke and say she was acting like a young maiden meeting up with a blind date for the first time.

She smirked at that as she finished her water and cautiously looked at her mead… suddenly feeling a little queasy and pushed it aside. She just wanted him to show up so that she could confirm with her own eyes that he was alive and well.

Finally, after this agonizing wait, she heard footsteps coming up the steps outside and the tavern door opened.

She looked up and stared as he stepped into the tavern, not noticing her at first as he approached the counter. Like his sister, he still had his hair tied back in the long braided ponytail, and he was even wearing a new ear cuff—but other than that his clothes were very different. He wore a new grimoire at his hip and he was dressed in a blue poncho with wooly trousers and thick furry boots. She was so used to seeing him in his more… studious appearance that seeing him in such travelling gear was a bit of a shock, but she actually liked seeing him in something so different. But otherwise, he looked very much like how she last saw him. Rosy cheeks… upturn nose… bright blue eyes that lit up the room whenever he walked in…?

Gods she was starting to sound like a lovesick maiden, wasn’t she?

“How goes your business today, Mistress Theva?” Alphinaud spoke and she could not hide the smile at the nostalgic sound. Theva only smiled at him, clearly knowing him, before she pointed her out as her new customer. That was when he finally spotted her and his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as if he could not believe what he was seeing. When her surprise wore off, she was able to stand up as their eyes met and her heart was now beating so hard that it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.

Why wasn’t he saying anything? He seemed too shocked to be able to do so. But after a minute of awkward silence, and she could feel herself growing worried, his astonishment finally melted away to the most loving of smiles and she felt herself doing the same as he said, “…Tis good to see you, my friend…!”

She barely paid any attention to how he set the pouch of barely seeds on the counter for Theva, who took them gratefully before deciding to leave. The two of them were left alone, and when they looked at each other, this happiness seemed to fill her chest as he slowly approached her, just staring at her face like he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not.

They spoke, but she barely paid attention to what was being said. All she could remember after that was how he eventually came to her in a tight embrace and she could not help but feel the sigh of happiness break free the moment she felt his arms wrapping around her. The pieces of her heart that felt that were missing were now settling back into place the moment she saw him walk in.

***Alphinaud***

Alphinaud wiped the sweat from his brow as he finished collecting some barley seeds from a rather stubborn patch of barley that was thriving despite the fact that no one had been tending to it. After doing some research on the area, he found out that there used to be a village here a hundred years ago that worked hard to crossbreed plants so that they had strong and healthy crops every year.

Of course, after the Flood, the area was not safe and was abandoned. A few stubborn folk insisted on staying, but over the next few generations, the people all left one by one until there was no one left to tend to the fields.

It wasn’t much, but hopefully these seeds will help the people of Stilltide make it through the winter.

He had just stood up and rubbed a sore shoulder as he crossed over the dried grass when someone called out to him.

“There you are!”

Alphinaud looked up at once to see the elder Eybor coming towards him with a friendly wave. Alphinaud smiled back as he tucked the pouch away at his belt.

“Master Eybor,” he greeted, “Thank you for telling me about this area. I was able to find exactly what I needed. Mistress Theva should be pleased with the barley seeds I found here. I’m hopeful that they will produce a more favorable crop this time.”

“Ah, good lad,” he laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I swear, you’re one the decent folk. Not too many of your kind left in the world.”

“Oh, no… I just had a few good role models to look up to,” he reassured him modestly. “And all I did was gather up some seeds. It was nothing.”

Eybor chuckled as the two of them feel in a comfortable step next to each other. Alphinaud had found himself quite fond of Eybor’s easy-going nature. After he first arrived in the First and learned of Eulmore, he had decided he would try his best to cooperate some kind of understanding with the people here. After explaining his intent, he Exarch sent him to Eybor first, whom he was sure would be able to aid him. Alphinaud spent his first few days with Eybor in his shack at the shore as he learned the area and what he needed to watch out for.

He only wished he had more to show for it. Though not from lack of trying.

“Anyway, I came out here to talk to ya,” he answered as they walked back in the direction of his fishing hut. “Someone came out here looking for you, lad.”

Alphinaud looked up in surprise at this news.

“Really? Who is it?” he asked curiously as Eybor shrugged back.

“Don’t know, never saw her before,” he answered back as he stroked his chin, “Just some Hume girl from the Crystarium, my bet. She came here saying she was looking all over for you and even hugged me when I said I knew ya. She’ll be waiting for you at Theva’s place right about now, so don’t keep the girl waiting. Seemed more than a little keen to see you.”

Again, this surprised Alphinaud, could had not received word from the Exarch or anyone else that he would be having someone come out to meet him. His first thought was that it was his sister having come to visit, but the man didn’t mention what the girl looked like and so he was left a little bit at a loss. Perhaps it was a messenger from the Exarch or even Urianger on how everything was going? That seemed the most probable answer.

Well, he had just finished collecting the barley seeds and had been wondering if he would have time to drop the pouch off to her before he would make his way to the shoreline to his meeting with the Ondo anyway. After giving Eybor a word of thanks, he set off, wondering what this message girl had to tell him that she would be asked to come all the way out here to deliver it.

As he made his way up the hill, he could see Eulmore standing out like a sore thumb and he paused for a moment to gaze at the city from a distance. Even from here, he could hear that music drifting across the waves and he wondered if he would ever be able to get a good look at what went on beyond those gold-rimmed doors.

He shook his head and looked away, feeling that just looking at the buildings was enough to give him a serious headache.

Having almost given up hope of getting into the city, he began to look around the rest of Kholusia to see if he could find other ways to help the people here. They were suffering and so many were struggling just to get by. Well, these seeds may be a good start. Hopefully, with these, the barely could bring Mistress Theva’s business back… which meant that there would be more food and drink around for everyone. Perhaps even draw others to work in the village… well, anything was better than Gatetown.

Besides, Mistress Theva had been so kind to him when he arrived in Kholusia, even offering some food in return for some work. It was the least he could do to repay her for all the help she had given him. Under the guise of a curious traveler, he learned much about Kholusia’s history from her, as well as how things worked here. Thanks to her, he learned about how getting into Eulmore was so difficult and that even passing through the gates was going to be a challenge. He had spent moons here, trying to find out some kind of information, but trying to get it from the clutches of Eulmore was like trying to steal someone’s teeth while they were still attached to them.

But, after much painstaking perseverance, he believed that he may be close to finding a way inside those gates at long last. Perhaps now he will be able to learn a thing or two about why the eaters mostly left this area alone and what made the city such a haven for them?

But as he continued walking along the road, his thoughts soon turned from Eulmore and back to Eorzea… his home in the Source. He wondered how everyone was doing. He sighed as he rubbed his arms, feeling cold all of a sudden—a chill that had nothing to do with the ocean breeze either.

He thought about the Source a great deal, usually when he had nothing to do and was left alone with his thoughts. Every couple of weeks, he would return to the Crystarium, just to check and see if the Exarch had any news regarding the state of the realm in their absence. Of course, with such a great time difference between the two worlds, trying to stay updated is often difficult, but he remembered everything that Alisaie had told him when she first arrived.

She had all but lost control when she awoke in the tower almost a year ago. He had been speaking with Urianger in one of the rooms, still trying to decide his next course of action when he heard the screaming. It didn’t take long for them to recognize the voice and raced into the room to find Alisaie about ready to tear the Exarch apart.

Of course, once she spotted him and gave him the tightest hug he could ever remember receiving from her, she began to shriek at him for daring to leave them at such an important juncture.

It took them hours to calm her down long enough to get some news on the state of the realm and he could not help but feel relief to know that everyone was doing well… for the most part. Ever since then though, he hadn’t had any news… and after a few weeks, he found he could not sit around and do nothing.

As much as he wanted to be there… he couldn’t stand to wait there while the Exarch still struggled to reach across the rift.

Those thoughts led to his heart to ache at the reminder of _her_…?

Not a day had gone by that he did not think of her… his heart yearning to see her again so dearly that it was painful. While he wanted to return home, more than anything, he wished to see the one he had left behind. But not if he knew there was a future where he was going to lose her. Up till now, he would think of her words and how she had faith in him when he chose to leave Doma and head off into Garlemald.

Leaving her behind that time had been painful enough… but at least they were both in the Source. Here, they were now worlds apart… and it was like wanting to reach out and touch the moon or stars… and he didn’t even have the comfort of night here.

He knew that the Exarch was doing his best to bring her here, but the man had confessed that with each summoning, it drained him considerably. When last he spoke to him, several months ago, the Exarch was overjoyed as he told him that he was able to make contact with Claire at long last.

At that, Alphinaud begged for news on her wellbeing. How was she? Did she look well? Was she safe?

The Exarch assured him that she was in good hands and that he was able to pass on his message to her that they needed her help in the First. While he confessed that his conversation with her had been brief, he managed to leave a beacon there for her to follow. All they had to do was wait for it to be found and he should, with hope, have a strong enough connection to be able to bring her here. Body and soul…

But as the next three months went by and still no word, he could not deny he was anxious. For it felt that with every passing moment they spent here struggling to hold back the Light, the Garlens were still working on the Black Rose. And from what Gaius told him before, and from what he had seen, the poison was in the final stages of being perfected into a deadly gas.

Alisaie had told him about how they had briefly met with Gaius and were warned of the Black Rose poison, but had no further clues to how to prevent the calamity that was waiting for them.

What if by the time that they were able to find a way to save this world it would be too late? The Eight Umbral Calamity came and claimed the lives of all they knew and loved? The thought of their friends all dying of poison…?

He shivered at that before slapping his cheeks to snap out of it. This wasn’t helping anyone. He just had to focus on the task at hand and hope for the best. Even if he was trapped in a world away from the one who held his heart, he was going to make sure that every minute he spent here would be productive. He would do whatever it took to aid her from afar and hope that she would be brought here in time.

He forced those thoughts away from him as he entered Stilltide and headed to the tavern, wondering if a drink could help with these thoughts rolling around in his head.

By the time that he entered, he had completely refocused on his task and greeted his new friend.

“How goes your business today, Mistress Theva?” Alphinaud asked, not even glancing around the usually empty tavern, already forgetting about the girl who was waiting for him. The elven woman, who was counting out the inventory, turned back in surprise to see him having returned so quickly. He had run a handful of errands for her in the past, and she was usually pleased with his work, and it showed as her usually worn face melted in a soft smile. She then folded her arms as she said quite cheerfully, “Oh, frenetic. Look, I’ve got a new customer.”

He followed her gaze to the corner where there was someone watching them and he felt his eyes widen in shock. His jaw about hit the floor as he stared, wondering if he was still dreaming underneath that tree.

Claire Faye stood from her chair and was staring right back at him, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing either. His blue eyes met hers and suddenly if was as if his heart was about to burst from his chest in joy.

He closed his mouth as he beamed, fighting the urge to run into her arms. How he was able to restrain himself, he had no idea, but it was as if the world was full of meaning again for just that brief moment.

It took him a moment to remember how to speak as he said, “...Tis good to see you, my friend…!”

She smiled back at him as he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Theva was looking between the two of them quiet curiously. Wishing for some privacy, he turned to her and spoke with as much professionalism as he could muster, as he set the pouch of barely seeds on the counter in front of her.

She was startled at that, but she smiled back at him fondly before a look of understanding came over her features when she looked to him to Claire. She then cleared her throat as she offered to go out and clean out the shacks before more pests moved in… leaving the two of them alone.

Once he was sure that her footsteps had headed away, he slowly approached Claire, unable to take his eyes off her as warmth suddenly seemed to spread throughout every part of his body and giving his otherwise exhausted limbs new life. He did not run to her, almost afraid of how she would react… was she angry at him? Or could it be that her feelings had changed since they last spoke? That last thought nearly caused the ecstasy inside him to wither.

He didn’t want to push her into a corner… but all he wanted to do at that moment was throw his arms around her and never let go.

“It seems like an age since last we spoke. Not since the prisoner exchange in Doma. And Yotsuyu…” he whispered as he stared at her face. “If you count the days I have spent here, it has been even longer for me. However, the time apart has only added the relief I feel seeing you here, safe and well.” At that, his emotions were now dangerously close to breaking at that. He didn’t want to ruin the moment… a part of him still held onto the irrational fear of getting close… in case this was all some sort of dream or trick.

She just smiled back, sounding a little choked up as well, when she said to him, “Me? I was more worried about you.”

Oh, hearing her voice was like music to his ears even as the memory of Alisaie’s scolding came back to mind. Though he knew his sister didn’t like to admit to it, but he could tell that his choice to leave like that had affected her and left her worried sick. He had a feeling that he would be apologizing for that for many years to come. At the time, he had been certain that his choice had been the right one though. After all, he was more at home in a meeting room than on the battlefield if he had to be honest with himself. Though he had studied hard and focused more on being an aid in battle since arriving, he felt that his skills were better suited to such a mission than the others.

“Heh, Alisaie said the same thing...” he confessed with a slight chuckle, “I never believed I’d get such a scolding from her.”

But all that was wiped away as he slowly approached Claire and stared up into her face. He could feel his eyes cloud up and he fought to hold them back. He could not help it though, for the second he saw her here and alive and well… the heavy burdens he was carrying were cut away from him.

Oh gods how had he missed her…!

He reached out and gently took her hands and he could feel the skin… both rough and smooth and he could finally accept that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him this time. He could only let out a desperate laugh before he flung his arm around her neck and held her tightly.

Almost at the same time, her arms wrapped themselves around him and held him just as tightly as they swayed slightly where they stood.

“Finally…” he whispered as he held on tightly, breathing in her achingly familiar scent as he dreamt of happier days.

“I missed you,” he whispered to her, almost shaking as he could feel her, really feel her. Could hear her breath along with the feeling soft rise and fall of her chest as proof that she was here before him and alive. He never wanted to leave this embrace and wouldn’t have minded if the two of them were forever locked in this moment for all of time.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting,” she whispered, “But I’m so happy to see you again.”

His face was pressed against her neck, and he suddenly felt the spot where her pulse fluttered against his cheek and he relished in the sensation. Perhaps out of blissful happiness, he pressed his lips against the fluttering pulse that was connected to her heart; and she even gave a happy sigh that sounded like the sweetest of songs to his ears.

Finally, he pulled away so that he could get a good look at her, his hands reaching up to feel her face. There were slight shadows under her eyes and her face was a little thinner than when they last spoke. He could feel her short hair tickling the tips of his fingers as he stroked her face lovingly as he rememorized every part of her features.

He wasn’t sure how to respond to this now that she was here. He had been dreaming of this moment for so long now, come up with so many things that he could say to her… that all few out the window now that his dearest wish was fulfilled.

For a moment, they could just stare at each other, losing themselves in each other’s’ eyes.

She finally said, “I think you grew an ilm or two since I last saw you.”

It was so random that he could not help but laugh as he responded, “And you cut your hair since last I saw you.”

They continued to stand there, just looking at the other, and he was starting to feel stupid not saying or doing something. It was at this point she was giving him a strange look… as if she was wondering what he was waiting for. When he realized this, some part of his brain was telling him that this was real… she was here and right in front of him.

It was as if she cast a spell over him and he could only see her at that moment as he claimed her lips with his own. A year of yearning suddenly came crashing down upon them as he gave her a kiss that was so deep that it was a wonder if either of them would ever resurface from it.

It wasn’t until he pulled away did he realize that he had all but slammed her into the side of the wall from their kiss. Her back was flat against it as his fingers were entangled with her hair in his eagerness. Not that she was complaining, her own fingers were caught in his own hair as she met his eager kisses until they were both gasping for breath when broke free. They did not let go of each other for some time though… their foreheads pressed against the other as they could only soak in each other’s presence.

The fires that had rose within his heart dulled slightly as they came back down to earth and remembered why they were here and he pulled away rather reluctantly.

“Come, let’s have a seat,” he said fondly, slightly embarrassed, “You must tell me everything that happened before you came here to the First.”

She nodded and so they took a seat and began to tell each other what happened. All the bliss he felt the moment he saw her soon turned into seriousness as they shared news. He explained after crashing in the Burn, he and the others were rescued by a man who called himself the Shadowhunter. It wasn’t until much later did he discover the man’s true identity and he could not believe it. He feared that he would use him as a way to get to her… but Gaius had surprised him. While he could not forgive the man for what he had done to Eorzea, he pushed aside all resentment for the greater good. And so he told her of the Black Rose and what he had seen of it before he found himself here. Claire picked up where he left off and told him how they ran into Gaius at the Burn and what he told knew of the Ascians when he returned Alphinaud’s sleeping form to them. After that, she told them about the fighting at the borders, and of the Ascian that was currently walking around in Zenos’s skin.

“They had been pushed back for the time being,” she finished telling him, “And it didn’t look like things would change for a time. Which is giving me the time I need to come here and find you.”

“I see,” he said after listening to her explanation of everything that happened since they parted ways in Doma. And he would be lying if he wasn’t relieved to hear that the fighting was at a standstill for the time being. For now, they could focus on the First and concentrate on finding a way to prevent what was waiting for them in the not-so-distant future.

“Both the Exarch and Alisaie told me what they knew of events, but I had stubbornly clung on to the hope that all-out war might yet be avoidable… and poor Tataru—she must be sick with worry. We must endeavor to return as soon as we may…” He cracked a smile and said, “Twould be nice to bring her good tidings for a change.”

He could not help but smile when Claire told him that Tataru had forgiven him for his ‘reckless spending spree’ back in Doma. With the gold that they managed to gain from this ‘job’ they had in the Ruby Sea, he was quite glad to hear that she had long since forgiven him for his purchase. He would have to be careful from now on.

He hoped to be able to return to apologize in person, even though he suspected that when she saw him next, Tataru will be holding the strings of her coin purse tightly.

But that would all have to wait until after they solved the problems that this world.

“But before we bid this world farewell, we must first ensure that it is not rejoined to the Source,” he said firmly, “We must prevent the Eight Umbral Calamity.”

Course, he was aware that all of that was far easier said than done.

“I’m still not completely sure I fully understand about what is coming for us,” Claire said, and he looked at her, as a look of confusion shone from her eyes. “The Exarch explained a little to me before… including the fact that I died in this future…?” He flinched at that as she finished, “But I fear he wasn’t able to give me a full explanation to how to avoid that future. Tell me, do you truly think that this future… will it happen?”

Pain gripped his heart as he nodded.

“Urianger’s vision of the future has, I fear, every chance of coming true,” he sighed, “By his description, the catalyst for the Calamity was a formless and deadly weapon employed by the Garlean Empire.”

He thought back to what he saw while travelling the Garlean’s lands, including the camp of resistance fighters that had fallen prey to the poison. An ‘experiment’ Gaius had called it. Merely testing the potency of the poison upon the trouble-makers before readying it for a weapon of war and mass destruction.

“Which can only mean one thing: Black Rose,” he stated, “Gaius was telling you the truth. When we were on the trail of the Ascians, we saw evidence that the gas was being manufactured once more. Gaius was adamant that the project had been scrapped. But so long as there are wars to be waged, there will always be those determined to win by any means. And thus simply destroying the existing stores of Black Rose would do little to alter fate’s course. In that sense, our involuntary journey here to the First was something of a boon.”

He tried to sound calm about it… but the memory of the moment he discovered what awaited them continued to haunt him to this day. And until they found a way to change their future… he feared he would continue only to have nightmares about it.

_*Flashback*_

_He couldn’t believe what he had heard. But thanks to Urianger calm and soft voice, he was able to come out of his shocked state long enough to hear what he had to say. Alphinaud wasn’t sure what had happened mere moments before. _

_For one moment he was with Gaius and the others as they went over the information they had managed to learn of the Black Rose before this terrible pain attacked his mind… and then he was awakening here. _

_He was lost, scared, and confused… and it wasn’t until the man dressed in robes and cowl over his face called for Urianger did he relax. He could not help but smile at the familiar face as he was given some spare clothes and brought to another one of the rooms in the tower so that his friend could explain what was going on._

_The Crystal Exarch, as he introduced himself to be, wanted to go with them to help explain and to apologize, but Urianger insisted on doing it himself and that he Exarch needed to focus on the task at hand._

_Alphinaud found himself ushered away from the room as Urianger set him down and explained everything. That they were now in the world of the First and of the situation here. It was all too much and most of it went clear over his head as he tried to grasp the enormity of the state of affairs. Urianger explained that the Exarch was trying to reach out to bring Claire here… but both of them, Y’shtola, and Thancred had been pulled away by mistake. Both she and Alisaie were still home in the Source… at the moment and they were here trying to find a way home… at least they were._

_For after Urianger told him all of this… he dropped the biggest news yet about what he observed while travelling across the rift._

_“After I was pullst away from our home in the Source, I was set adrift through the darkest of voids, or rather—I find thyself within the very void itself,” he explained, “Mine mind was both there, yet… elsewhere while images of both past and future paraded across thine vision in solemn procession. Yet, despite mine muddled consciousness, I foresaw images before mine eyes.”_

_“Yes… yes, I remember…” he whispered as he thought back to the flashes of memories and voices that played through his head, but he was unable to make heads or tails of them at the moment. He was just so frightened at what was happening that he did not pay attention to what the voices from the past said._

_“Mayhaps memories thought buried deep surfaced while travelling through the void,” Urianger suggested, “Memories so powerful that they imprinted themselves upon our very souls. But it was there that the images did appear before me. Most… were recollections of thine own past. Others… were those yet to come. As I did travel through the dark, I found vistas where I gleaned what I could only assume were events that have not yet come to pass.”_

_And so Alphinaud found himself listening with ever growing horror as Urianger told him more about the grim and dark future that awaited them. Especially when he spoke of the Black Rose. He quickly cut in and told him about what he learned of the poison while he was the Empire’s lands and Urianger seemed taken aback by that, even asking him several questions before continuing on._

_“It was there, before thine eyes, did I witness a scene that shall plague my dreams for years yet to come,” he told him grimly and he could see the sad look in Urianger’s golden eyes as he thought back to whatever knowledge was tormenting him._

_“It was there that I saw scenes that were as familiar as they were horrifying,” he went on, “I hath seen our own Eorzea ravaged by war and death that were unlike any other witnessed by the eyes of man. A poison turned into a deadly plague that spared no one… man, women, nor child was safe from it. The poison, as thou now knowst as Black Rose, corrupted the land and left countless dead upon the ground.”_

_He closed his eyes as a look of terrible pain passed over his face and Alphinaud could only listen in with ever growing horror at what he was hearing._

_“I prayed for the visions to stop, but the worst was yet to come,” he confessed. “For not only did I seeith the deaths of countless others… most were nameless and faceless… but then did the nightmare truly begin for the images of those closest to us also met their end. I sawth our dear Tataru lying upon the ground… no longer able to smile and speak as she laid there still and devoid of all light and hope. While next to her laid our own Krile, who’s spirit once shone so brightly was now as dark and cold as a ember that had long since gone out. How I wished that I could tear my eyes away from such a scene but… more did I doth witness…?”_

_Alphinaud gulped, his hands shaking as they clasped themselves in front of them. He didn’t want to hear anymore, to just cover his ears and turn his head away, but Urianger was already continuing on with his vision. _

_“More images of our comrades appeared before mine eyes, and my soul doth felt it was about to break apart with each image,” Urianger went on, shaking his head, close to despair. “For next did I see of Thancred… Despite all of his clever tricks and experience, he had fallen against such a foe that I do not think anyone could stop. And this only confirmed mine thoughts when next I saw Y’shtola lying beside him… her powerful magicks having died with her and left behind only this empty shell… no more… I begged to not know more… but still… one last vision came to me… the worst one yet.”_

_“Stop…” Alphinaud tried to beg, but no words came out. For he knew what he was about to say next, knew of who else’s name would pass his lips even before he spoke again. For how else could such a look of defeat and despair be visible to him if this was not the case?_

_“I feared about all else what I would see next,” Urianger said as he seemed to age a hundred years and was now carrying the weight of the world upon his shoulders, “For in front of me were now those of thyself Master Alphinaud and Mistress Alisaie. The grandchildren of dear Master Louisoix… whom I had vowed to watch over thee and protect thee… had left this world. And the same spark, the same blazing fire to fight for a better future—that undeniably inherited from thy grandsire… had been stamped out as death claimed both only minutes apart. I had thought that no greater sorrow could I know than in that moment. But I was proven to be… mistaken…”_

_“Stop…” Alphinaud gasped pleadingly, tears falling hot and fast from his eyes as he knew whose name was left. But it was as if Urianger did not hear him, for he finished with his tale._

_“Whereas between the pair was one other… the final figure who had been claimed by Black Rose…” he whispered, and Alphinaud could hear the choke in his voice, “For between the two of thee laidth our greatest champion and dearest friend… our Warrior of Light… had fallen at long last. Having given her life for the sake of others… and tried, in vain, to stop the poison. For not even she was spared death that day. All three of thee were together… as thou were in life… and knew that it was over. All hope was now gone… as if a candle had been blown out.”_

_There was nothing but stunned silence between the two of them as the news full sunk in. _

_“The poison spared no one… not even the Scions,” Urianger whispered. “And I knew at that moment what it was that I was seeing… it was clear to me now as if it were spoken to me first hand… that these horrors that were shone to be were not some nightmare that the rift had cursed me with. But in fact, I have witnessed the events that have not yet come to pass… the horror that awaits us in the Eighth Umbral Calamity.”_

_Alphinaud did not speak for a long moment as he let what he just learned wash over him. And before he knew it, before he realized what was happening, he opened his mouth to speak. But instead of words, all reason seemed to flee from him as he let out a cry of terror. Horror filling every part of his body until he could no longer hold back the flood of sorrow that broke free. He slid from his seat and fell to his knees onto the floor as denial at such a future was destined for them._

_No… no… no, no, no! He refused to accept that! Not after all this! He refused to accept that a future like that was all that lay ahead of them. He didn’t know how long he leaned on the floor like that, only that it was long enough for Urianger to place his hands upon his shoulders and tried to comfort him. But at that moment, all he felt was this surge of fury and pain that nothing could wash away._

_It was some time before Urianger was able to help him back to his feet and into the seat as he tried to find something to say. But Alphinaud felt that he had fallen into the deepest pits of despair and the idea of climbing out now seemed an almost impossible task. _

_But Urianger kept speaking, shaking his shoulders as he tried to tell him more. He explained that the Exarch was here to try and help them change that terrible future. He tried to explain more about the sin eaters, and how that if they could save this world, then they could advert the calamity that was threatening to come for them. Alphinaud wasn’t sure what to think as Urianger went on with his explanation, but trying to listen in after all that he learned was too painful to even thinking about. _

_Finally, Urianger seemed to realize that he was in no state to listen and instead leaned back in his knees as he observed him long and hard._

_“I beg for thee to understand what is at stake. And so I must ask just one question. Master Alphinaud, w_ _ill thou help us find a way to save the First and the Source?” he asked simply as Alphinaud gripped his hair tightly._

_How could he ask something like that? What could they do? They were trapped in another world with no other way to warn the others back home what was going on! Saving one world was hard enough, but now they had to fight to save another where they knew next to nothing about it?_

_“What about me?” he asked, his hands shaking as he reached up and gripped his hair that fell over his shoulders now that it was free from its usual braid. “What do I do?”_

_Urianger just looked at him, he could feel his eyes watching him as he tried to get a grip on all that he just learned. Finally, instead of answering him, Urianger asked one question._

_“Doth thou love her?” he asked, and finally Alphinaud’s head jerked up to look into his old friend’s face. There was only a kind sorrow that shone back from his eyes and he could tell that Urianger understood the pain that he was in. Instead of waiting for an answer, Urianger reached out and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder._

_“Aye,” he said with a knowing nod, “The look in thine eyes is all the answer we doth need to confirm it. Thy have given thy heart to her most willingly… and despite being worlds apart… she still holdth onto it with both hands… does she not?”_

_Alphinaud looked away, feeling the odd hollow inside him as if his heart had truly left him… though now that he thought of it… he was just a soul given a solid form. Did he even have a heart in this state?_

_“Then pray, lend us your aid, Master Alphinaud,” Urianger encouraged him, as the hand that was gripping his shoulder squeezed a little, “If thou love her, truly love her, then thou knowth the path that we must walk.”_

_Alphinaud lowered his head to rest his forehead against his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs as he tried to process all that he just heard. Urianger did not press him… he just waited for his answer. It wasn’t until a very long moment of silence before Alphinaud raised his head a little as he found the words._

_“Claire… Alisaie and the others. I want to go back… but… I can’t,” he choked. “I don’t want to go back to a future with… without her in it.”_

_And the more he thought of it, more he could not stand it._

_“No,” he said as he finally stood up as a new fire began to blaze inside him as a new mission formed in his mind. “I can’t let her die. I’m going to save her even if it kills me!”_

_*Flashback*_

He took a deep breath as he forced the memory away from him, “Together with the Exarch, we’ve developed a theory as to how we believed the Rejoining will be set in motion.”

That was their only hope now. They had been stuck at a standstill for some time because without they needed Claire, who was the most important figure in this situation, here with them. Yet even with her arrival, he was not so naïve to believe that it was going to be a smooth path.

“I am sure Urianger will cover the subject in more detail…” he stated thoughtfully. “But I can tell you the process requires that both worlds—the Source and the First—be facing an existential threat. One being sin eaters, of course. They are a menace that I would dearly love to remove, and not just to avert a calamity.”

He raised his head and stared into her eyes as she listened in. He sighed as he told her what he truly felt, how fond he had grown of this world in his time here.

“I may be a stranger to this world, but I will not stand idly by and let innocent people be slaughtered,” he told her.

Though this world may be a distant one to his own, he could not help but feel a kinship with the people here and he wished to do all he could to aid them. He wanted to see this world survive and thrive for many more generations to come. He wanted both of these worlds to be able to grow together as they were supposed to.

“It’s what brought me to the gates of Eulmore. While ignoring its pretensions as a “capital city” to what remains of the world, it is nonetheless a center of power and authority. It would be in our best interest to begin our search for a solution there...” he explained before feeling a little embarrassed that he didn’t have more to show for his time here. Though now that he thought of it… this may be a good opportunity for him to show her just what the situation here in Eulmore was. So, feeling a little hesitant, he asked, “What say you? Are you up for another adventure?”

He waited for a moment, his heart beating hard, but there was no need to worry. She just smiled as she stood up and punched her fists together. He grinned back as he also got to his feet.

“Assuming you have no objections, let us make our way directly to the city outskirts,” he said eagerly, “If we time our arrival just right, you may be lucky enough to see why I have yet to set foot in Eulmore—despite my best efforts to do so… come. Form here, we must head west, and then cross a small bridge…”

And he was already giving instructions on the quickest way to Eulmore as they headed out the door. But along the way, they almost ended up running right into Mistress Theva, and Claire reached out to steady her before she fell to the ground.

“My apologizes, Mistress Theva,” he said quickly, “Are you alright?”

“Oh, no harm done, dear,” she reassured him with a kind smile. “I was just checking on the crops.” She looked to Claire and beamed as she said, “You did a fine job of clearing out the pests. If you ever are in need of more work, don’t be a stranger now. Don’t have much in terms of money, but if you need a drink or a home-cooked meal, feel free to stop by.”

“You are too kind,” Claire responded politely.

“Isn’t she a sweetie?” Mistress Theva asked before turning to him and asking, “Where did you find this one?”

“Oh, she’s an old friend who came to visit,” he said, a little awkward for he wasn’t sure how else to word it.

“Friend? Ah, wait… I though she seemed familiar even though I was certain we never met before,” she said as she looked back to Claire and added, “He stops in every once in a while to see if I have any work for him to do and he often regales me about this lady he was separated from. I can only assume that was you?”

Claire blinked and Alphinaud felt himself turn bright read as he cried, “Yes, thank you Mistress Theva! Now if you don’t mind, we should be going.”

“So she is real,” she laughed, “I swear, every time that you spoke about her, she sounded more and more made up with every moment. That or your mind was addled by some fae folk. I mean even her name would suggest that. Faye…? But I can see that you were right, she’s very pretty.”

“Right, let us go!” Alphinaud said as he quickly pushed Claire down the steps and Mistress Theva waved him off with a sunny smile.

“Why does everyone like to mock me?” he sighed as Claire also laughed.

“You make it so easy,” she told him as she kissed his cheek. When she teased him, it was always in a fond and gentle way that made his heart skip and so he couldn’t help but enjoy it whenever she did it. Why it bothered him so much when others did… he wasn’t sure… but he merely linked his arm with hers as they made their way out of the village.

As they walked, he began to tell her all about some of the ventures he had here. Most of them being odd jobs and tasks that the villagers had him do, but he learned a great deal of the history of the land from them and he could not help but want to share with her everything he knew.

Oh, but he also learned of a vast library deep within Eulmore that was said to rival even the Cabinet of Curiosity back in the Crystarium and he could not help but long for a chance to be able to look through that. That, alone, would be worth getting into Eulmore if he could learn more of the history of this world.

She patiently listened to him talk as he told her about the land, and pointed out the different parts of the landscape and the easiest way to travel across it. The island was divided into two sides with the lower part here and the upper parts on top of those cliffs. He had never been up there because there the ladder, that great steel structure a distance away, was no longer operational. Apparently, it was shut down decades ago and no one had been to those upper cliffs since the last time the ladder moved.

Claire mentioned to him how similar to Limsa that Kholusia looked, though she also added that while Lilmsa was covered with green fields that were perfect for farmland and snow-white cliffs that looked like marble in the sun… everything here looked dry, yellow, and wilting.

He could not counter that and he ran his thumb over her knuckles as they looked at each other. They continued until they reached a river and they found the bridge a short distance away. Here he was able to get a good look at the city and he recognized just how gaudy it looked.

“Kholusia seems peaceful does it not?” he asked quietly, “Almost… familiar? I had a similar impressing of the Crystarium. Even in this distant world people are much the same.” He shifted his shoulders as he added, “To think that whenever a calamity struck the Source, a reflection such as this one—with all its culture and history—was being erased from existence…”

“N-No! Get away from me!” screamed a voice and they jerked their heads up at once. Without thinking they ran on ahead, but as he tried to find the source of the scream, he ended up losing his bearings on the uneven ground and fell over, hitting his head. He hissed slightly as he shook it and tried to get a look around at where he was now.

He cast his gaze around, desperately trying to find the owner of scream. But, he soon heard that same voice screaming out, “Oh, thank the fates y—Look out!”

Well, there was no need to guess who found her.

Cursing his own clumsy feet, he turned around and ran off in what he hoped was the right direction this time as he heard the fighting breaking out. He came burst up over the hill in time to see an older woman cowering on the ground as Claire stood over her, her sword in hand as she heaved the heavy thing right through the sin eater’s skull. The creature let out a loud shriek before falling to the ground in a heap of white aether that was quickly draining back into the land.

He sighed in relief as Claire shifted her sword onto her back again and turned to the gasping woman, who was shaking on the ground.

“My poor heart…” he heard her whimpered, ‘Thank you, young miss.”

“Ah, there you are!” Alphinaud gasped in relief when came running up to them, wheezing slightly, glad to see that they were safe. Well, he knew that she wasn’t the type to become weak in his time away from her, but he had no idea how much she knew about the eaters yet. “In my hast, I lost my bearings… but I see you have the situation well in hand. Fine work!” Hoping she wasn’t going to bring up his poor sense of direction later on, he then looked to the older woman and asked kindly, “Are you alright madam?”

The elder slowly climbed back to her feet and dusted herself off.

“Just a few bruises from where I fell,” she reassured them with a slightly hoarse voice that she had been screaming with but a moment ago, “Nothing compared to what was in store for me before this brave soul came to my rescue. I honestly thought I was done for. My feet are not as swift as they once were and I knew there was no one left to hear me scream. Not that I let that stop me!” She sighed and then added, “I should probably leave my old house behind and queue up outside Eulmore with the rest of them.”

Alphinaud frown at that, not liking that suggestion in the least. But the woman then gave a harsh laugh as she admitted, “Doubt those fancy lords and ladies would welcome an old crone like me… Still even a shack near the gate has to be safer than staying here!”

“One would hope,” he said bracingly, not wanting to say anything else to upset her, “Either way, I suggest you avoid wandering alone, lest you make the sin eaters task any easier.”

She nodded in agreement before looking back at Claire and even gave her a quick hug that all but shook with gratitude.

“Thank you again,” she whispered to her, “You saved my life.”

She pulled back and gave her a fond look before finishing, “Now I’m sure a strapping lass you like has little to fear, but I wouldn’t linger long in this place. There’s naught to be had here but cobwebs and memories.”

She gave a quick bow to them both before she left and they made sure to watch her head off until she reached a small house further down the way and retreated safely inside.

It seems that he had been seeing that more and more often these days.

“Tis as the lady says,” he told her, “Many in these parts have abandoned their homes to live in Eulmore’s shadow. Should the sin eaters descend upon this region, there are precious few with the strength to fight them off…” He then looked to her and asked, “Speaking of which, what have you been told of these monsters?”

She then told him of her run in with some of these monsters in Amh Araeng and of even having the horror to see someone become an eater. He wasn’t sure he imagined it, but a pained expression came over her face at the mention of witnessing a transformation and he reached out to take her hand in silent comfort. He knew that feeling… after witnessing his first transformation, it was not a pleasant sight to see. She forced a sad smile back as she squeezed his hand, confessing that compared to that place, this was the first eater she had seen.

“Ah yes,” he nodded, “Alisaie would be well qualified to speak on the subject. Compared with Amh Araeng, Kholusia is almost a haven… but as you saw, we cannot let our guard down. Had you arrived but a few moments later, the sin eaters would have claimed another victim.”

She nodded as he rubbed her arm and shoulder gently before suggesting, “Still, we have won a small victory this time, at least. Now, shall we press on?”

She nodded, and he led her away from the farmhouse and down further south so that they were right at the coast once again and at the foot of the city. The city resembled Limsa Lominsa to some degree, but there were many more levels and wings that were connecting to the main part of the rock that it was settled upon. The bright colors of purple walls with golden roofs clashed with each other as lights flashed and the music played louder than ever as banners waved in the breeze as if there was a parade or a party going on inside.

He was really starting to grow sick of that constant song.

But his attentions were immediately refocused upon Gatetown. Now if the other settlements were sad, these were deplorable. These houses, couldn’t even be called that, just a bunch of boards and tents all hammered together and that was enough for them. Not even animals should be living in such conditions… let alone people.

When they arrived, he could see Claire looking around at this place with a startled expression and he let go of her hand as he turned to explain.

“That gate up ahead is known as the ‘Open Arms’, and Eulmore itself lies beyond,” he clarified to her, “This, meanwhile, is the aptly named ‘Gatetown’. The dwelling place of the many desperate souls who hope to be chosen to live in the city proper.”

He could see it in her face just how sad she thought this place was. Not that he blamed her… he felt the same way.

“Oh!” called a familiar voice and Alphinaud had to fight an irritated groan as one of the townspeople made his way over to them. He knew him on sight only, finding him so unpleasant to be around he had no interest in even learning the man’s name. He always made his time here difficult as he tried to encourage the people to be more independent and that there were surely other places they could go. He always just laughed and swore at him until Alphinaud realized that no one was listening to him and left.

It seemed that it would be no difference today as he approached them and looked over him with a rather smug smirk, “I thought I recognized you. Brought a new friend, eh?”

That was when his eyes found Claire next to him and he saw how the man’s eyes widen a little bit with interest. That was when he began to chuckle darkly as he grinned.

“I’ll bet you’ve got a trick or two up your sleeve,” he said to her, “Maybe even three! Care to show me?”

In that moment, all Alphinaud could see was red as a furious fire blazed within him. Claire took a disgusted and startled step back as the man leered at her, but Alphinaud moved between the two. While he was aware she could throw him clear over one of these huts, he couldn’t stand the way that he was speaking to her like that.

He just glared up at him, speaking in a calm, yet icy, voice, “She’s not here to compete. Leave her be.”

“What?” he barked drunkenly as his self-satisfied smirk faded and he was glaring down at him, “I was only making conversation!”

Alphinaud glared back, a part of him wanting to punch him, before the sounds of trumpets being blown could be heard from the gate entrance. That got everyone’s attention, and the lout from before ran on ahead, not even bothering to look back.

“Come on,” he said as he grabbed Claire’s hand and pulled her alone so that he could show her what was going on.

“What happened back there?” Claire asked him in concern, “You seemed, mad?”

“I apologize for that,” he said, though a part of his heart was far from sorry. He took a few deep breaths as he calmed down and they slowed to a walk up the hill. “But I want you to see this. Once you do, I think you’ll have a much better understanding of the situation here in Eulmore.”

Claire nodded, but she did continue to look at him in concern before they came to the edge of a crowd. It was hard to make out what was happening from this distance, but he already was aware of what was going on when he saw the colorful costumes stepping out with a couple large sacks. He folded his arms as he watched a pair of young women, dressed as jesters appeared before the crowd and began to ring a bell.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Your attention pleeeease!”

He watched as the crowd drew back enough for them to get a good look at the two, one dressed in a bright red jester outfit, while the other dressed all in blue. They also wore masks, so they weren’t able to get a clear look with half of their faces covered, but their voices reached out to them all as if they were trying to draw a crowd for a show.

“Greetings to our hopeful petitioners, one and all!” the Red Jongleur called, “Eulmore extends its warmest regards! Let it be known that a lady of distinction wishes to dine on fish divine!”

“We seek a master culinarian who can guarantee seafood perfection!” the Blue Jongleur added as if nothing could be more exciting than this news, “Dazzle the matron with your delicious dishes, and life in the city will be yours to enjoy. Even on days when fish is not on the menu!”

“Who among you will answer the call?” the Red Jongleur called with a friendly wave, her eyes scanning the crowds for a willing volunteer, “Name yourself or another, we mind not at all!”

Alphinaud sighed at the sight and shook his head. It was disgusting to him… how these poor desperate souls came here hoping for a better life, but were being treated no differently than how one would purchase fruit from a marketplace. He knew that his friend was not going to take this news well. She was still new to the workings here, but he knew that once she understood the full picture, he knew she was going to be outrage at the treatment of these people. Indeed, he wanted to fly into a rage once he learned of this.

Hoping that she would be calm, he whispered to her, “Do you recall how I said Eulmore was a center of power and authority? Well, that is not the only reason for its fame.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, and he could hear the apprehension in her voice, as if she dreaded to hear the answer.

“It is also known as the city of final pleasures,” he confirmed for her as he pointed to the dazzling city above their heads. “The noble and the wealthy who survived the Flood gathered here to live out the rest of their days in decadent abandon. A poor man could sooner pass through the eye of a needle than Eulmore's gates. The only way the commonfolk can enter this perverted paradise is if they fulfill the whim of one of the privileged. And so they are picked over like market produce....”

“So you mean… it’s like in parts of Ul’dah… or Ishgard?” she asked worriedly and he sighed.

“No,” he answered back, “I’m saying it’s even worse. Here, there is no ‘middle’ class. You are either part of Eulmore’s society and live without any other cares in the world… or you are poor and left out here to fend for yourself.”

At that, he pointed to a woman, who stepped out from the crowd and approached the jesters, who looked over her with eagerness before deciding that they would accept her within the city walls. At that, the woman all but danced with joy and the crowd let out cheers all around them before looking hungrily at the sacks.

“Ah, just look at those expectant faces!” the Blue Jongleur called with a grin, “What could you possibly be waiting for?” and so her friend turned to one of the sacks and pulled something out. “Well, well, what have we here? An extra share of meol to celebrate our newest resident!”

And soon everyone lined up to get a share as they watched on.

“Meol?” Claire said to him, but he could tell that she wasn’t liking what she was hearing and seeing here.

“Meol is a foodstuff which Eulmore routinely doles out to the people of Gatetown, and apparently a staple for its citizens as well,” he answered back with a shrug. He, personally, never tasted the stuff because he didn’t want to take anything that came from Eulmore after some of the things he had witnessed, but the people seem to enjoy it well enough.

“Many here rely on it to survive in these times of scarcity. Yet the whole arrangement just seems…” he said before shaking his head once more at that and turned his head away, “Well, let us just say it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

Well, at least she was taking the news better than he had. He had tried to talk to the people, demand an answer for allowing themselves to be treated like this, but they all turned a deaf ear to his words. He had tried for weeks to get them to listen, but nothing he did seemed to make any difference to them. So in the end, he let it go as he looked for other means to enter the city.

They remained silent as the crowd got their meol and dispersed. Some already heading to small campfires with pots so that they could stew their food—or just eating it raw like peaches.

“Now you understand why my attempts to enter the city have thus far come to naught,” he told her as he turned to finish explaining, “The duteous privilege of residency must be won via a contest with ever-changing rules. They say this policy has been in place for the past two decades, ever since Elumore’s current ruler come into power. Yet from what I have seen, it does more harm than good. Not only does it distract people from our shared struggle against the sin eaters, it robes them of their self-sufficiency.”

Indeed, if these people ever had to leave Gatetown and go somewhere else, he knew that they would not be able to take care of themselves any longer. Many of them were once masters of their trade, like craftsmen, fishermen, and farmers… but after being here for so long… their talents were left to rust. It was hard to see the people like this and be treated so poorly.

“I have tried to propose ways they could improve their lot, but my words invariably fall on deaf ears,” he finished before looking back towards the ruined shacks. “The attitude is so entrenched now, I worry that—well, mayhap you should take a turn around Gatetown, and judge the situation for yourself.”

She nodded and agreed, already heading off towards the town to get a better look for herself. He didn’t worry for her safety here, the people were mostly harmless and had no interest in causing trouble in case they were thrown out of Gatetown. While it was incredibly rare, some guards from the city would come down and walk through Gatetown just to make sure that there weren’t anyone causing trouble.

Besides, Claire didn’t need his protection—if anything—it was often the other way around. She could handle herself. But that also left him time to think about his meeting later with the Ondo. Though he struggled to be able to tell time here, he knew that it was reaching the late noon around this point and he should head off to meet with him if he didn’t want to be late.

“Still here, are you? Can’t blame you for waiting a slice of Eulmore’s pie. If you ask me, you should ditch that sour-faced brat and make a home for yourself here,” laughed a voice and his head jerked up to see that same drunkard from before now laughing as he called Claire over, “Gatetown’s not much to look at, aye, but at least it’s safe. And the meol is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

Claire just shook her head and carried on as Alphinaud glared at that man. She just walked off as the man laughed after her.

“Well, that’s one more meol for the day,” he heard the man say before he wolfed his food down with gusto, not even bothering to cook it or anything. When he realized that he was being watched, he shot him a warning look to Alphinaud’s disapproving stare.

“Piss off boy!” he barked out, bits of drool actually dripping out of his mouth as he pulled out a dusty bottle to enjoy his meol with, “Can’t you see no one here wants to listen to ya? Why do you keep coming around anyway?”

“Forgive me for wanting to help others,” he responded darkly. “I merely try to be polite and help where I can. Which is more than what I can say for you. Must you insult every person who comes here?”

“Huh? What you talking about?” he asked before a grin came to his face and he questioned, “You talking about that pretty thing that was with you?”

Fury began to boil in the pit of his stomach and he felt his hands curl into fists. But he did not rise to the bait, knowing that was what this lout wanted.

“I certainly hope, for your sake, you be more careful with what you say to newcomers,” Alphinaud said, turning and walking away, planning to just wait for Claire to catch up to him.

“You know! I told her she should just leave a little pisspot like you and make a new life here!” he laughed after him, “Lass like that wouldn’t be lonely for long!”

He turned back, his eyes sharp, as he snarled warningly, “You leave her alone if you know what’s good for you!”

The man laughed and Alphinaud knew that he had gotten the rise out of him, but he didn’t care. He was so angry that he was trembling and he could not keep the fury out of his voice.

“Don’t know why she would take a brat like you for a lover,” he grunted.

“Yeah, well she did and if you try anything you’ll have to answer to me,” he barked back before turning around and marching away. He didn’t think about how that all sounded until after he was out of sights of that drunkard. Once the sounds of his laugher faded from his ears, he leaned up against one of the run down shacks as he took several calming breaths.

He knew that he was acting irrational here. She didn’t need him here to look after her, and he feared that he was becoming possessive. But he could not help it… after a year, being with her again made him feel as if the sun had come out from behind a cloud… not this corrupted light that gave him headaches… real, clear sunlight that made one feel warm on an otherwise cold day.

Not only that, she was still new here and had no idea to how things worked so of course he would feel protective over his friend. Nothing was ever going to change that.

But he would let off a little bit. He did trust her and he knew that she was better prepared for what was waiting for them than most. So, he just walked a little further away to make sure he didn’t run into that man again and waited. But despite his thoughts, he could not deny the way his spirit seemed to melt when he saw her appear again, and that selfish part of his heart could not help but think that all was right with the world when she returned to his side.

***Claire***

Claire wandered the town, really getting an eye opener to see what was going on. She wasn’t sure what meol was, but she could tell the people seemed to be happy with it. But everywhere she went, she could hear the longing whispers of the people talking about how great life will be when they are finally chosen to cross the front doors to Eulmore. Indeed, there was little else being done here but for them to keep wishing and hoping to be chosen. They didn’t bother to work or fix their run-down shacks that were hardly more than a bunch of driftwood and garbage hammered into place by rusty nails.

They just sort of sat around and… waited. This was no way to live.

But the thing that she was having trouble getting out of her mind were those two jesters. The moment that the crowd had cleared and they escorted the woman towards the front gates, that woman in the red jester outfit had slowly turned around and was looking at them. Could be that she was just looking back at the people slinking back to their hovels and make sure no one was trying to follow them. But she knew what she saw… that moment that they honed in on her, she just smiled back… like she knew some kind of secret… before turning and leaving with the other two.

She didn’t know what to think of that, nor did why that look disturb her so greatly, but it was with no small amount of relief she returned to greet Alphinaud.

“You’ve seen what Gatetown has to offer?” he asked her and she nodded. “These people can no longer fend for themselves. They’ve become dependent on handouts of meol, and believe Eulmore is the answer to all their woes. Yet no matter how I frame my encouragement, they seem unwilling—nay, unable—to conceive of any other way of life…”

“You disapprove of these people’s way of life?” she asked.

“Disapprove…?” he repeated dourly, “It frustrates me, certainly. That is only part of it, though. The whole situation makes me uneasy. Not that it matters. However unjust this system seems to me, if these people claim to be content with their lot, it is hardly my place to criticize their choices. But take that elderly lady you rescued—does it not seem that those who have chosen to forgo Eulmore’s largesse are doomed to suffer for their independence?”

She did not think of that. But now that he brought it up, she did find it very strange. They said that this island was safer from eaters than the rest of Norvrandt, but there were still bound to be attacks from time to time. But she could not help but wonder just what made Gatetown and Eulmore safe from similar attacks? What made this place so special?

“In the end, they are all but forced to seek refuge in Gatetown,” Alphinaud finished explaining, “And so farms and fields across the island are left empty and untended, hastening their region’s descent into ruin.”

He lowered his head.

“Nay, I am not convinced that Eulmore’s generosity truly serves the best interest of the people,” he confessed, “I am not so naïve as to think there is some miraculous situation to all of this. Yet, I cannot help but frown at the sight of hardworking villagers struggling to survive, even as the chosen few rejoice at being plucked from poverty by the hand of a capricious noble. There has to be a better way. I will not know for sure, however, until I have taken those long-delayed steps through Eulmore’s gates.”

“But how do we do that?” she asked, thinking back to how those two jesters came out specifically for a culinarian who specialized with cooking fish. It seemed almost like playing for a jackpot at the Gold Saucer and that anything could happen.

“Tis fortunate that you arrived when you did, Claire,” he countered, and she could tell that he was ready to discuss a plan he had to get into the city, “I have been working on a scheme to insinuate myself into the city, and if all goes to plan, it should soon come to fruition. There is a beast tribe who makes its home in the seas surrounding the island. The Ondo, they are called, though you and I know them as Sahagin.”

Ah, she supposed she should be surprised, but she honestly wasn’t. After all… after meeting with the Zun and the Mord, she supposed that other beast tribes would appear sooner or later.

“For the most part, they keep to themselves in their ocean grottoes, and rarely have dealings with land-dwellers,” Alphinaud explained in a whisper, “But as Tataru took such great pains to impress upon me during our stay in Kugane, business favors the bold. And so I reached out to them. I duly discovered that the Ondo are inordinately fond of land-grown produce—fresh fruits in particular. And when I offered to procure such goods for them, they promised to pay me in pearls.”

She saw where this was going and she smiled at that. Seeing her grin seemed to encourage him as he spoke a little louder, eagerness slipping in, “An attractive business venture for any prospective investor, would you not agree? Surely even the most jaded Eulmoran lord would have time for a merchant who can make pearls from plums and pumpkins? Yes, I’ve come a long way since my days of buying samurai swords without first negotiating a price!”

“I can tell,” she laughed, “I am certain that Tataru will be most proud of you when she hears this.”

He blushed as she smiled broadly at him, which she found to be adorable. How she missed seeing how easy he became embarrassed whenever she praised him.

“My appointment with the Ondo is due to take place in a few hours,” he explained, “I just need to collect the produce and meet with them on the shore.”

And she was more than happy to go with him to make the exchange. He beamed as he led her away, planning to take her to another village not far from here where they could pick up the supplies to be traded.

Never once realizing that there was someone listening in to every word spoken from the shadows of the shacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Alright, another chapter is done. Before I give out any other news, let me get one thing straight. I am not an explicit writer. I don’t like to write like that nor am I interested in starting. But, after going through my older stories, I realize that the relationship with these two is starting to feel a little… well, it hasn’t advanced for a while. So while we will not go full ‘Explicit’ because I don’t think that these two are ready for that step, especially with the fate of the world weighing down on them. However, after a lot of thinking, I think it’s time that we start to push further boundaries with their relationship. So I hope that everyone is preparing for that and yes, I will mention the reason for the fight soon enough, but trust me I have a method for this madness and it will become clear when the time is right. Also, I have been doing my best to put up one chapter a week, which I have been doing every Thursday since I started. But it’s becoming too difficult to be able to keep up this pace since I do work full time as well. So, I will be updating only on Thursdays because those are my days off. There will not be a new chapter next week because I will be taking a break from it. I’m thinking about a chapter once a week for three or four weeks and then a two week break or something like that. Anyway, I hope that this chapter did justice for the long awaited reunion with our two lovebirds. I hope that everyone enjoyed it and that you will be looking forward to the next chapter. See you soon.)


	6. City of Final Pleasures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few hiccups, it looks like Claire and Alphinaud are given the key they need to enter Eulmore. But as they wait for the jesters to come to town, they have time to sit and talk about what is to come. Now that they are ready to head through those gold-lined doors though... just what kind of horrors will they find inside beneath the glamorous façade?

Alphinaud could still remember the first time he arrived in Gatetown, mere weeks after arriving in the First.

After getting one look around it he knew that he wanted to do whatever it took to change things. Everything from the makeshift homes of refuse to the way that the people were just handed out food. He hated everything that Eulmore stood for; and he could not help but think of the many stories of how Eulmore once not only stood against the sin eaters but led the fight against them! How could once a noble and strong nation fall so far in only a couple decades?

While he felt sympathy for the downtrodden people here, and he honestly could not say that they deserved to be treated in such a way... it would be so much easier if they would just listen and be a little more open-minded to alternatives. While he did like the idea that Eulmore cared enough about the people to hand out food... this just handing out didn't sit well with him. If only he could speak with this Lord Vauthry and voice his concerns...?

If they could just go out and do some hunting, return to farming and just increase the guard...? Do something other than just wait outside the gate for a chance that may never come for them to enter Eulmore...? Instead they had people doing whatever they had to survive, just seeing them coming up like dogs begging for scraps at the table before hurrying back to their hovels like perfectly trained pets...? 

It made him feel sick to his stomach.

But then again… he reminded himself of the eaters.

Well, hopefully, he would soon have a chance to explore the secrets that Eulmore was determined to keep hidden. 

And it was so close now... after learning of the existence of the Ondo—the First's version of the Sahagin—he realized that perhaps he could strike a deal with them. At first, they had been very suspicious of his intentions, but after meeting with them a few times, they grew curious and then interested in what he had to offer. Finally, he won them over to try for the business and agreed to meet upon the shore to make the exchange. 

But once again, it seemed that their usual bouts of bad/good luck was starting to take its course. By the time he led Claire back to the town of Wright and met with the farmer Mosha-Moa, who would be handling the items for him, she informed them that someone else had come here before them to claim the food.

Apparently a Mystel with short blue hair had already arrived on his behalf to claim the goods. She claimed that he knew the entire situation and so she just assumed...?

He cursed silent to himself, realizing that someone from Gatetown must have overheard him talking about with Claire and beaten them here to collect the food. They had to hurry before their opportunity to sneak into Eulmore slipped away.

He and Claire headed down south and began to scout the area. He squinted his eyes as he struggled to find anyone against the ugly glare of the Light-filled sky. 

He was very glad that he had Claire's sharp eyes—for not even an hour after beginning their search, she spotted their quarry after looking out over a cliff that gave a view of the city and the ocean.

“Claire!” he gasped as he ran up to her, “Any sign of him?”

To his relief, she nodded and pointed across the gorge, near the abandoned lighthouse, saying she spotted a blue-haired Mystel skulking about.

“You’ve a keen eye,” he beamed, “Let us move in, before he makes good his escape!”

Now that they had a destination, he led her around the shorter way to make it to the lighthouse before the Mystel could escape. There was still time to take back the supplies and meet with the Ondo, so he was sure that they could make it so long as the thief didn’t put up a fight.

Soon though, they spotted him scouting the area… either looking for the Ondo… or on the lookout for the owners of the food he just stole.

“There you are!” Alphinaud shouted, causing the boy to jump.

The Mystel was dressed in worn clothes, and looked to be very thin and tired when he finally turned, with the air of a man facing his execution, to see them there. As soon as he saw them though, he went deathly pale and took a step back.

“The thief who claimed the harvest on my behalf. Hand it over,” Alphinaud demanded firmly, with an edge that clearly said that they didn’t want to fight but they meant business. He was willing to forgive and forget so long as he cooperated with them and gave back what he stole.

“Wha—I…I…” the blue-haired Mystel began, but seemed unable to come up with an excuse or even deny what he did. He just looked to their faces before he fell to his knees and then on all fours, taking him by surprise as he whimpered, “Forgive me, I just—I have to get into the city!”

Alphinaud blinked, unsure of what to say as the Mystel leaned back on his knees as he explained, “I have no family, and all my friends have already been chosen. No one here gives a damn about me. When the meol gets handed out, I’m lucky if I get a smell of it! No matter what I do, they won’t call out my name! I’m so tired—I’m so bloody hungry…”

He whimpered and sniffed slightly as he rubbed tears away, leaving streaks on his dirty face. He then confessed, somewhat pathetically, “I thought maybe I could steal your idea—get in that way…”

Seeing how lost and scared he was, Alphinaud felt his anger fade slightly. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he finally asked, “…What is your name?”

The Mystel didn’t look to be any older than him. He couldn’t be more than sixteen at the very least. He didn’t look up at Alphinaud, but he did answer him by saying, “Kai-Shirr.”

“Tell me then, Kai-Shirr—must it be Eulmore or nothing?” Alphinaud asked in a calm voice, sounding more curious than angry at this point, “What of the Crystarium? They may not offer charity, but you would be fairly compensated for any work you did.”

“No, no, it has to be Eulmore!” Kai-Shirr interrupted quickly with a firm shake of the head, “That’s where all my friends are. We made a promise that we’d live together in paradise…”

This was what Alphinaud had been afraid of. These people were so used to handouts from the table that they no longer knew any other way to live. Kai-Shirr was a young man who should, by rights, already know how to take care of himself. Should be willing and able to leave if he had nowhere else to go. He said so himself that he didn’t have anyone else here, so would it not be in his best interest to leave and go to other places where he could work?

But he reminded himself that the circumstances are different here. Just because he, himself, was more than capable of leaving home and setting off to new places, doesn’t mean that everyone else is. When he was sixteen, he had chosen to leave home with a purpose in his mind to continue his grandsire’s legacy. Then again, he also had his sister there to make the journey with him. And while he was eager to set off, he would be lying if he did not confess that he had been glad to have someone with him for that first trip away from home.

He could feel Claire looking at him, and knew that she was leaving it up to him to decide. To take back the supplies or not. After a moment to think it over, he sighed.

“I was to make my deal with the Ondo at the Clave,” he informed him, “Listen carefully, and I shall tell you my plans for the business, and how best to arouse the Eulmorans’ interest.”

Kai-Shirr stared up with amazement as he asked, hardly daring to believe it, “You’ll give me your place? Just like that?”

He rested his hand on his hip as he corrected, very seriously, “I’ve giving you a chance, nothing more. What comes of it is entirely up to you.”

“I understand!” Kai-Shirr answered, “Oh, thank you, thank you!”

Perhaps it was foolish to give into sentiment at a time like this. But he knew that it was the right thing to do… whether or not Kai-Shirr could make something of himself with this once-in-a-lifetime chance, all depended on what he did with it.

And so, Alphinaud wearily told him what to do and he waved him off as they watched him run, a new spring in his step.

“This was but one path—there will be others,” Alphinaud answered, watching until Kai-Shirr was out of their sights, “But for young Kai-Shirr, it was the difference between life and death.”

She did not answer, but he could feel her eyes on him as he struggled within himself. He meant what he said and he confessed, “I do not regret my decision...yet I will admit that a part of me wonders if it was for the best.” 

He ran a tired hand through his hair, wondering just what they were to do now. Now that the Warrior of Light was finally here, their plan could finally be set in motion; but he could never forgive himself if his one act of kindness cost them their one chance to save this world.

“We strive to bring swift salvation to this world, that countless lives might be saved ─ not least your own,” he whispered, not daring to think of the many nightmares he had of what this terrible future would look like. The end of the world while those he cared for most joined the uncountable dead. “Even if it came at the cost of one man, should I have forged on regardless...?”

He did not mean to say that last part out loud, but Claire heard him.

“That’s not who you are,” she reminded him kindly and he looked up to see that she wasn’t the least bit surprised or angry at his decision.

“I suppose not,” he laughed, much of his hesitation leaving him when he saw that she supported his decision. “Were Estinien here, he would most likely scoff at my soft-heartedness.” He then deepened his voice and spoke in a very good impression of the serious dragoon, _“Same old Alphinaud. Ever the slave to sentiment.”_

Claire burst out laughing at that, and he quickly joined her. He could only imagine the annoyed look on Estinien’s face if he were here to hear that.

“But I thank you for your kind words, nonetheless,” he finished when their laughter died down, leaving the pair of them looking like grinning fools. “Let us see to it that both these stories have a happy ending. Shall we return to Wright, then?”

When they returned to the village, they would discuss their next course of action. Perhaps share a warm meal as they go over some of the other plans that he had come if this plan didn't work out. But as they began to walk back, he spotted something on the shore opposite them. He slowed to a stop as he strained his eyes to make out what it was.

"What is it?" Claire asked as she stepped next to him and he pointed, getting her attention.

They quickly realized that it was a person, and they didn't look well—even from this distance. They sprinted down the slope and around the cliffs until they made it to the rocky shore where they found a man in his late twenties lying there still.

He bent down to examine him, fearing the worst for a moment, at least until he discovered that he was still breathing.

“He’s breathing, I think,” he said to Claire and he held out his hand to heal him. “Though he won’t last long without help."

Claire turned the man onto his side and pounded on his back to help him cough up the sea water that was still in his lungs while Alphinaud finished healing his wounds. 

“That should take care of the worst of his injuries," he said, satisfied when he saw the many cuts and bruises fade.

That was when the man spit up the last of the sea water and they heard him whimper out, “Mercy… Mercy, I beg you…”

“Breathe easy, sir,” Alphinaud reassured him, feeling a twinge of unease at those words, “No harm will come to you here.”

Alphinaud told Claire to watch over him while he got a fire going—knowing that the man needed to warm up as soon as possible. He quickly ran along the shore and managed to gather up some driftwood that had washed up and were dry enough to build a proper fire. He collected as much as he could and hauled it back in time to see Claire helping the castaway to sit up as he coughed and spluttered for air.

Alphinaud quickly fished out the flint he managed to track down during his stay in the wilds here and soon a crackling fire was roaring to life.

It took a few long minutes for the man to be able to regain his ability to speak. He and Claire settled back to share the fire as he quickly warmed his hands up and let the heat start to dry his soaking clothes.

“I thought for certain I was d-dead,” he shivered, “How am I ever to repay your kindness?”

“We’ll settle for the tale behind your current predicament,” Alphinaud answered back, quite interested to know how he came to be here. As far as he knew, nearly all the ships in this ocean were useless or abandoned... and with the air so still, he doubted that they would have to fear for storms. After almost a year here, he couldn't remember the last time that he actually felt rain on his face. Rather than dwell on that, he asked, “Why don’t you begin by telling us your name?”

Their new friend lowered his head as he confessed, “Tristol. I was invited into Eulmore to work as an artist…”

Truly? He came from within the city? Then what was he doing all the way out here?

He sighed and explained, “A wealthy couple took me in to pain pictures for them, but when my style proved contrary to their tastes, they just as quickly turfed me out onto the street. I was left penniless and patron-less—a grave sin in Lord Vaulthry’s city. Within days, they had brought me before the man himself, and he asked me what I meant to do. Dejected as I was, I told him that I wished to leave… little did I know how soon he would grant me my wish! They flung me over the balustrade into the godsdamed ocean!”

Alphinaud stared at him, unable to believe what he heard. He wished to leave and they throw him out like that? Why? He didn't understand. Though now that he thought of it... he had seen many people enter the gates of the city... but apart from some guards and those jesters... he couldn't recall ever seeing anyone leaving the city.

“From up there?!” Alphinaud gasped, just eyeing the drop and realizing that any normal person would have had every bone in their body shattered into pieces, if not killed on impact, “How were you not dashed to pieces?”

“Don’t ask me,” Tristol answered with a harsh laugh, “Luck, I suppose. Though if you hadn’t found me when you did, it wouldn’t have counted for much.”

“Monstrous…” Alphinaud hissed, fury rising up inside him at the thought that they would so easily throw someone over to their deaths like that. For what other reason? Because they wished to leave? He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He then turned back to Tristol and demanded, “And the citizens condone such barbaric punishment?”

“Oh, without a second though,” Tristol answered, “When Lord Vauthry passing judgement, no one so much as blinks, let alone argues.”

Truly? Surely there would be some who would be against such a rein? What gave Vauthry the right to punish people in such a way?

They sat in silence for a time as they let this all sink in. Most would probably be disillusioned with the idea of entering Eulmore after such a tale. But for Alphinaud, it was quite the opposite. He was now more determined than ever to get into Eulmore and see what went on behind those walls.

They considered their options as they sat there next to the fire; just thinking over what to do now. Eventually, the wind from the sea picked up and the fire was slowly beginning to burn itself out. That was when they decided to escort Tristol back to the safety of Wright, which Tristol agreed and was grateful for the protection. He was still shaky on his feet, and Alphinaud knew that he must still be in a lot of pain from his fall, not to mention the shock of the cold, cold water.

They had to walk slowly until Tristol was able to regain enough control over his legs to manage it on his own. He was completely worn out, but didn’t complain once—indeed, he seemed very jumpy at the moment. His eyes were scanning the area and Alphinaud suspected he knew what was causing it… he was afraid that someone from Eulmore would recognize him and try to kill him a second time. But they arrived to the settlement with no incident, and once Tristol realized he was safe… some of the fear left him.

Still, Alphinaud could not help but wonder what Tristol would do now.

“Pray accept my dearest gratitude,” the artist said when he turned back to them, and there was even a small smile back on his face as he looked at them both long and hard. “I owe you both my life. And… if you’ll permit me, I would assist you in your attempt to enter Eulmore—insofar as I am able at any rate.”

He and Claire looked at each other in surprise, wondering just what he had in mind. Tristol then began to rummage around inside his pocket as he added, “To be frank, the thought of sending my saviors into that awful place makes me sick to the stomach—but since it’s plain you’ve set your minds on it… you should take this.”

That was when he pulled out a very old and well-used paintbrush, and handed it over to Alphinaud.

“It’s my favorite paintbrush,” he explained as Alphinaud looked over it with mild confusion, “The Eulmoran elite are never satisfied until they get exactly what they want, and if I’m not mistaken, the couple I mentioned will be looking for someone to replace me. If you make a show of owning such a well-used brush, you may be able to convince people you have a talent for painting.”

Ah, now he understood. Tristol was giving them a possible way into Eulmore. All they had to do was head to Gatetown and wait until someone came calling for a painter. With this, they may be able to convince the jesters that they were the type of ‘hopeful’ they were looking for. But that left one problem…?

“Are you certain?” Alphinaud asked in worry, “This is your livelihood. We cannot deprive you of such a treasured possession.”

“I give it gladly after all you’ve done for me,” Tristol reassured them, “Besides, I can’t—I… don’t think I have the heart to paint anymore.”

After all that, he supposed not. But what was to become of him now? He had no home, no family, nowhere to go? It wasn’t like he could go back to Gatetown now?

Tristol seemed to be thinking that all over as well.

“As to what I’ll do instead… I honestly haven’t decided,” he said, “But I shan’t stay long in this place—not with that city brooding over me. Nay, I’ll move on to new lands and a new profession. And I’ll keep you in my prayers from now on until my dying day.”

Alphinaud could not help but smile, glad to see that at least one man found the courage and strength to say that he would stand on his own from here on out. Perhaps things weren’t as hopeless as he was first led to believe for the people of Kholusia.

Tristol thanked them both once more before he shook their hands before leaving them. But before he left, he turned back and gave a warning to them.

“Should you make it into the city, have care what you say and do,” he warned, “I wouldn’t want you to save my life only to lose your own…”

They nodded in understanding as they thanked him for his help and watched him head off.

“They say kindness is its own reward, but Tristol has repaid us with a gift as timely as it was unexpected,” Alphinaud said, turning back to Claire as a plan was already beginning to form in his mind. “We will, however, need to act upon his advice before another painter steps in to fill the vacancy. Thankfully, I do have some modest skill with a brush. Nothing approaching that of a true artist, of course, but enough to play the role, I would hope. As for you…” he finished before realizing that getting one into the city was hard enough—let alone two. He knew that there were those who were lucky enough to be allowed to bring others into the city with them, but those were usually family members; such as with a parent and child, between siblings, or even lovers. He wasn’t sure that would work with them since they clearly weren’t related.

“Well…” he said with a slight cough, “If you don’t mind taking a subordinate role, mayhap you could pose as my assistant?”

It was the best that he could do. If they made it sound like she was instrumental in helping him create his paintings, then perhaps they would be willing to make an exception and allow her entry.

Thankfully, Claire understood and agreed to the idea.

“Then it is settled,” he said, “All we need do now is return to Gatetown, and await the next appearance of those vile jesters.”

It took them only an hour to make it back to Gatetown, but there were even less people around than ever. That was when he realized that it must be night at this point… not that it was easy to tell. But the lateness of the hour seemed to be settling in with the people, and most had retreated to their hovels to await tomorrow where the jesters would return and spirit more people away.

“You sure it’s alright to spend the night here?” Claire asked as they found an empty shack on the very outskirts of the tiny town. It was relatively safe here… at least from eaters.

“Yes,” he reassured her, “There are newcomers coming all the time, as well as people leaving for Eulmore. Most only use these shacks as temporary living quarters until they are chosen. And from what I heard, the culinarian from earlier came out of this house… so I think it’s safe to say that she won’t be needing it tonight.”

It would serve them for a few hours until the jesters came back out to collect more people. They sat down as they began to talk more openly, trying not to think overmuch of what could be waiting for them on the morrow. That was when Claire surprised him by pulling out a small bundle of wrapped leaves, and opened them to reveal two fresh, plump persimmons—right off the tree from Doma. She handed one over to him, which he took gratefully when he realized how hungry he was.

“Have you ever tried that meol?” she asked curiously. “It didn’t look like any type of food I’ve seen before.”

“No, with so many people here and limited meol, not everyone gets one. Not that I would want to taste it with how much of a bad taste that the whole situation leave me in,” he confessed. “The people seem to enjoy it though, usually fighting for it. But I doubt that they would taste as sweet as these persimmons.”

He could not help but wonder if there was a place like Doma here in the First where persimmons grew? At least a place that once stood before the Flood came. Just the thought brought a terrible sense of sadness to him. So much of this world had been lost already…

“You think that Tristol will be alright?” he asked, peeling the fruit and the wonderful smell filled the entire shack.

“I’m sure he will,” she said, “He just needs time to think of where to go.”

Yes, time to figure out where to go and what to do now with the rest of his life. Unfortunately, time was the one thing that this world seemed to be running out on. When last he spoke to Urianger, their friend expressed that they were quickly nearing the supposed moment where the Black Rose would be unleashed back at the Source… and when that moment came then the Ascians would have everything set up to bright about another Calamity.

“I once asked the Exarch if it would be possible to travel to any of the other shards,” he said suddenly.

“And what did he say?” she asked him softly, and he could see that she was vaguely aware of where this talk was going.

He was silent for a time before shaking his head and letting the matter drop. He didn’t know how to put into words how he was feeling at that moment and changed the subject back to the fruit, which he could tell she was not buying. But she didn’t say anything as they leaned against the other as they huddled for warmth from the sudden chill off the sea breeze. Eventually, she rested her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes. He smiled at her peaceful face, rolling the worn paintbrush in his fingers as he thought more and more about what they were planning to do. He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, the idea of sneaking into Eulmore felt as dangerous as storming Doma Castle… or climbing up the side of a mountain that was home to a horde of dragons.

But more than anything at that moment, he was startled at the idea of finally, finally, being able to enter Eulmore after all these moons. He only hoped that what they would find there would be enough to help aid their cause against the eaters.

“Are you having second thoughts?”

He sighed as he glance down at his side to where Claire’s eyes were still closed, but she was smiling softly.

“You need to stop doing that,” he said disapprovingly, but was unable to bring himself to be annoyed with her. “I can never tell if you’re sleeping or not. Are you tired?”

“A little,” she confessed, “But you’re shaking slightly.”

He blinked at that before her hand reached out and gripped his hand, when he realized that his hand, was indeed, trembling ever so slightly.

“I am just worried about what we’ll find inside,” he confessed as he gripped her hand a little tighter to reassure himself that it will all be alright in the end. “The more I hear of Eulmore, the more worried I grow that we may be walking into something that we don’t want to know about.”

“We are surely not the first people to lie to get into Eulmore,” she reminded him, “They must be prepared for liars and tricksters. Other than the brush, are you worried they’ll try to ask for you to prove it?”

“I’ve thought of that,” he reassured her as he enjoyed the final piece of the fruit and savored the sweet taste that caused his tongue to tingle pleasantly. “I will simply inform them that to make a living, I sell my paintings off as soon as they are finished. If needs be, I will draw a sketch for them. While I’m no artist, I am good enough to pass it off. It all will now determine how good I’ve become of acting.”

“And then what?” she asked as she moved her head so that the fur that lined the inside of his hood was tickling her nose. “That may work with you, but I don’t suppose they’ll believe I’m an artist.”

“Well, that’s the beauty of being an assistant, they don’t expect you to be one,” he reminded her. “I’ll just tell them that we met and that you help to inspire my work. And one day, I hope to take you on as a partner. I mean…” he added, feeling his ears turning red as she arched her own eyebrows and finally opened her eyes while he cleared his throat, “A business… partner. You know what I mean…”

That last part was added with a rather feeble excuse when she started to giggle and he turned away with his cheeks aflame.

“If you insist,” she said, “I guess that I’ll leave most of the talking to you.”

“Don’t worry,” he promised her, “I will not enter Eulmore without you.”

“Don’t hold back because of me,” she retorted.

“I mean it,” he said, looking back, “It would be a good idea. Twice the eyes to really get a look around Eulmore. I need you, my friend… and I will not be able to ever express just how much.”

He suddenly lowered his head, finding looking at her eyes to be painful at that moment.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered in barely more than a whisper, “For leaving like that. Looking back, I realize how dangerous that it was to leave Doma as I had done. But I find that it was necessary so that we could learn the existence of the Black Rose… as well as the rest of the information we learned of the Ascians from Gaius. I must admit that I never once expected to see him again.”

“No, I certainly didn’t expect it either,” she confessed, “I’m not sure how I feel about the situation.”

“Regardless, I do believe that he means to aid us in ridding the world, of all worlds, of the Ascians once and for all,” he said firmly. “I could see that much. While I cannot say that I have forgiven him for his actions, I do understand him much more now. I suppose that is the best that can be said. But there was one thing that I can say with certainty while I was away.”

He looked back to her, and he could see how the light from the gaps in the run-down hovel around them cast her face mostly in shadows while warm beams of light left strips upon her face.

“I missed you,” was the only answer he could give as she looked on sadly, mirroring his emotions.

Before she could respond though, they heard the fluttering of wings nearby. He tensed up immediately, thinking that an eater had flown in and was going to rip the shack apart to get to them. But the wings sounded like they came from a creature much smaller. Something came poking its head through one of the broken boards and a bird came in with a rather regal air… or more of a condescending one. It was a relatively tall bird with long legs, feathers of a dark grey, a wide bulbous bill, and dark eyes that had a rather constant glowering expression.

“A bird?” Claire asked as he gave a rather shaky laugh while watching the creature stalked the room as if it owned it.

“The locals call them shoebills,” he informed her, “Nothing to worry about. They are stubborn creatures though. They’re pretty common to Kholusia, the shoebill is known for being literally unmoving. Its hunting effort consists of waiting for prey to wander by its feet before it deigns to strike.”

That was when he had an idea. He reached for the notebook at his side and the piece of charcoal out. She watched him curiously as he tried very hard not to show her some of the pictures he drew before finding a blank page. She was very confused as he placed the charcoal into her hand and moved her hand to the page.

“Here,” he decided, “I’m going to show you some basics to drawing.”

She was a little taken aback by that, but she allowed him to guide her fingers across the blank page. He could see her focusing, concentrating hard on the movements as he gave gentle instruction. In truth, he was the one who guided her hand across the page, but he kept at it, as he instructed her to pay close attention to the shoebill, who remained perfectly still as it glared at them… the perfect model.

After about an hour, they admired the finished product… which was interesting to look at. Some spots were very well done, such as the shoebill’s grumpy eyes, or the long shoe-like bill… but other parts like the wings were done very shakily so that it was hard to be able to tell what they were supposed to be.

“There,” he said to her, “Now you can honestly say that I’m teaching you how to draw,” he whispered as they looked to the image on the paper.

“I can see I need more practice,” she said as she looked from the picture to the real thing.

“It took me some time to really grasp it,” he reassured her as the shoebill gave them a nasty look, as if it knew they were talking about him. “I have no doubt that you will master it with enough time.”

Soon, both of them were laughing, and the shoebill seemed to grow annoyed by their conversation and flew off through the hole that it came out of, leaving them alone once more. Not that either of them noticed as they were too busy looking at the other as so many questioned and unanswered words laid between them.

He gently stroke her cheek as he became lost in her eyes once more.

“What is it?” she asked after a couple minutes of silence.

“I just keep expecting to wake up and realize that this was just another dream,” he whispered back, smiling a little at the slight smudge of dirt on her nose. Something passed across her eyes, giving them a strange glassy expression for but a brief moment, before she leaned in and he sighed happily into the kiss. It wasn’t as deep or desperate as the kiss they shared back at the tavern—instead it was slower—as if they suddenly had all the time in the world to enjoy it. And enjoy it he did, he could feel his entire body tingling as he could taste the permissions on her lips.

Eagerly, he deepened the kiss and felt her mouth meld against his own as if they were crafted specifically for him. Finally, when he could feel himself desperate for air, they broke apart, but only just, remaining only a hair’s breathe away from the other, and he felt her breath with his own… feel how solid she felt next to him.

“Was that enough to convince you that it’s real?” she whispered, her breath ghosting over his lips.

He only grinned as he pressed his forehead against her own, the fate of this world suddenly seemed like a distant problem. For just that split second… he didn’t want to ever leave that little shack by the shore.

But soon, he could feel the exhaustion from the day begin to settle in and he broke away as he buried his face into her hair and breathed in her scent with a hint of longing.

“I know that this plan has flaws,” he sighed in confession, “But we have to try. We need to have an idea of what we are up against. I am still holding onto hope that we may be able to reason with the citizens of Eulmore to rejoin the fight with the eaters. Or, failing that, we will learn their secret to how they are able to keep the eaters from attacking the city. I’m not sure at all how this will go, but I’m willing to try.”

“I understand,” she promised, “But… no matter what happens, I want you to make me a promise when we do leave Eulmore.”

He pulled back, a little surprised, at that and was even feeling a little worried at what this promise was. “I want you to keep up with the lessons,” she told him, jerking her head to the notebook that was laying forgotten between them. “Teach me to draw?”

He would be lying to say that he wasn’t startled by that request. But the idea of the two of them spending time together… even for something as small as this… he could not deny that this sounded very tempting. He gently stroked her face, moving a stray of her hair over her ear.

“As you wish,” he promised, “When this is over.”

He then laid his head against her shoulder as he closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to be able to rest. She held onto him, silent, as she felt herself dozing off as well. But before she dropped to sleep, her eyes fell upon the notebook and she let her curiosity get the better of her as she slowly reached for it. Without waking him, she began to flip through the pages, curious to know what notes he had and what he tried so hard to hide from her.

Most of the pages were filled with lore, history, and even rumors that were told across Kholusia. But there were just as many pictures inside it, including the faces of friends back in the Source. But the ones that he seemed to have worked the hardest on were hers. She smiled at each one, feeling as if her heart was a glowing ember with each one that he clearly worked for hours to make them nearly lifelike. But as she neared the back of the book, something fell out from one of the pages. She paused there, thinking that she knocked something out by accident, but soon realized that it was of a different type of paper, much heavier and thicker. She picked it up to realize that it was an envelope… it looked to be a letter. She was about to tuck it back into the book before she turned it over and paused when she saw her name printed on it in Alphinaud’s handwriting.

She frowned a little as she looked at the ragged edges, as if the letter had seen harsh weather. The paper crackled slightly and there was a slight yellowish to it that seemed to counteract with the crisp white of the rest of the notebook. She wanted to see what it was about, but with her other arm holding Alphinaud, she couldn’t do so. Instead, she slipped it back into the book and closed it, deciding not to worry about it for now.

She set the journal aside before laying her head against Alphinaud’s as she let herself relax. Eventually, the long day caught up with her and she dozed off into peaceful dreams for once.

It was hours later, when both of them had fallen asleep in each other’s arms when the music from Eulmore died down slightly, as if the party was still going on inside but the wild part was over for now.

Soon enough, they awoke to the sound of the sounded and they stepped outside in time to see the two jesters skipping into town, waving their bells and dragging the sacks along behind them. He shared one last look with her as they nodded.

At worst, they would see through their lie and be forbidden to go any further. What they would do afterwards, he wasn’t sure. He was even playing around with the idea of seeing if they could try to swim the way into Eulmore—which shows how desperate he was if he was willing to volunteer for a swim.

But even if they would be allowed through those gates… he could not help but feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach at what could be waiting for them then. He felt Claire’s fingers entwined with his own and he took a deep breath, gathering strength.

They followed after the crowd and watched as the two jesters waved at them joyfully.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” the Red Jongleur cried out with great excitement, “Your attention once more! What a day it’s been for the folks at our door!”

“We’ve welcomed a peddler who made pearls from a plum, and now we’ve a place for a painter of aplomb,” the Blue Jongleur cried out as if nothing could have brought her more joy than being here at this moment.

“So come along and don’t be slow! It’s time to let your colors show!” the Red Jongleur added.

The moment of truth.

He let go of her hand as he stepped forward, Claire close behind him. And he intended to keep it that way. He was not going to abandon her here. He meant what he vowed before… if she could not go with him, neither would he.

“I can paint,” he called out loudly, putting as much eagerness that he could into it—playing the part of an excited hopeful, “Portraits, at least. Landscapes and still life are so rarely commissioned these days…”

The two gestured for them to come closer and looked over him with a critical eye. Alphinaud was well aware that he looked much more like a traveler than an artist at that moment, but he was hoping that they wouldn’t let that distract them. If needs be, he still had his notebook tucked into the small pouch at his belt where he had made a few drawings over the moons he spent here. Usually, on those rare days that he didn’t have any work to do or anyone willing to listen to him, he would find a shaded area and draw with a piece of charcoal that he found.

He really hoped that it wouldn’t resort to that… for he had more than a few drawings of people in that little book…?

But after looking at his calloused hands, and staring intently at his face, the two seemed to be interested. Once more, he could not help but feel as if he were some livestock that was being examined before being bought for slaughter.

“Oho, I thought I spied some new faces in the crowd,” the Red Jongleur said with great interest, “What fortune that you should feel at ease around an easel!”

“What proof have you of your prowess?” the Blue Jongleur asked a little more suspiciously, “Any masterpieces on your person?”

Well, here goes nothing. He shook his head and spun the tale that he painted for a living and that everything he painted was quickly sold off so that he can afford to eat. But he pulled out the paintbrush and offered for them to judge for themselves what they thought. They looked over the brush, perhaps not even realizing that they may have seen it before with another painter who was chosen from the crowd at some point, but it seemed to impress them.

He watched as the two of them looked at each other before nodding in silent agreement.

“Not a prop to be conjured on the hop!” one said happily, “Very well! Come with us, and we’ll put those talents to the test!”

Yes! Finally, after all this time, his patience was about to be rewarded. He looked back to Claire, who was grinning back at him. Now, all they had to do was convince these two vile jesters to let her accompany him.

“And who is this hanger-on?” the Blue Jongleur asked, looking at her curiously, “Well-wisher or parasite?”

“Why, this is my assistant,” he answered back, spinning another background story for them, “She whose unfailing support allows my art to flourish. I will go with her or not at all.”

He waited as the two thought it all over.

“Parasite, then,” the Blue Jongleur answered as he felt annoyance at that, but kept his mouth shut, “We shall leave her fate in the hands of your new employer—it matters not a whit to us.”

“And having filled our latest vacant space, we retire to Eulmore’s sweet embrace!” the Red Jongleur answered. They put on a show of almost forgetting to hand out the meol to the others, though he could tell that this was no show as the crowd lined up and waited impatiently for their meol.

“So far, so good,” he whispered to her, as she nodded back slowly. They made it this far, but now they had to stay on their toes for the rest of the stay in Eulmore. Neither of them were sure of what they were going to find, but when he reminded himself of why they were doing this… for both the First and the future of the Source… he knew that failure wasn’t an option.

***Ardbert***

Well, their plan was going along as well as they had hoped… for the time being. He had to admit that he was both impressed and startled by how easily they were able to pass through the gates and up the slope that carried them to Eulmore. He looked around as he followed silently behind them, remembering how Eulmore once looked in his time before the Flood. The green hills that were rich farmlands… the gulls that flew overhead as an ocean so full of fish that they were all but leaping out of the water… the countless ships that floated upon the sea as fisherman laughed and sang sea shanties to each other as the age of piracy had drawn to an end…?

And Eulmore was as if a vast jewel upon the water, connected by many other islands as the city all but floated upon the waves.

To see that once great city reduced to this? It all but broke his heart… if he still had one that could beat.

_‘Redemption is beyond us,’ _he thought to himself grimly as he remembered the few times that he passed through here in the more recent years and found what he saw both disgusting and demoralizing. It was for this reason that he had done his best to wander away from the island and stuck more to the mainland… not that it was any different there. There was nowhere he could go that brought him succor.

_‘The lament of all but saints and fools… and the comfort of the lords and ladies of this accursed place. Once, they held fast against madness, only to embrace the coming cataclysm and delight in the end of days.’_

He glanced next to him to where Claire was staring up at the city—and it was all but impossible to know what was going through her mind at that moment.

_‘Perhaps in rapture they seek to lose themselves and the misery they share… or perhaps for them alone the promise of eternal pleasure really does hold true,’_ he thought to himself.

***Claire***

The boards creaked under their steps as they crossed the bridge and arrived at the foot of the city, just at the bottom step. She looked up to get a good, long look at it close up. All around them, more of the driftwood shacks were set up around the base of the city, looking as sad as Gatetown looked just behind them. But the rest of it towered over their heads and she could see all the purple velvet lined with gold and the sparkling white marble that stood out amongst the gaudiness—a testament to over indulgence.

“Eulmore,” Alphinaud said next to her, almost in a stunned way as he looked up at the city like how she was, “Finally.

“Looks even grander from this angle, eh? Eh?” the Blue Jongleur asked, turning to look back at them with a smug smile.

“Welcome, welcome, to the city of final pleasures!” the Red Jongleur stated, “Feel free to weep at its magnificence!” She was looking almost expectantly, but when Claire didn’t so much as bat an eye, she shrugged and asked, “No? Not even a single tear? Moving right along, then.”

She really hoped that they wouldn’t put up with these two for long. Everything they said was a stab of annoyance and sing-song.

“Our first task is to register you as residents—you know, make it all nice and official,” the Red Jongleur declared, “We’ll smooth the way, so you just need to put on your happy faces and head through to joyous hall. The Bureau of Immigration is in the first room on the left side of the passage. Declare your name and occupation in a nice loud voice—the clerks will tell you where to go from there.”

But Claire was barely listening as she looked around, suddenly noticing the people around them. They were all looking tired and dirty, not to mention thin… with all their faces either looking up to the city with looks of longing… or were looking down to the ground like kicked dogs.

Her heart ached at the sight of it all and she felt her dislike of this place grow.

“Oh, and pay no mind to those folk off to the side of the road,” the Red Jongleur said, misinterpreting the look on Claire’s face to be one of disgust, “Much like the hopefuls in Gatetown, they haven’t heard the right to enter the city proper. If, however, you enjoy basking in the envy of your fellow man, then by all means… take your time. But why waste another moment? Go! Enjoy the beginning of your new life in paradise!”

They bowed and left, and she wasn’t sorry to see them go.

“The Bureau of Immigration, was it?” Alphinaud repeated, already getting down to business—she could tell that he also noticed the people scurrying about them like frightened animals, but seemed determined to press on and get the information they needed as he added, a little more to himself than to her, “I suppose we had better show ourselves willing for the time being…”

So they walked up to the massive front door… only to find that one of the panels in the door opened up just wide enough for them to pass through. It actually took them a minute to really grasp the ridiculousness of it.

“Is there a point to that?” Claire asked.

“It makes it look more impressive,” Alphinaud stated with a shrug as he led the way inside the grand hall. Claire had once thought that the halls of Ul’dah were grand and extravagant… that was nothing to this. She was surrounded by more of the purple and gold with marble floors and a red carpet hallway while plants of exotic colors grew wild around them. Compared to the weathered state of the rest of Kholusai, this place seemed to be thriving with life. Still, there was something about this place that made her uneasy. She couldn’t put her finger on it… but it was like there was a strange chill that seemed to follow her the moment she stepped inside.

Even watching others walk around with grand suits or dresses of furs and jewels, the whole environment oozing of wealth, there was this unsettling feeling that seemed to cling to every square inch of this place. She really hoped that they wouldn’t have to spend the night here… she didn’t know how she would ever sleep in a place like this.

They headed to the first room on the left where they meet with the Immigration officer, who was standing behind the desk and was already working on the paperwork.

“Now, the citizens of Eulmore are divided into two classes,” he explained as he have them sign their names on the papers, “There are the ‘free’, who are blessed with the favor of Lord Vauthry, and the ‘bonded’ who work in the employ of the free. You will be joining the ranks of the bonded. Your duties are to serve a patron in the capacity for which you were chosen—in your case, painting pretty pictures. Should your patron dismiss you for any reason, you must find another sponsor among the free, or accept work as a general laborer.”

“I see,” Alphinaud asked curiously, “And might you tell us something of the patron we are to serve?”

That was something she had been wondering about as well. If their new patron was the same one who so cruelly tossed Tristol out like that…?

“The two patron’s, actually,” the officer corrected, “Chai-Nuzz and Dulia-Chai—a Mystel couple whom most refer to as the ‘Chais’. They are both gentle souls, but I would ask that you conduct yourselves with respect and humility… for your own sake as much as theirs.”

The way he said that, along with the slightly anxious look in rather glazed over eyes… did not do anything to calm her concern. She wanted to believe that these Chais were as ‘gentle’ as he claimed them to be; but after what Tristol told them before, she wasn’t sure what to think.

Neither of them spoke another word as they finished filling out the papers, while the officer looked over them. Finally, he smiled and stacked them into neat folders before informing them to head next door and submit them to the clerk. Once they were stamped, they would officially be Eulmorian citizens.

The room next to them was the Bureau of Registration, where another officer greeted them and looked through the papers. It seemed to take an agonizingly long time as she insisted on going through each and every page while Claire felt close to tearing out her hair in frustration. At last, the blond Mystel nodded and pulled out a stamp.

“I think it best that we deliver you to the Chai residence before—” the blond officer said before pausing. She then sniffed the air at them, which caused them to look at her in an offended way when she gasped and moved back, pinching her nose in the process. She then refused to allow them to move forward since they both smelled as if they had been rolling around in a ditch and told them to go bathe and use the bottles of perfume she all but threw at them to get them out of the hall.

The two of them back off and headed towards the door as they began to look over themselves. Claire didn’t notice anything, already used to living outside and bathing in springs or rivers whenever she felt gross… but now that she moved part of her armor aside to get a good sniff, she realized that she was far from smelling pleasant.

“I hadn’t realized we were so… aromatic,” Alphinaud muttered as he pulled his poncho aside to really see just how much dirt and sweat clung to him.

Unable to help feeling a little insulted, they left the room and headed down the hall to where they found the place known as the Delousery, which was a small room with a shower stall in each corner. They all were equipped with many different bottles of soaps and perfumes while only a curtain would serve to give them privacy from another else in this public bathroom.

At the sight of it, Alphinaud actually backed right on out, as if he had just seen a deadly monster. She looked back, wondering what was going on, only to find him turning a deep shade of red.

“We’re to bathe in here, then…?” he asked before mumbling, “It’s just… so… it’s not very… private…”

“Come on,” she said bracingly, “We don’t often get to enjoy ourselves in such a fancy place. Besides, we can’t move on until we clean up.”

He just coughed and insisted that he just needed a moment. It would seem that the idea of bathing in public was too much for him. Well, it was probably a good thing that he never went to one of the bathhouses in Kugane where public bathing was fairly common.

“Alright,” she said, “I’ll go first.”

His face turned even redder as she entered the bathroom, glad to see that she was the only one in at the moment, before claiming one of the showers for her own. She closed the curtain and began to undress, feeling completely out of her element here—so used to long robes or heavy armor that she felt strangely light without the usual weight. Before she removed her small clothes, she suddenly had a nasty thought of maybe Ardbert could be watching at that moment and she froze.

With a grunt of annoyance, she made a promise to herself that from now on, she would wear a swimsuit under her clothes. She made sure that the curtains were tightly closed as she finished undressing, and when she emerged from them to set her things aside, she had a towel tied tightly around her before turning on the water.

She will not lie and say that it didn’t feel good… so used she was to just jumping into cold lakes and rivers that having hot water felt so calming and her muscles slowly began to relax. She glanced down at her body and realized that she still had sand clinging to her from her trip out to Amh Araeng and she grabbed a nearby bar of soap and began to lather up. But as she washed the effects of the road off her, she could not feel like she could let her guard down here… and that’s not just because she was suspicious that unwelcomed eyes could be watching. Personally, she doubted very much that Ardbert was the type of person who would do that… she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched and it sent chills up her spine despite the heat of the water.

She felt as if there was a weight upon her chest and she was breathing a little harder than usual. In fact, the longer she stood there the more she felt as if a shadow stood behind right behind her… a malevolent kind. She really hoped that it was just her imagination… nevertheless, she finished her shower as fast as possible and began to dress—pulling some fresh clothes out of her bag—before taking the entire bottle of perfume and dumped it over her head, so the delicate smell of roses filled the air. Now that she smelled like a rose garden, she came back out to find that Alphinaud was still standing at the door.

“Oh, you’ve showered and dressed already, have you…?” he asked, jumping slightly when she appeared. “Is it not—th-that is to say… ahem. It seems rather… exposed for one’s ablutions, does it not?”

“Alisaie would be drying her hair by now,” she pointed out with a teasing grin, knowing just what to say to get him into that bathroom—otherwise they would be here all day.

“…Wouldn’t she just,” he sighed, fully aware that she was right, “Very well… I shall endeavor to emulate her boldness, then.” He hesitated there for a moment and as he walked by, she could have sworn that she heard him mutter, “Courage, Alphinaud.”

“I’ll stand guard, if that will help you feel more comfortable,” she offered as he was now looking around the room at the showers set up—as if he suddenly rather be anywhere than right there at the moment. But he kept his head down as he mumbled something—showing just how far out of his comfort zone he was. She just gave him an encouraging smile as she closed the doors and stood in front of them as if acting the part of a guard, ready to come up with an excuse should anyone come by.

But aside from some guards, there weren’t that many people wandering about. She just watched them as they walked the halls and entered the other rooms—rarely even coming over to this location. There was one person, who had a towel over their shoulder, and she held up her hand, and merely told him that the showers were closed for the next hour—giving Alphinaud all the time in the world to get done.

The man was looking outraged at that, at least until she informed him that they were fixing the heat, so unless he didn’t mind showering in ice water then he was welcomed to go in.

“You know what,” he said with a rather awkward laugh, “I guess waiting another hour won’t kill me.”

After he left though, she found herself watching the guards a little more closely; realizing how all of them having a slightly glazed look in their eyes as they marched. There was an air of… relaxation that seemed to ooze under the doors and through every crack in the wall. In fact, her own mind felt as if she were close to dozing off on a hot summer day. She gave her head a slight shake as she reminded herself of where they were.

Now that she thought about it, the more she realized she wanted to get out of Eulmore. Something wasn’t right about this place and she dreaded having to spend any length of time here even when she could not—for the life of her—understand why that was.

After another ten minutes though, Alphinaud knocked at the door and she stood back as he exited, looking clean and dumping the perfume on him as well. Though judging from the hardness in his face, she understood that he did not wish to discuss what just happened.

“Well, that was bracing,” he said, as he finished clamping his earring back on, “I believe the lingering smells of the road have been successfully expunged. Shall we go and present ourselves to our new patrons, then?”

Once they did what they were told, they were ready to meet their patrons. They met with the guard at the bottom staircase, who informed them to head straight up to the third floor. It turns out that the entire layout of the city was simple to understand. The bottom layer where they were on right now was known as the Buttress and the one directly above them was the Understory, which was also home to their Military headquarters. She and Alphinaud looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes at that news—definitely sounds like a place they should explore if given the chance. The guard then finished that the third floor was known as the canopy, where the free citizens of Eulmore would spend their days. He was even kind enough to inform them that their patrons, the Chais, were usually seen there in a place called the Grand Dame’s Parlor.

They thanked the guard and began to climb the stairs, but they both knew that they had to be careful from this moment onwards. They had to pretend to have an assistant/teacher relationship and had to be careful not to let anyone else know where they’re from or the real reason they were here.

She felt the back of her hand brush lightly against his, and he turned his head slightly so that she could see the serious determination in his eyes. He was well aware of what was coming for them and they shared a silent understanding of this fact as they continued the long winding staircase.

They eventually passed the second floor, where they moved as slowly as possible across the entrance way so that they could try and get a look inside. But apart from some weapons that were neatly arranged and crates of supplies, she wasn’t able to get a good glimpse inside.

“We’ll look there later,” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth as they continued their way upwards to the final level. It was quite a long walk, but eventually they ran out of stairs—almost knocking them over since they had just gotten used to many steps—and came out into a large area. They were surrounded by a wide-open room with a spinning aetheryte crystal set in the middle of a fountain that had large rose heads drifting in it, with tapestry’s hanging across the roof that gave the impression of a vast tent. All around them they were surrounded by wealth and elaborations that were richer than the rest of Kholusia all put together. The entire air was filled with the scent of flowers and wondrous foods that were cooking from somewhere as well as finding the source of the music that they could hear even from outside. The sound hammered against her eardrums and she had to fight to urge to cover her ears in an attempt to get to block them out. There were dozens of people all walking across the marble floors as they looked on passed the vendors—all of them dress in clothes of the finest fabrics and silks, as they continued their shopping.

The two of them stared around at everything they were seeing, and Claire was a little overwhelmed, not sure where to go from here. After a few minutes of adjusting to the sudden change, she could see what looked to be a bar or a restaurant off on one side of the area, and pointed it out to him. Deciding that it was their best option, they made their way over and began to look around. Already there were people setting own and enjoying their meals… or in some cases, drinking so much that they couldn’t even sit up straight.

Her eyes scanned over the area, looking for a Mystel couple, though she suddenly realized that they had no idea what they even looked like. But before she felt that they should ask one of the vendors for more information, her eyes came upon a table where two Mystels were sitting and enjoying a wide spread of food. One of them was of a slightly older Mystel man who was dressed in clothes of finest wool, and was discussing something with a female Mystel. She was the largest Mystel that she had ever seen, dressed in a long dress of beautiful silk and a coat with fur along the collar, and large jewelry adoring her large neck.

She nudged Alphinaud in the stomach to get his attention and he spotted them too.

“Well, let us make the first move,” he said to her quietly and they made their way over to them. The two didn’t notice them at first until they were standing right next to the table—before the woman, whom she could only assume to be Dulia-Chai, turned with wide and curious eyes to them.

“Ooh? Who’s this then?” the Dulia-Chai asked in a high-pitched voice, taking her by surprise, having expected a very different tone from her. But Alphinaud took it all in stride as he stepped forward and gave a polite bow.

“Lord and Lady Chai, pray forgive our intrusion. I am given to understand you were in search… of an artist?” he said, and for a moment she could hear the old pompous, over-confidence in his voice. She had to fight a smile at how different he sounded now to how he used to be when she first met him… Gods, that felt like and decades ago, didn’t it?

“Ahh, you must be the new, uh…” the male Mystel, Chai-Nuzz, began before his train of thought seemed to leave him as he looked over him with a critical eye. His wife, Dulia-Chai, on the other hand…?

“Oh, goodness me!” she cooed in excitement like a little girl who had just been given a very beautiful doll, “What an adorable boy! That silken hair, those pearly cheeks… oh, and you even smell wonderful—like a bed of flowers!”

She even took a deep sniff and looked deeply satisfied before turning to her husband and declared, “I approve to this one, dearest! I am positive he will paint us the most delightful pictures.”

“I, um, er, y-yes…” he coughed, and it was clear to Claire’s eyes who it was who was in charge here. He cleared his throat before adding a little more seriously, “Well, as long as he paints better than the talentless wretch we sent packing last week…”

Ah, so they _were_ the ones who threw Tristol out to the wolves, so to speak. She could feel some of her dislike slipping through and felt a muscle going in her forehead at the cold and callous way he spoke of their treatment towards their own employee. She had the will to remain silent though as Dulia-Chai continued to look absolutely thrilled.

“Wonderful, wonderful!” Dulia-Chai cried happily and turned back to them. At that point, she finally noticed her standing there and she said to the pair of them, “Welcome to Eulmore… um, er…”

“Alphinaud, if it please you, my lady,” Alphinaud bowed again and introduced her, “And this… is my assistant.”

Taking the hint, she also bowed in greeting.

“Your… assistant?” Chai-Nuzz questioned in surprise, “I’ve heard of folk bringing in family members, but this seems a bit irregular. Aren’t you a little young to have a protégé?”

She could tell that Chai-Nuzz was sniffing out a rat, but he couldn’t pinpoint just where the deceit was coming from. Claire stood still, trying to give off the ease of a girl who was deeply fascinated by this city and everything happening around her… mayhaps it was a good thing that Alphinaud was here to cover for that.

“We are family in all but name, my lord,” he answered honestly, “Though we share no blood, we have stood by each other through life’s many challenges, resolved to prevail together—or not at all.”

She looked at him, feeling embarrassed at his next few lines. He certainly sounded like he had been practicing it for some time.

“Of all people, ‘tis she who best understands my work,” he went on, making sure to put as much effort into it as he could to stress the fact, “With her unique insight guiding my hand, the art I create is sure to satisfy your expectations. Once the picture is begun, of course, I shall have no need of constant encouragement. And so I wondered, rather than her being in your way, might it then be permissible for my assistant to explore the city she has so longed to see?”

She could see where this was going and gave the pair of them pleading eyes, hoping that they would buy it long enough for them to see what went on in the city.

“Out of gratitude for her priceless contribution to my art, I thought it only fair that I make this humble request on her behalf,” he finished, and Claire smiled warmly, hoping that they would buy it. Well, Chai-Nuzz looking doubtful of it, but Dulia-Chai was looking touched by such sweet words.

“Oooh, did you ever hear of such devotion!” Dulia-Chai cooed sweetly, and waved Claire off, telling her kindly, “Of course your assistant must have her wish! She shall be free to roam to her heart’s content!”

She looked to her husband and finished, “…Isn’t that right, darling?”

“Uh… Oh, yes,” he coughed, startled that’s he even asked him that, “Yes, of course, dearest. Q-Quite right.”

“Thank you for your kindness, my lady,” Claire told her with a sunny smile—suddenly liking the almost child-like innocence to this woman.

Well, at least they had one person backing them up. She and Alphinaud looked at each other as the couple began to discuss something about gloves. So far, everything was going exactly as they were hoping for.

“Now you’ve the opportunity to experience Eulmore,” he whispered to her quickly, “I suggest you make the most of it. Explore the city, top to bottom. In other words, I would start with the Canopy and go from there. Try wandering around the market stalls, mayhaps…? Such places are usually filled with colorful characters, only too eager to share local gossip with a friendly visitor.”

“And you?” she whispered back.

“I’ll stay here and get to work on that painting. But I’m certain that if I ask them, they would be more than happy to start explaining how things work here,” he whispered back, “I’ll try and keep them talking for as long as I can. I would appreciate it, of course, if you could share any discoveries with me in turn. We should both learn as much as possible about our, ahem ‘new place of residence’.”

She nodded back, promising to be back as soon as she could. She turned and left them there, trusting that Dulia seemed to be generally a good person—which meant she didn’t need to worry for Alphinaud’s safety here. But as she walked away, she could not help but feel touched at his overly-dramatic way he expressed how important she was for his ‘work’. And she wondered how much of that was playing it up and how much of it was genuine.

He was a charmer, let no one here say otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Awww, so sweet. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait! I will try to keep the chapters coming out every week for a while, but they will have to be a little shorter to keep them easier to come out with. As for the scene in the shack? I couldn’t help it. I’m a sucker for a little sweetness and some quality time together. After so long apart, they needed some bonding time and why not over drawing? The idea of the shoebill just came to me and I loved it so much that I couldn’t help but put it in. As for the letter? It will come into play later on! Anyway, we end up meeting with the Chais here and we can be looking forward to seeing more of them in later chapters. Next week will be us wrapping up in Eulmore for the time being and we’ll be heading back to the Crystarium. But that also means that the Warrior of Light will be taking up a new title… how will our favorite set of twins take that? And what of Ardbert? Just what will be going through his mind when he sees the night sky again for the first time in a hundred years? See you next week!)


	7. Emergent Splendor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the gates of Eulmore are open, Claire and Alphinaud walk right on in to see what this 'City of Final Pleasures' is all about. However, soon after arriving, they see that this so-called 'paradise' is far from pleasurable. There are dark shadows from within this gilded cage and secrets upon secrets. But one above all others stick with our heroes... many enter through Eulmore's gates... but none leave.

Claire’s eyes scanned the canopy as she decided where to go to first. Well, her first thought was to go and attune herself to the aetheryte that spun sluggish in the center of a very shallow pool with the heads of roses drifting about them, their petals resembling rubies.

But as she stepped up to crystal, she found that there was a plaque posted directly underneath that said that only those with special permission were allowed to use it. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding…?

She breathed hard through her nose to calm herself before passing by a regal-looking woman, dressed in a frilly red dress, and was looking around anxiously. Pausing for a moment, and remembering what Alphinaud told her before, she decided to question her and see if there was any news or rumors going around the city.

“Oh, hello there,” the woman said politely, “A fresh register, are we? You seem a little lost.”

“A little,” Claire confessed softly. “I’m just looking around.”

“Well, ‘tis lovely to make your acquaintance,” she smiled, “Speaking of acquaintances, you wouldn’t happen to have run into my attendant on your wanderings, would you? Big strong lad? Long hair, tied back?”

Claire confessed she did not know him, which saddened the woman, and she requested that if she saw him then she was to tell him that she only wanted him to return to her side. It didn’t seem that she knew any real news and so Claire left her with a promise to pass on the message if she ever saw her attendant. She wandered about the rest of the canopy, trying to pick up on any story or news she could. Not that it helped, the people were all so busy talking about themselves that she could hardly find anything of note.

With the perfumed air finally getting to her, she decided to get some fresh air.

As soon as she stepped outside, she could feel a slight breeze lick her cheeks and she sighed with slight relief as she walked along the wooden walkway, feeling better despite the everlasting glare of eternal day over her head. But even so, she rubbed her arms slightly, feeling a slight chill that she couldn’t explain despite the warm day. Once again, it was as if her gut was telling her that she was being watched… but there was no one around her but the Eulmorans who were continuing to live out their days in blissful excess and barely paying any attention to her or anything else around them.

What was causing this air of unease? She could only ignore the constant prickling of her skin and her hair standing on end for so long until she felt the urge to run from this place?

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she heard the strained shouts of someone calling for help. She looked down the walkway to see that a man was hanging over the edge of the railing and was struggling to pull himself back up. Without thinking, she bolted over, almost knocking a couple bystanders over in her attempt to reach the man before he lost his grip. She skidded to a stop and gripped his writs as she help to heave him upwards until his feet were able to find the boarded walkway and he could heave himself over the railing. He gasped as he landed hard on his back and shook slightly from his ordeal; taking a few minutes for him to be able to get back up to his feet.

“Are you alright?” she asked in concern as he wheezed and nodded back until he caught his breath.

“Thank you, friend,” he answered, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come along. I was trying to rescue my lady’s handkerchief, you see. The wind must have blown it over the edge, but luckily it caught on something. I thought if I could just stretch out far enough…”

As she looked him up and down, she suddenly realized that this must be the attendant of that woman she saw mere moments ago… so this was where he had gotten to? She knew better than anyone what it was like to be dedicated to your job, but… she wouldn’t risk her life for a scrap of cloth.

“It’s not just a scrap of cloth!” he gasped at the mere thought as she pointed this out to him, “Not if it belongs to her. I would risk my life and more to spare my mistress but a single moment of sadness.”

He smiled peacefully as he added in a blissful way, “When I first came to Eulmore, I thought only of improving my lot in life. But there was so much more to this city than wealth and plenty. There is no war here, no conflict… the residents all treat each other with warmth and respect. My mistress has been ever so kind to me, and I can think of no other place in Kholusia where I could possibly be happier!”

Claire blinked a little at that, a little taken aback. Perhaps it was the story that Tristol had told her before of what the city was like, and while she was far from impressed with it, she was starting to wonder if it was all bad now. If nothing else, she was glad to see that not everyone here was so drunk on their own privilege.

When he offered that she come to come and meet his mistress, who would surely wish to thank her for her aid, Claire suddenly remembered the message and told him that she had met his mistress. The moment that he heard that she was lonely, he dashed off without a second thought as if eaters were right on his tail. She followed at a slower pace, and when she found herself back near the markets of the canopy, she spotted the woman looking much happier with her attendant standing at attention at her side.

“My attendant told me everything,” she smiled, beaming widely at the sight of her there, “I am so very grateful you were there to offer your assistance!”

“You seem a dedicated patron…” Claire said kindly, already liking this girl a great deal.

“Oh, my attitude is naught unusual, I assure you,” she reassured her, though Claire could see the slight blush in her cheeks, “Without the efforts of our bonded residents, we free citizens would not enjoy the pleasures of our daily lives. They are deserving of our unending gratitude. Mayhap in another society, our different standing would breed prejudice or resentment. But in Eulmore, a most glorious measure is in place to avert such unpleasantness. Part of that measure requires that the free surrender their fortunes. Upon registration, all of our property—financial, intellectual, or otherwise—is given over to the city. In exchange, we are provided with ample funds and commodities to live a life of pampered luxury.”

Alright, now that was interesting. A different way to go about it… but it did make a lot of sense now that she thought of it. Apparently this liberated the people the concern of earning coin and with no rivals to compete against, they enjoy a peaceful life here. Eventually, the maiden grew concerned that she was interrupting Claire while she was working and asked her if she needed help with anything. Claire reassured her that she had only just arrived to the city and was given permission to explore the city and learn more of her new ‘home’.

Just thinking of calling this place home was almost more than she could stand. It felt more like a gilded cage to her—a cage where the shadows of the bars were giving her the creeps.

“A tour of the city, is it?” the woman repeated in understanding, “Then you really must visit the Beehive—it’s always buzzing with activity. Ahem, local humor…”

The Beehive? An interesting name for a pub, but the woman informed her to seek out a woman named Tista-Bie, who was usually seen lurking about the establishment, and she may be able to help her learn more of the city.

“I think you will find the Beehive is far more diverting than watching me pick out new curtains for the parlor!” the woman smiled with a slight tease before waving farewell and left, with her faithful attendant following right behind.

She wasn’t sure what type of place the Beehive was going to be like… but she quickly found out and regretted ever doing so.

She walked around the Canopy for a time, doing her best not to stand out. One would think that in a place as colorful as this one, no one would pay her a second glance. But more than a few would glance over at her with curiosity despite her attempts to dress plainly. Then again… it looked like those who dressed so plainly were the ones who stood out.

She found the Beehive in one of the many long hallways, with the outside doors dressed in bold advertisements with colors that all but flashed. She watched as a young man suddenly came out with his face flushed and a big grin on his face as he hiccupped and stumbled away—looking like he was having a hard time just trying to see where he was going at this point.

She stepped up and opened the doors to look inside… only for her eyes to widen in shock and slammed the doors shut immediately. She had thought that the Beehive was just going to be tavern or place of entertainment… but this…?

She just shook her head, staring at the door in front of her as her face burned red.

“By the Gods…” she hissed, unable to get rid of those images that were now stuck inside her head. Surely there was somewhere else in this wretched city that she could go to find information? She would sooner go to the edge of the railing behind her and throw herself over it than go in here!

Oh, there was no way she was going to go in there now. No way she was ever going to tell Alphinaud what went on in there…? This was the final straw… she was ready to leave Eulmore and not look back. She was all but ready to teleport out of this gaudy place and return to the Crystarium… but she couldn’t leave Alphinaud behind… he was counting on her.

But how could he expect her to put up with this?

She tried to remind herself that no one here knew her… no one would think to question her if she walked in and looked around curiously… even if it was as disgusting as it looked… no one would mind her wandering in if it was a place of business. All she would have to do was refuse should anyone ask for… attention.

So, gritting her teeth, she forced herself to walk into the room. The first thing was that it was left dark but there were rotating spotlights of different colors that drifted about the stage that drew everyone’s attention. The air was thick with a strong perfume that was heavy and smelled of musk that made her cough as she did her best to ignore the many tables that were set up around her… those drinking their cares away… all while cheering and leering at the dancers upon the stages that were rubbing their bodies up against poles as they spun seductively.

Gods, she hated Eulmore.

She breathed through her mouth because the air was so thick with fragrance that she couldn’t stop sneezing at first. The sooner she found Tista-Bie, the sooner she could get out of here. She was grateful that there was only one Mystel in the whole room—one sitting near the bar as she shuffled through a deck of cards.

Claire quickly crossed over to her, getting her attention as she spoke her name. Tista-Bie looked up from the cards to give her a look of polite interest.

“Welcome to the Beehive, my little drone,” she grinned, her pointed teeth revealed in her smile, “Seeking the sting of excitement to liven up your day?” 

Oh, nothing here could tempt her. She was just about to refuse when Tistra-Bie merely shrugged and chortled a little at the look on her face.

“...Hm hm,” she chuckled, “I can tell at a glance when folk are new to our happy colony. It's the nervous fluttering, you see ─ always gives them away,”

Claire didn’t answer. If she wanted to believe that she was uncomfortable about this place, she was going to let her… because it wasn’t a complete lie.

“Why don't we play some cards to set you at your ease, eh?” Tistra-Bie asked as she folded out her hand of cards like a fan and began to bat her eyes, “A quick game of ‘High or Low’ ─ it's simply a matter of guessing who has the bigger hand.” She then began to shuffle as she added, “If you win, I'll grant you a single favor...within reason, of course. Interested?”

Claire didn’t know how to play this game, but anything that could distract her from the ‘show’ directly behind her, she nodded and took a seat. Thankfully, the rules for this game were easy and all it led for her to predict if the cards she had together were greater or lower than her opponents. After a couple practice runs, the two sat down and played for real… the first time that Claire played, she guessed correctly in predicting that her hand was higher than hers… where Tistra-Bie then pressed that she play best two out of three.

Claire lost the second round… but the third, she won and Tistra-Bie admitted defeat. She praised her and asked what her ‘favor’ would be. Claire just asked her more about the city and any interesting news that she would be willing to share with her.

“In my humble estimation, the most wondrous thing about this town is how safe we are from the sin eaters,” she said, “They say Lord Vauthry was born with the power to command them ─ which means no Eulmoran need ever raise a weapon in defense of the city.”

“Command them?” Claire asked as she forced a fake smile on her face and pretended to be very interested in everything going around her as Tistra-Bie shuffled the cards. “Like… how? Does he have some sort of trick or…?”

Truly, how could anyone control such creatures? As far as she could see, these things were mindless beasts that are driven by their hunger for aether. How could this Vauthry command them in such a way that the people here could be left in peace?

“I couldn’t say, but does it matter? We’re safe here,” Tistra-Bie shrugged, giving her a look as if daring her to question how good they had it here. “If your itch still needs scratching, you might get a few words out of Atharn over there. There's naught that merry sot likes more than the sound of his own voice.”

She pointed over Claire’s shoulder and she looked around to see a man at one of the tables, his arm draped over the shoulders of a young woman, as they drank and laughed.

She looked back to Tistra-Bie and thanked her for her advice before she rose to her feet and crossed the room. She ignored the display on the stage as she walked straight to the table, hoping that this Atharn was in a good enough mood to talk. Though, judging from the redness of his face, it didn’t seem like getting him to talk would be too hard in this state.

“Excuse me,” she said politely, “Tista-Bie sent me over. I hoped you might answer a few--”

“New to Eulmore, are you?” the man interrupted her, his eyes raking over her body in a way that made her want to cover herself from the hungry look he was giving her. Her body remained stiff though as she narrowed her eyes and waited until he collected himself and said, “You’ve got that look... Tense and lost. Not a bad look on you.”

A muscle was going in her forehead as he laughed and his female companion was looking at her with a great deal of interest.

“Questions, right? That’s what you were about to say?” Atharn laughed, and Claire had to fight the wave of annoyance that was dangerously close to the surface. If this city was ever attacked in the future, she hoped that this place was the first to burn down.

“Only just arrived and already you're looking to peel away the layers of mystery,” he asked, “Oh, I'm all for chatting, but you need to slow down and enjoy life, my friend!” He then pointed up to one of the unoccupied platforms over their heads and commanded imperiously, “I tell you what: you hop up on stage and give us a dance first, and then we can have our little talk!”

Screw it… one cast of a fire spell should be enough to burn this place down.

“I’d rather not, thank you,” she said coldly, wanting to punch this smug bastard in the face.

He just laughed, informing her that he wasn’t asking that she disrobe or anything, just to show them that she knew how to cut loose and have fun.

“I can’t dance,” she excused a little too quickly.

“What?” the man asked, his arm pulling the girl next to him closer as she giggled as he gestured towards her, “A cutie like you? But if you can’t let go of your prudishness and have a little fun, you aren’t going to last here.” Atharn then tilted his head back and finished his drink before slamming the mug down onto the table in front of them as he played with his female companion’s hair in an disinterested way, “And I don’t have the time of day for prudes.”

Was it too much to hope that no one would miss him if something tragic were to befall him?

She wanted nothing more than to throw a drink into his face and march out through those doors and never come back. But who knows how much longer they would be able to stay in the city… sooner or later they would have to leave and they needed to know just what kind of secrets this city was hiding here. Would it really hurt anything other than her pride to just play along with it?

Sad as she was to admit it, but the sooner that she got her answers, the sooner she could leave this place behind.

It was only with that comforting thought did she finally forced herself to nod. Well, more of a jerk of the head, but he got the picture.

“Attagirl!” he grinned and gave her a nasty leer.

Why was she doing this? Really? Surely she could have found someone else who would be willing to give her information other than from here? If they succeed in saving this world and changing how things run here, the first thing she was going to do was have him relocate to the fields to work for the rest of his life.

Vowing that she was never to speak of this humiliating moment again, she climbed up one of the stairs that were on either side of the main stage, until she reached the platform that Atharn had pointed out. Still, she was seriously pissed off that she was being told to do this at all. She had thought that it would be nice for a change to be treated as any other person, and not some hero that the rest of the Source treated her as… but in that moment, she could not help but broodingly think that if she was back in the Source, no one would dare to ask her do something like this for their entertainment.

She forced herself to forget as she thought back to the countless menial tasks she performed for people throughout the years, and just pretended that this was a bad dream. While it wasn’t her best moment, she quickly began to dance about the small stage, refusing to go near the pole behind her since she had no idea where it had been. She chose an easy dance that caused her to spin and move lightly around the small stage to a different tune that was suddenly playing in her mind that drowned out the noise in her ears.

Truthfully, she always did enjoy dancing… there was something about it that seemed to bring a sense of calm to her otherwise stressed life. She was able to move without feeling the pain of a blade or claw trying to slash at her, or deadly spells attempting to kill her. She closed her eyes and simply emptied her mind as she swayed and twirled about with a grace that was honed from years of dancing about the battlefields.

For a brief moment, she was able to block out the music and the horridness perfume and pretend she was dancing beneath a clear night sky with countless stars over her head. She was even able to find a small smile as she added a shining silver moon directly over her head like a spotlight…?

But then her peaceful dreams were rudely interrupted when she heard some hooting and catcalls from below and she stopped dead as her eyes snapped open to bring her back to reality. She looked down to see a handful of men—and even a few women—all calling up to her with eager eyes.

She merely jumped down, her head held high, and ignored the disappointed cries when the people realized that she wasn’t going to be taking her clothes off. That was a line that she wasn’t going to cross no matter how important the information could be.

With a mental vow to punch Atharn if he still refused to tell her any information, she walked back to the table, who was applauding sarcastically when she stepped forward.

“Are you going to tell me what I want to now or not?” she asked coldly, ignoring the calls still begging for attention behind her.

“After that stimulating display?” he asked as his female companion laughed and leaned up against Atharn—but not before batting at Claire with long lashes and twiddled her fingers at her as if she wanted her to join them.

“We can talk about any damn thing you want, killer,” Atharn said as his eyes trailed over her body once more in a rather eager way that made her skin crawl.

It took everything she had to prevent herself from slapping him.

She cut to the chase and learned how this city alone was spared the destruction of the sin eaters thanks to their Lord Vauthry. The way that he spoke of him, as if he were some sort of miracle-worker… seemingly content to let this world end so long as he got to do whatever he wanted until then.

She didn’t like the sounds of that.

She left quickly… and it wasn’t just because Atharn reached out to take her arm, trying to tempt her into staying here with them. Claire didn’t even respond with an answer… she just stepped hard on his toes before marching out and back into the fresh air. She was almost glad to be back in that Light-stained world so long as she was away from that disgusting place.

But with the Beehive now behind her, and what they saw as ‘entertainment’ she walked as fast as she could without looking like she was running so that she could find Alphinaud and tell him what she discovered.

She was a little surprised to find that the Chai’s were still sitting where she last saw them… but she couldn’t find Alphinaud anywhere.

“Oh, hello there sweetie,” Lady Chai cooed when she reappeared and gave another polite bow, “I must say, I expected you to have taken a lot longer than that.”

“I simply wished to see how Alphinaud was doing,” she answered lightly, glancing around, feeling worry in her heart so thick that she felt that she was going to be sick. This place was starting to get to her. Chai-Nuzz barely glanced up at her as he took a sip of tea and his wife grinned at the thought.

“Oh, don’t you worry,” she reassured her, “He’s just changing. Those clothes he was wearing left much to be desired and so I decided to find something a little more becoming of an inspiring painter! Oh, and when he’s done I’ll have to be sure to find something for you too! You are such a pretty girl, you know!”

“Ah… I…” she stuttered before blushing a little. Up till now, apart from those disgusting louts back in the Beehive, Alphinaud was the only person who would come right out and tell her that she was pretty and she wasn’t sure how to really take it so sincerely from someone else. Instead she just blushed as she muttered, “You are… kind, my lady.”

But then, Lady Chai gasped and waved past her, causing Claire to look back to see who had caught her eyes. That was when a familiar white-haired figure stepped up towards them.

***Alphinaud* (A little earlier)**

“Oh, let us try this one next!” Dullia beamed as she began to hold up various outfits to see how they looked with his complexion.

“You are far too generous, my lady,” he smiled back, though truthfully, he was exhausted as she passed him one outfit after the next. “But is this all truly necessary? I mean, I fear I will just get the clothes covered in paint…?”

“Nonsense,” she scolded as she tossed aside some gloves only to pick up another pair and see how well they went with a pair of long, white boots. “Yes, these pieces match… but I don’t think green is your color.”

She then dropped the green top before looking into more darker shades of blue—which he was relieved for—and he stepped behind a screen to change into a pair of robes to try on.

He sighed and looked at the poncho before starting to tug it off over his head, leaving him in that white sweater underneath. But as he began to remove his boots, he could feel his anxiety growing. What was it about this city that made him feel so uncomfortable? Or was it just his nerves that were getting the better of him? Not even one hour spent here and he was forced to bathe in a public place, and now he was getting change with a stranger instructing him what to wear?

Bathing had been bad enough. He thought back to how he stood guard outside the showers, wanting to give his friend as much privacy as he could… but as soon as he heard the water running he could only feel embarrassment.

Just thinking about how she was more than likely down to not a stich of clothing was enough to cause him to become light-headed. For the most part, he was able to push such thoughts out of his mind—ashamed of himself for even daring to let his mind wander down that road. But the moment he heard the water turn off and the rattling of the curtain opening, he almost fell over because he was shaking.

He was grateful that Dullia-Chai interrupted his disgraceful thoughts.

“And I must be sure to find something for that lovely assistant of yours too,” Dullia-Chai added brightly. “She seemed such a sweet girl… but not much of a talker is she?”

“She is… uncomfortable around crowds,” he answered back through the curtains, “She becomes more talkative around friends.”

“Really? Oh, that is good to hear, I feared she didn’t like me when we met,” she said with a titter, “So she’s just shy, that’s all. Well, a couple days here and she’ll warm up.”

Oh, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He could see how uncomfortable she was being here and knew she would not take the news well if they had to remain for several days. Not to mention he disliked how more than a few of the drunkards they passed on their way up here glanced at her… seeing that made him want to get her out of here as soon as possible.

He shook his head, reminding himself that she didn’t need protection and it was ridiculous to overact. Instead, he focused on his task of learning more of Eulmore and began to casually ask Lady Chai more of the city as he tried on outfit after outfit.

Sadly, it turned out that she didn’t really have too much information that he didn’t already know of the city. Instead, she mentioned how her husband was once the head of a company and they moved here so that they could spend what little time they had left in peace.

He frowned at that, not liking at how easily they accepted their ‘fate’. This world was in bad shape, but not so far gone to see that there was no hope for it, was it? Where things that hopeless or was that simply easier to believe than fighting back.

“Ah, but what about you?” Dullia-Chai asked suddenly, “Where do you come from?”

“Ah… far away,” he said, trying not to sound like a child who had been caught in a lie, “I arrived here almost a year ago. Claire only just arrived yesterday morning.”

“Truly? You only met yesterday?” she asked in surprise and he froze, realizing his mistake.

“Not at all, we were friends for some time back home,” he said hurriedly, “I merely meant that I just arrived ahead of her.”

“I see,” she said thoughtfully, and she passed more clothes from behind the screen to him. “Well, she certainly arrived at just the right moment! Oh, I know a most wonderful shop that sells the prettiest of dresses!”

Alphinaud had to fight the snort of laughter at that. He had only see her dress up in something frilly on a handful of occasions—and she had made her opinions on how she felt about it very clear later on. In truth, he could not really think of her in something like that… he was suddenly curious what she would look like in a long dress instead of armor or…?

“My, what’s in this book?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts once more and he wondered what she was talking about as he was about to take the hot and stiff robe off… only to remember that he left his notebook out there.

He quickly came out and froze in horror when he saw her going through the book curiously.

“M-My lady!” he gasped, made to reach for it with a strangled breath, “I fear… that those are…?”

But her eyes were wide when she found the pictures; duly impressed with his sketches and all the more convinced that he was a great artist if he had taken so much time and care into the pictures…? At least, until she found the ones he made of Claire’s face.

“It would seem to me that she is more than a mere assistant to you,” she said with a sunny smile as his insides felt like shriveling up and dying right then and there as she gave him a knowing look and his lie was coming back to haunt him as he knew it would. For not long after Claire had left and the two of them were discussing what he was to paint first, Lord Chai-Nuzz spotted Claire speaking with a young woman in a red dress before walking off. Alphinaud didn’t like the way his eyes were narrowed with suspicion and asked if there was a problem.

It turned out that he didn’t like the idea of having a possible free-loader around.

“Oh, there is no need to be concerned,” he reassured him calmly, “I assure you that my assistant is no stranger to hard work. I am certain that if there are any tasks that you need done, she will be more than happy to aid you in them. But she is vital for my work to truly shine, and so I could not bear coming to the city and risk not being able to perform to the best of my abilities for you.”

“If you need someone there to hold your hand constantly, then how can you call yourself a professional?” he countered with a frown, “To use someone as a crutch like that? Or do you plan to use her as an excuse should you’re work not turn out as we expect it?”

“That will not happen,” he said quickly, “Should my work prove less than satisfactory to you, it will be because my own skills must be lacking. She is very dear to me and so leaving her behind was not an option.”

But Chai-Nuzz still looked doubtful about this arrangement and when he suggested that they have customs look more into the matter, or seeing if they could find another patron for Claire, Alphinaud’s heart all but stopped at that.

“N-No!” he said quickly, “I promise you she means no harm… and I really am teaching her to draw. But you see, I could not enter without her!”

“And why is that?” he asked, giving him a hard look and Alphinaud tried to think fast as Lady Dullia looked between the two of them with wide eyes. If he could just get her on his side then…?

“Because… because…” he said, trying not to stutter before he blurted out the first excuse he could think of, “She’s my betrothed!”

The words echoed around him, getting the attention of a few patrons sitting near them. He could feel his face turn red from his outburst—but he got the desired reaction. Lady Dullia-Chai couldn’t have looked more thrilled at this and all but squealed at the thought.

“Your beloved? Oh, why didn’t you say so before? Now it all makes sense!” she beamed, “Well, that does it, we can’t very well separate the two of them now; don’t you agree dearest?”

“Huh? Oh, I ah…” Chai-Nuzz said, a little taken aback by this unexpected development. But, Alphinaud rolled with it.

“Well, she isn’t just yet. I have not yet found the courage to ask her for her hand,” he mumbled, looking down, hoping that they buy this. “You see… I was planning to do so once I have our future secured before I felt that I was worthy of asking her to be my wife.”

Such words sounded so strange to him here and he knew that if she, or any of his other friends where there, they would _never_ let him here the end of it. But it seemed to him that Lady Chai was a hopeless romantic, and so he played that to his advantage, and she fell for it completely.

With the idea that a possible proposal could be in store, Lady Chai all but jumped to her feet and insisted on getting him ready for that.

“Now there is no need to,” he said quickly as she grabbed his wrist with a surprising grip and dragged him off to find some more becoming clothes.

“My dear if you want to show her how much you care, then you have to look the part,” she informed him as he tried to politely refuse. “And I will not take no for an answer. Now let us see what we can find for you here…?”

Which was how he found himself in this room and trying on these fancy clothes that would probably suit a lord, not him.

“Oh, now I see!” Dullia said all a titter as she beamed down at him, “She’s your muse as well as your beloved. That’s so sweet.”

“Ah, thank you, my lady!” he gulped as he tried to take the notebook back, “But… I have not yet asked her how she would feel about such… an arrangement. I fear that we… still are trying to find time…?”

“I understand, but there is no need to rush things,” she reassured him with a fond pat on the head. “We have all the time in the world in Eulmore—at least what is left to us. When you are ready to ask her, I am certain she will be most happy. Oh, I cannot wait! I’ve always loved weddings!”

He could only pray that she does not bring this up to Claire at any point… he would hate to think he scared her off because of this ruse. But Dullia just smiled back as she handed the book back to him.

“Not a word, dear,” she promised, “But honestly, if you paint as well as you draw…? Ah! This is the one!”

She then passed him some different clothes and told him that he was to come out when he finished and that she was expecting nothing but the best from him. He sighed in relief as she left him alone to finish changing in privacy before flipping through the pages of his notebook, making a few more notes that he had learned since being here. He would be sure to add in whatever other information that Claire managed to learn when they had a moment to spare.

He was given a dark blue scarf-like cape with a white high collared shirt underneath a tunic with silver armor plates and other delicate silver pieces that were adoring the sleeves until they reached a pair of gloves with matching silver décor. He had just pulled on the pair of white breeches and white leather thigh boots and strapped the grimoire that the Exarch had given him to his side before he felt that he was ready to go.

He paused only to tuck the notebook under his clothes so that he didn’t need to worry about someone else accidently reading it.

But as he made to close the book, he realized that something was stuck in the pages and turned it over to see a familiar letter tucked away there. He looked sadly at it for a moment before sticking it far back to the last few pages—unable to bear looking at it at the moment.

He slapped his cheeks, trying not to dwell on such sad feelings as he hurried and changed. He had grown used to the thick woolly outfits he had been using for the last year, they were both warm and functional, and he certainly felt out of place in these new ones… but he had to admit that they fit like a glove.

Perhaps he should get the name of that tailor?

But when he felt that he was ready to face whatever was waiting for him, he took a deep breath, and walked right out into the open canopy once more. By the time that he returned to the parlor, he found that Claire had returned and was speaking with the Chais—with Lady Chai now cooing over her in a way that caused him to suspect that she was planning to dress her up.

“Pray, forgive the time spent away,” he called to them, “I wished to make sure your gift was on properly.”

They all looked up at him as he came towards them; and he suddenly felt a bit self-conscious to how he might look. The clothes were comfortable, but there wasn’t a mirror in the room so he didn’t have a good view of what he may look like to others. Lady Chai cooed over the sight of him, looking so thrilled at how he looked. She even questioned her husband what he thought, who was very dismissive of the fact, but seemed happy to see that his wife was enjoying herself. He then reminded her that they hired him to paint and that perhaps now they should have him get to work on it. Dulia-Chai waved her hand at him, a slight pout on her face, as she reminded him that they had time in spoiling them a little bit.

But Alphinaud was looking at Claire, who was looking away. Why? Did he suddenly look that bad? That was when he realized that there was a blush on her cheeks… which made him turn red. How did he look to her?

With the two couple talking, he took the chance to pull Claire out to the balcony where they could talk properly.

“I am merely asking her what kind of art supplies she found in the markets for me,” he reassured them. “It will only be a few minutes.”

Lady Chai waved them off as she gave them a knowing grin.

“She looked happy,” Claire commented as they left and Alphinaud gave a slight cough at the reminder. Rather than answer, he pulled her out onto the balcony where they could speak in private.

“You alright?” she asked him.

“I feel like a dress up doll,” he confessed, “I should probably warn you to run if she decides to put you in something else. But that doesn’t matter. What have you found so far? Have you learned anything of import while exploring the main floors?”

She nodded and told him everything she had found out so far, including how Vauthry was able to prevent the sin eaters from even coming near the city. Apparently, he had some kind of power over them. But no one seemed to offer an explanation to how he was able to do so. She also told him a little more of the city’s residents and how things are run here.

He folded his arms as he listened intently to what she had to say as she did her best to explain what she heard. It seemed here that the people revere Lord Vauthry almost to like a savor in their eyes. No one questioned him, no one seemed to care what he did so long as they were safe. Already, he could see warning flags waving.

“I understand,” he reassured her, “And I promise that we will leave as soon as we are able to. But we have to wait until…?”

“I know,” she sighed, understanding him as she leaned against the railing and looked over the water. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you behind here.”

He leaned against the rail right beside her, taking her hand in his own as they looked over the still water below them.

This may be a problem later on. Once again, his old fears of being in a relationship were starting to resurface. How could they truly focus on their tasks if they were thinking of each other? While most of his longing had cooled down now that he knew she was safe and sound next to him, and he could not deny that he loved every touch and word that was shared between them, he could not help but worry.

He fought the sigh… he knew that… but being with her was like a breath of sunshine after a storm… he could not help but want it—yearned for it. Yet this wasn’t the time to act selfish, this wasn’t the time to keep her to himself when they had work.

Until this world was saved, they had to… hold it in.

He took another minute to collect his thoughts before letting go of her hand.

“Thank you for telling me this,” he said, “Let us return inside and we will discuss where we will go from here. I hope that you don’t mind playing the part of an assistant for a little longer?”

She gave a slightly worn smile as she nodded and stood right as well. Neither of them said a word as they returned to the parlor… feeling that they were being watched the entire time. At this point, perhaps they were getting used to that feeling… so much so that they didn’t take the time to realize that they were being watched. Directly above them a lone figure stood in the shadows… and a pair of golden eyes were watching them with great curiosity.

***Claire***

“Lady Chai has a very particular sense of beauty, and apparently that extends to how I should dress whilst painting… but this obsession of hers works in our favor,” he whispered to her as they walked, “The time I spend indulging these distractions is time you can use to continue your explorations. For this excursing, I’d like you to delve into the layer below us, and sniff about the military headquarters. I’m sure the Understory has its own tale to tell…”

Claire nodded in understanding as they reached the table, and he then added with his voice lower than ever, “Now is your chance to squeeze in another round of reconnaissance. Go—I will cover your absence should the Chais become suspicious.”

But then he watched as her eyes glanced over his clothes and he turned red as he tried to mutter an explanation for it, and muttering, “Do I look that silly?”

“Oh, not at all,” she confessed and he turned a flaming red as she added teasingly, “You look like a prince. Like from the old stories.”

Truth was, he did. He truly looked dashing and even a little bit older… she didn’t really think too much of it, but once he reached his growth spurt… he would shoot up taller than she was. That was going to be interesting to see… having to look up at him for a change?

She brushed her fingers against his hand, silently promising that she would be careful, and left just as the Chais saw that they were back.

“Where is she going?” she heard Chai-Nuzz ask behind her.

“Oh, I merely am sending her out to collect some paints,” he reassured them. “In such a bright city as this, I’m sure that the colors she picks out will be perfect for the painting. But first, I will start on the outline…”

He had gotten very good with his excuses… she almost believed him that time.

When no one was looking, she slipped into the shadows of the hallway until she found the stairs that would take her to the floor below. Going down was easier than going up, but it was still a long time before she reached the Understory. She stepped inside, and began to look around. She had already come up with the story that she was just a new arrival who had gotten lost, should anyone ask. But while there were guards around, no one seemed particularly interested in her presence. All around them were platforms and what looked like cell doors that were fully stocked with provisions, armor, and weapons… so at first glance, they looked ready to go marching off to battle at any moment. But after getting a closer look… she realized that everything merely looked the part. The armor was sparkling… the weapons sharpened to a point… but everything here looked as if it had been unused for some time. There were bar-like doors on each of the smaller side rooms, and she could not help but wonder if this was once used as a kind of prison at one point but was now mostly used as storage.

“Someone let things go,” she muttered to herself.

No sooner did she think that did she hear a slight whimper coming from one of the rooms, and it immediately drew her attention. Cautiously, she crept to the barred room that seemed to be right out of everyone’s view, and she poked her head inside. There was a young Drahn woman, dressed in a cute pink dress, who was standing in the corner and wept softly to herself.

“Excuse me?” she asked as she came in and approached, “Are you alright?”

The girl jumped at her voice, spinning around and staring at her with wide, red eyes.

“You… you’re one of the bonded, aren’t you? Like me?” she asked, and when she saw Claire nod, she quickly gasped out pleadingly, “I’ve been making excuses, but it’s just not getting any better. If my patron thinks I’m of no use to him, then…” she broke down completely there and it took Claire a couple minutes to calm her down to the point that she could understand what she was trying to say. “I need you to sneak out to the Derelicts and describe my condition to Thoarich.”

It seemed that the girl was a singer, but was having difficulty in singing because of the pain in her throat. She passed Claire a list of her symptoms and a small bag of meol that would serve as payment as she implored for her to go down outside and speak to the makeshift apothecary for some medicine. With them short on time, normally, Claire would refuse, but the girl looked so scared and upset… she couldn’t find it in her to abandon her—especially since it looked like she had no one else to turn to. She agreed in the end, promising to be back as soon as she could.

The outside of the city was called the Derelict where those who were allowed to live at the foot of the city, but were unable to go in any further. For these people they had once lived in ‘paradise’ with all the other… but were cast down here below… perhaps as punishment until they were able to reenter the city at one point.

Claire rushed down to the ground floor and snuck outside. Immediately, now that she was away from the glamour from above, she felt so much better. She even took a moment to breathe in the fresh ocean air, free from that overly-scented smell, and clearing her head.

With a quick shake of her head, she went off in search for this apothecary, wandering about the ruined hovels that stood at the base of the city. This place looked even more worn-down than Gatetown did… perhaps these makeshift homes were a little more sturdy and covered… showing that unlike the ones in Gatetown, these seemed to be a little more… permanent. But it was still sad. She could see that there were mountains of garbage that looked like the rest of the city just tossed out. She saw broken bits of furniture, entire slabs of materials, clothes with barely a hole in them, and even half eaten food all just tossed out. The people were fighting over the scraps from the master’s table as they used them to enforce their homes.

What a waste of perfectly good items. With most of this world gone, they needed to be more careful with what was left of the resources… here, they obviously didn’t care so long as they were having a good time. Seeing this… made her so angry.

Once more, she beat those emotions down as she wandered about, eventually coming upon a platform with some landbound boats that were filled with plants. She could smell the medicinal ones in the air and figured this was the apothecary that she was looking for. The man in charge was dressed in a dirty robe and grinned rather evilly when she stepped up to them.

She handed over the payment and the list as she quickly explained what happened. The man, however, just cackled as he gave them back with an air of unconcern—as if he could not care less what happened to the girl. He simply stated that there was, more than likely, a lump in her throat that was causing the problem. It would have to be cut out but even then she would be unlikely ever to regain her singing voice.

“Poor little songbird,” he laughed, “Will they kick her from the nest, I wonder? Or simply silence her chirps?”

Claire’s eyes narrowed at that before asking with a frown, “What do you mean?”

But her question just caused him to laugh louder than ever.

“Your face!” he grinned, “You didn’t know? Of the many hopefuls who enter the city, very few are ever seen to leave. Even as corpses. Oh, you might see one or two fortunate fools hurled from the balconies, but the rest…? Gone. A town of nightmares, it is. Not for this ship’s rat, oh no no. I am content to scurry around down here, and nibble on the crumbs which fall from the table.”

Well, that could not be any more different than what she heard of the city from the people in the canopy. Yet, as she looked up at the building, seeing the darker shadows cast from the glare of the Light… she suddenly found that she would take this supposed healer’s word over that of those glazed-eyes people inside.

Still, she asked if there was nothing more that could be done for that poor girl… but the man refused to give her anything, stating that while the lump could be cut out, that was all they could do. She could keep her voice if they catch the lump quickly enough, but singing…? That was out of the question. He didn’t even give her some kind of potion or powder that could help soothe the girl’s throat until she figured out what to do.

So, it was with much guilt and regret that she returned to the girl and explained to her what the so-called healer said.

At that, the girl broke down completely, having given up all hope. Claire tried to comfort her until an elderly Hume man came in, having heard the cries. It turned out that this man was the girl’s patron, who was concerned for her and came to see where she had disappeared to. It was then that the girl confessed everything to him, and apologized endlessly for her inability to sing. However, it seemed that her master was a kind soul, who truly seemed to care for her, looking at her with regret that he had no idea how bad it was.

He looked at her kindly, like how a grandfather would dote upon his granddaughter, horrified to learn that she had been suffering, too afraid to tell him the truth. But now that he knew, he promised her that after all her years of loyal service, he was not going to throw her out onto the streets. This caused Claire to sigh in relief, afraid that she would suffer the same way that old apothecary owner predicted.

But just the thought seemed to upset the girl even more, shaking her head, still lost at what to do.

“But what use am I if I cannot sing?” she asked through her tears, “I fear the day I become more burden to you than treasure…”

“Then I shall have a word with Lord Vauthry, and arrange for your ascension,” he answered back gently. “In that paradise where resides neither pain nor illness will your song ring out clearly once again. Or mayhap you think it a step too far?”

The words might as well have been a different language for all that Claire understood them. Ascension? Paradise? What were they talking about? The girl clearly understood though, for she was staring at him and asked quickly, “No… I… you would do that for me?”

“Of course,” he reassured her, “Why, I would almost wish to hasten my own ascension, knowing your blessed instrument was waiting there to greet me.”

This answer, seemed to bring the girl much relief, and she could see her shoulders slacken with joy at the thought… as if all the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Claire couldn’t take it anymore and questioned them about this Ascension…?

“Ah, you must be a new arrival,” he explained, almost forgetting that she was in the room with them. “Allow me to explain. As all know, the sin eater exist to devour the sinful. But also do they serve to gather the souls of the innocent, and shepherd them unto celestial paradise. It is through Lord Vauthry that we learned this truth. It is through Lord Vauthry’s rule that the free people of Eulmore are destined to embrace salvation.”

Truly? Why did that sound a little too good to be true? Sin eaters gather the souls of the innocent? Not what she had seen. The image of poor Tesleen transforming suddenly came flying out of nowhere as if someone hit her over the head with a hammer. That sure didn’t look to her like being shepherd onto paradise.

She wanted to say something… but what could she say to them? Instead, all she requested was that they give it time to think of other options before jumping right into something they would regret. The old man seemed to like this idea, wanting to spend a few more days with his sweet canary since the process usually takes some time to be approved anyway. The girl could only thank her for trying to help before the two of them left.

But though the two of them seemed content with the outcome, even if it was not the one they were hoping for… Claire’s heart was heavy. In fact, it took her awhile to realize that she had just been standing there under the light of the lantern and she should get back up to Alphinaud before her absence was noticed.

Still, as she emerged, she could not help but think more of the idea of this ascension. What was this? She didn’t understand. Who was this Lord Vauthry and what sort of power did he have over the eaters? What was to become of those people who went to this ascension? She didn’t know… but the more she thought of it… the more the apothecary’s words came to her. Could it be that the reason that so many enter… but none leave… is because of this ascension?

She was so lost in her thoughts, she wasn’t looking where she was going, and ended up walking right into someone. The taller man, grabbed hold of her wrist and steadied her to prevent her from falling over.

“I’m sorry,” she said at once, looking up at him, “I was distracted and…?”

“I suggest being more careful,” the man said briskly. She looked up to see a very tall elderly Hume standing there with long silver hair, styled into a goatee and mustache, standing before her. He was dressed in gray, black and purple garments with gold accessories that almost blended in with his pale skin and steely grey eyes as he looked at her with a rather humorless expression. His face was badly scarred, and she could all but feel a sense of power and battle experience… she didn’t know who he was… but he was clearly not a simple security guard like most of the soldiers she had seen so far.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, not liking the cold look the man was giving her, “I’m new here and I got lost…?”

“Then you best find where you need to go,” he interrupted, pointing upwards to the stairs. “Take the stairs up as high as you can. That is where the canopy is, and where I suspect that you are supposed to be. Go there, and behave. If I catch you wandering around here again, there will be trouble.”

She nodded, looking up at the man’s scarred face. His eyes… they were so cold. Compared to the kindly old man she met before, treating the girl as if she were a precious treasure, this man looked as if he had no time or patience for anyone.

But, the moment he caught her eyes, something in him seemed to change. He was observing her with a rather bored suspicion, but didn’t say a word nor try to stop her as she turned and headed towards the stairs. But as she began to climb…?

“Girl…” the old man barked suddenly and she paused, looking back to see the man standing there with a deadly serious expression on his face. “I know not who you are or where you come from, but this is not a place for you to linger. I suggest you leave as soon as you can.”

Claire didn’t know what it was… but there as an air of absolution in his voice. It left her with no doubt that this wasn’t advice… it was a clear warning. It was almost as if he could sense that she was not someone who was part of this world… and he didn’t like her presence here at all.

She didn’t answer him. She just turned and walked out, not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to her. But she could not lie to herself… something about that old man was very, very dangerous.

The old man watched her every move, as if making sure that she left the Understory. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk as he stood still as a statue and didn’t move again until she was out of his sights. All the while, another figure was leaning up against the wall, having watched the entire exchange.

“You see?” the tall man in the shadows asked of him, “That woman could end up being a threat later on. I would be careful, if I were you. Just a friendly piece of advice.”

“Hmph,” the old man grunted as he turned and marched away from him without another word.

The shadowy figure watched him leave and sighed.

“I swear, tis like talking to a brick wall for all the good it does,” he said to himself in a bored way, “All he thinks about these days is hunting down a little girl. Pathetic.”

But he looked up at the stairs, still thinking of the figure that was continuing on to rejoin her friend.

“But that hue though… a soul with that color… there is no mistake,” he said to himself. “The question now is… how did she get here?”

As for Claire, her steps felt unusually heavy as she retreated back up to the canopy. Everything she had seen and heard so far felt as if the inside of her skull was being bashed in. But with every step she took, she could feel herself speeding up more and more until she was in a sprint to get up those never-ending stairs. She suddenly found it hard to breathe and that didn't have anything to do with the sudden exercise. Her steps echoed off the narrow stairway, and she had to reach out to keep her hand on the wall to steady herself because of how light-headed she felt all of a sudden. She needed to get out of this place... something wasn't right here and every part of her—body and mind—was screaming that at her. 

She had to get back to Alphinaud, perhaps it was her own imagination running away with her, but she felt she had to warn him. 

She returned to the parlor, where an easel had been set up, and Alphinaud had some charcoal and black paint at hand as he began working on the outline of the portrait of the two together.

He heard her approach and he looked up immediately to greet her.

“Tis good to see you back,” he said to her in an undertone, “You were taking so long I began to worry something had happened." He glanced over at the portrait and added, "I’ve begun sketching an outline for the portrait, but…" he was worried of saying anything in front of current company, but when he saw the Chais in deep conversation, he shook his head.

"Nay, the Chais appear otherwise occupied," he said, looking back to her and whispering, "Will you share what your investigations have gleamed thus far?"

That was when he saw the frown on her face and he reached out to touch her arm. She jerked back slightly... but he noticed it and the concern in his face only grew as he tried to ask her what was wrong.

“Claire…?” he asked anxiously, setting down the charcoal stick he had been using, his entire attention on her. 

She wasn't sure what to say, or what was bothering her. Or perhaps there was so much troubling thoughts and feelings at that moment she couldn't focus on which was the one that was most disturbing to her.

She took a deep breath and explained what she heard to him, half surprised she was so calm despite the horrors she felt.

The idea that those who are considered to be 'no longer useful' could be cast out at any moment...? Just the thought sickened her. The free could live how they wanted, but the bonded, must live in constant fear of being thrown out... cast aside... like broken toys that have no further use. What of those who grow too old or sick to be able to work? What then? Are they thrown out as well? 

She told him of what she saw in the Understory... of meeting the young girl and how terrified she was at the thought of being cast aside. Of the man who cruelly laughed at her pain before informing her of the many who enter the city but few rarely leave... only when they throw themselves off the balcony if mercy was given to them.

She shook her head at the thought of the people... how loyal and completely obedient they were to Vauthry... almost like...?

No, there can't be primals in this world... can there?

She didn't dare say that last part to Alphinaud as he looked generally disturbed by what she said. But he remained calm as his mind began to go over different possibilities. 

“So…Lord Vauthry boasts some manner of influence over the sin eaters, does he?” he summed up for them both, “This would explain the reverence in which he is held by the citizenry. And as for this ascension business, I cannot help but be put in mind of the apothecary and his ominous remarks. If so many folk have entered the city over the years, then where do they go…?"

That was the worst part of this whole thing. The way that the two of them talked about it... she feared the worst possible fate for them. Could it be possible that they are... fed... to sin eaters?

She watched how Alphinaud's brow furrowed in deep concern as the news sunk in, but before he could voice what he was thinking, Chai-Nuzz spoke up, causing them both to jump. They had completely forgotten that they were there and were so pulled into their discussion that they didn't notice how he was looking disapprovingly at the pair of them.

“Hmph,” he grunted, his eyes looking over the pair of them. “I take my eye off you for one moment and you’re chattering away with that assistant of yours. Am I to assume the outline is done, then?”

Alphinaud then stood back as Chai-Nuzz stood and walked around the table to get a good look at it.

It was actually quite comical the way that Chai-Nuzz took one look at the portrait and took a step back as if he was afraid of what was painted there.

“Wh-What in the blazes…?” he demanded, so funnily that she temporarily forgot how miserable she felt.

Personally, Claire didn’t see anything wrong with it. If anything, she thought that it was good--the two in the portrait looked just like the pair of them. But Chai-Nuzz rounded on Alphinaud, as if deeply insulted.

“It’s so…so…unflattering!” he hissed, trying not to speak loud enough for his wife to hear, who was now deciding which sweet she would like to have next. “Explain yourself, Alphinaud! Where is your artistic interpretation?! It should evoke images of affluence and nobility, and overwhelm the viewer with its boundless beauty!”

“Lord Chai—you stated that this portrait was to commemorate your anniversary," Alphinaud reminded him evenly, “Yours being a joyous union, it seemed to me that a realistic portrayal…”

“Realistic!?” Chai-Nuzz interrupted, clearly not listening, “I don’t want realism! I want perfection! A spectacle to slacken jaws and weaken knees! To make people cry out in amazement!"

She was starting to see now why Tristol had such a hard time trying to impress his patrons... what they were asking for sounded close to impossible.

"Now, fetch a blank canvas and…” but before he could finish his demand, he was cut off in mid-sentence when they heard a blood-curdling scream crying out from overhead. They, and everyone else around them, looked up immediately, startled and worried expressions mirrored on each one of them.

“I say… did that come from above?” Chai-Nuzz asked, his anger fading as they looked out the balcony.

Lady Chai looked deeply nervous as she and Alphinaud shared a look, both preparing for another battle should it be needed... in truth thought, she was silently hoping for it. Personally, at this point, Claire was all but aching for a fight. In fact, she could feel her hand slowly going for her weapon, feeling the comforting handle in her palm as she half expected a sin eater to appear.

_‘Yes... it came from... the floor above us?'_ she thought to herself. She had thought that this city only had the three levels?

Suddenly, she heard the familiar jingling of bells behind her.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your attention pleeease: a tale to make you quiver and your noble blood freeze!” 

She turned at once, and there were the red and blue jesters standing there, all waving and smiling at the crowd as if they were about to put on a grand show. 

“There was a villain on the loose, set to ruin our fair city…” the Red Jongleur cried out and judging by their grins they relished the news, and Claire suppressed a disgusted growl. 

Why did it feel like she got a headache every time those jesters opened their mouths?

“...But our lord has got him now, and his fate will not be pretty!” the Blue Jongleur added grinning rather evilly, “Yes, the hammer of justice is poised to come crrrashing down! And one and all who'd watch it fall are invited to join his lordship in the Offer!”

It was one thing to announce a criminal's crime to the public to reassure them that the matter was being taken care of... it was another to actually witness them being punished for it.

It wasn't about fixing anything or delivering justice to one who deserves it... it was all a spectacle.

Already she could see a crowd heading towards a lift, a lift that she barely noticed before now, but already the crowds was murmuring excitedly to each other as if going to a show. Then again, she thought of the Beehive and how that served as entertainment here and she supposed she shouldn't be surprised.

Yet as she watched those heading to the lift, she could see it at the end of a long corridor from here... and looking at it only increased her sense of dread. It was an elaborated golden door and there was something about it that... sent a chill up her spine and her stomach sink that was from something else completely.

This was wrong...

“A malcontent?” Dulia-Chai gasped anxiously next to her, “How dreadful…”

“And this man is to face sentencing…?” Alphinaud asked them, trying to learn exactly what was going on.

“That’s right,” Chai-Nuzz explained, “In fact… if you’re curious, it might be worth you going along for the experience. The Offer they mentioned is part of the Emergent—the level above us where Lord Vauthry resides."

Ah, so of course the 'king' of this accursed city would be seated above them, wouldn't he? 

"Ordinarily, you would be barred from entering, but it seems they’ll be opening its doors for the next little while," Chai-Nuzz explained, "The Crown Lift will take you up there.”

So they had the chance to see this Lord Vauthry in person? Though now that she thought of it, she was almost afraid to see what kind of person would be in charge of a city like this. She had a bad feeling that she was going to regret finding out if they went to go investigate.

But she could see that Alphinaud was not going to let this opportunity go to waste and was ready to go for a chance to speak with this Vauthry.

“We had best not dawdle,” he said and he took her hand as he led the way to reach the rest of the crowd. 

The lift was only large enough for a handful of people and there were only going to be a handful up at a time. Most fit into the first two rides, so that by the time that they were allowed on, it was just the two of them. As they road up, she could feel Alphinaud looking at her.

She did not speak to him… but she could tell that he was aware of how she felt about this.

"I know you are not happy," he said softly, "A sentiment that I share... but regardless of whoever this criminal is... we may be given a chance to speak with this Lord Vauthry and get some real answers. The more we know about Eulmore the better for us. If we can, I want to see if I can persuade them into lending us their aid in our fight with the sin eaters."

Did he really believe that? No… she could hear it in his voice. He sounded very doubtful at this point. But he was willing to try… because of that, in spite of her feelings about this whole thing, she went along with it. Neither of them said another word as they rode the lift the rest of the way and came to a gentle stop where there was a beeping sound, signaling that they made it. 

With a deep breath, they stood back as the doors opened to reveal another hallway, and a crowd of people standing at the other end. 

Looking back, even in the years to come, Claire felt that it would have been better to just stay in the lift and take it back down to the ground floor.

For what they found beyond those doors was far worse than anything else she could have imagined.

The moment she stepped through the crowd she could feel that sense of unease even stronger than ever. As they joined the rest of the crowd at the end of the long carpeted hallway, trying to push their way through to the front, she could see that this place was even more decorated than the canopy. They were at the entrance to a large, circular room that was covered with fine tapestry and lavish decorations of gold and jewels. There were all manner of decorated items set up on tables that would easily have sold for fortunes in Ul’dah as well as the smell of rich foods that made her mouth water.

Over the many heads in front of them though… Claire’s eyes widen in shock at what was waiting for them. Sitting on the other side of the room were several white creatures… and though she was no expert… she knew at once that there were sin eaters. There were about six of them from where she could see and she suddenly realized where that uneasy feeling had come from. These creatures were just as empty as those she had seen.

There were four who were identical to each other, two on either side of the room, and if she didn’t know better, they would simply look like they were lounging there as they watched the scene unfold with their eyes. They were actually quite beautiful… having the impression of elegant, pale women with golden wings on their backs. Their hair was long and white and their eyes were blinded with some sort of golden blindfolds as they sat back… docile. While at the opposite end of the room, she could immediately see two more sin eaters. Another was in the form of a beautiful woman, looking just like the other four, but she was larger, with golden hair and wore no blindfold as she petted—what looked to be a statue at first. But in actuality, it was another eater in the form of a pure white lion with a massive crown upon its head. It barely moved as the female eater petted its large nose as the empty cat just sat there so still that one would have thought that a master crafter carved it from marble.

But her attention was immediately drawn to the man who was reclining against the large eater.

“That’s him…” Alphinaud whispered into her ear, “That’s Vauthry.”

That was Vauthry? While she suspected it, if Alphinaud didn’t say anything, she would have been asking what he was. For she had never seen a man as large as him… in fact, she wasn’t even entirely sure what race he was… he was that misshaped.

He was resting against the sin eater lion, as how a child would lean up against the side of a pet, overlooking whatever scene that was being blocked by the crowd from a raised platform and wide window behind him. He was enormous… as if he had never said no to a meal before and never bothered to leave the room. He was morbidly obese and though he was sitting down, he easily towered over their heads. He was resting a hand across a massive belly, one that was decorated with rings and gold bracelets and was in purple gold-accented robes that matched the rest of the colors of the city. From here, she could see that his head was tiny compared to his massive bulk, resembling a coconut with a tuff of long, blond hair; he had a look of deep amusement in deep blue eyes and a smug grin as he stared down at the floor.

“...He’s attended by Sin Eaters? But how is it they are not attacking?” Alphinaud questioned quietly next to her as he stared at the eaters—though she could not take her eyes off Vauthry.

But such questions were erased from their minds in a heartbeat. For though she couldn’t see what was going on… she clearly heard a weak voice whimpering out, “M-Mercy… Mercy…”

She felt her heart freeze at the terror and pain mixed together and all but elbowed her way to the front of the line with Alphinaud right behind her. That was when she was able to get a look at what was going on.

“By the Twelve…!” Alphinaud gasped aghast at the scene that was before his eyes. 

In the center of the room, on his knees on the floor, was Kai-Shirr… the Mystel boy they helped to sneak into this city. He was huddled on the floor as he clutched a horrific bleeding wound in his arm. He was crying as he was bent double over… begging for help.

Without even thinking about it, they broke away from the crowd and rushed to Kai-Shirr’s side, who continued to moan in agony. They both knelt down next to him to see what they could do to help, and that was when she noticed the knife lying just within Kai-Shirr’s reach. At first glance, it was a simple fisherman’s knife—the kind used to gut a fish… and it was still dripping with blood. She was able to get a good look at Kai-Shirr’s wound in his arm as he all but folded in upon himself from the world—as if thinking that would protect him from it.

“Kai-Shirr, what happened to you?” Alphinaud asked quickly, ready to reach out a hand to heal the wound. But Kai-Shirr seemed to be in shock and refused to answer. Instead, it was Lord Vauthry who spoke up.

“And who are these impudent little louts? I don’t recall requesting their presence!”

She glanced up in time to see that his eyes, which looked tiny compared to the rest of him, was glaring down at the three of them, as if he couldn’t believe what was going on. Behind them, she could hear the crowd mumbling quietly, and from the few traces of conversation she was able to pick up, it sounded like they were shocked by their behavior. Well, she could care less what they thought of her. She just wanted to know what was going on. So, it seemed, did Alphinaud.

He was back on his feet and demanded, causing the crowd behind them to stare in shock as they fell silent, “Lord Vauthry! What is the meaning of this?! Why are you allowing his poor man to bleed death upon your floor!?”

She stood as well as Lord Vauthry raised one of his giant arms, as thick as an oak trunk, and answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Why? You ask me why? Because criminals must be punished, and this man here is guilty of fraud!”

Alphinaud seemed to be stricken silent at that declaration and she knew that he was feeling guilt. But her eyes were narrowed. She was sure that Alphinaud was ready to try and excuse Kai-Shirr’s actions, to explain what really happened, but Vauthry didn’t seem like he was the least bit interested in hearing the truth.

“He came to us, claiming to be a man of business,” he grunted, “His conduct however has proven him anything but!” Then he raised a hand loftily to the room as if gesturing to the entire city, “Eulmore is a city built on one’s love for their fellow man. Any who live only to take and naught to give, are a blight upon this society!!”

Well, that was the pot calling the kettle black. Ruler or no, she could see nothing but gluttonies greed all around her. If he truly cared for his people, why have the people living in poverty outside the gates like this while only a selective few gorged themselves on more than they could ever eat in one lifetime?

She felt her hands shake as she bit down her anger at the hypocrisy she was hearing here.

“To atone for his crime, I ordered him to throw himself off the balcony,” Vauthry said, jerking his head over his massive shoulder to the open balcony behind him. Her eyes then widen as she remembered what Tristol had said… how he was brought before Vauthry and then ordered to do the same. Not just being thrown out of the city… the fall was created specifically to kill someone. It was created in a way that even if you do get into the city and see the horrors within, you would not live to tell the outside world of what you saw. If Eulmore cannot have you… no one would.

Vauthry went on, looking on with an air of superiority to the Mystel still simpering on the ground and mocked, “Yet he had the temerity to weep! ‘Please my lord! Anything but that!’ So, what was I to do as a merciful leader, than to show a sinner another way to show his contrition.”

Hearing the way he mocked Kai-Shirr’s fear caused the outrage she was feeling all day quickly rise so that she could barely contain it. If she had to listen to anymore of his snide comments she wasn’t sure she could hold back.

“Another way?” Alphinaud demanded, “Meaning what, exactly?”

Vauthry just looked on at him like a child who was about to tell an adult about a clever idea he had as his eyes glanced over to the sin eaters that were flanking them. He then grinned as he answered, “Sin Eaters are part of Eulmore’s society. However, they live off of aether; living aether! So, I demanded his flesh. Carved by his own hand from his own hide!”

Claire’s eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was suggesting; in fact, she was fighting the urge to be sick. The image of Tesleen screaming in agony before she was engulfed in white light suddenly appeared again when she blinked and her rage grew even more so that she was actually impressed with herself for being able to restrain from attacking.

But if he felt any danger from her, he ignored it as he then began to shout, as if he was the one who was wronged, “But still! Still he could not do what I asked! A wholly unsatisfactory performance.”

Performance? Watching a man bleeding to death in front of him or throwing himself over the edge to the mercy of the tides below them was a performance to him? How could he expect anyone to do such a thing to themselves? How can the people behind them stand for this? She could feel them all watching on without saying a word… she thought of all the praise and reverence the people of Eulmore held for him… how could anyone wish to remain here if their leader was like this?

A surge of protectiveness overcame her as she gritted her teeth, trying in one last vain attempt to keep her anger in control. She wasn’t entirely sure about it… but she could have sworn she heard Fray’s dark chuckle echoing from somewhere in the back of her mind.

Alphinaud took a few steps forward, and she had to hand it to him, he was doing an admirable job of keeping his own outrage in check.

“Tis true that Kai-Shirr won his place by fraud,” he reasoned, “However, his actions were only driven by a desire to share in your paradise. To cast him out I could almost accept! But to humiliate him thus, to demand his very life!? Is this truly the way of Eulmore!?”

Not a single person made a sound behind them. No one. She could not believe that anyone would be here in support of such a system. Yet Vauthry just shook his head, as if he was trying to explain something complicated to someone who was too uneducated to begin to understand.

“You dim, deluded, child,” Lord Vauthry sighed, shaking his head a little bit, “Have you ever paused to consider what it takes to maintain a perfect paradise in this barren, and broken world of ours? It’s the guarantee of safety and stability. The knowledge that if one abides by the rules, one has naught to fear. I alone can offer these things, for I alone can command the Sin Eaters!”

Then what was he using that power for? If he could command the eaters, he could command them to leave this land alone and help his people to rebuild. It wasn’t going to be easy, but they could build a city where everyone could work together and contribute like the Crystarium. Instead… it looked to her more like a spoiled child who just wanted to sit above them all as he controlled them like toys. She could almost picture it too easily now: an overgrown child having built a city of blocks and was moving the pieces through the streets as he saw fit. There was no need to take care of the toys either, for whenever one grew old or broken, he would just throw it away because there was always a new one waiting for him.

But the idea that one of the toys was beyond his reach made him angry.

It has been a very long time since someone said ‘no’ to him, hasn’t it?

Vauthry then sat up, or at least tried to, as he began to shriek out and flair his giant hands about wildly, “I alone am the voice of justice—and any who wish to oppose me villains to be punished!”

He bellowed it out to almost a scream. She half expected his parents to come in and scold him for throwing a tantrum. But instead, the crowd began to applaud and cheer for him, and she could see how he grinned at that, his ego rising as they clapped for him.

But this turned to be too much for her. The idea that his word was law and that he could control how justice worked because of how he felt was enough to push her pass the breaking point. She wasn’t sure who angered her more at that moment, Vauthry and his sick sense of right and wrong, or the people who were agreeing with it.

She took a step forward, not the least bit afraid of this overgrown walrus of a man; while she wasn’t entirely sure what she was planning to do, she just knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. But Alphinaud seemed to sense her actions and held out an arm to stop her.

He was lucky she loved him. Otherwise she doubted that her anger could be held back at the unfairness of the situation.

She looked at his face and she could see her own rage mirrored back.

“And people call this paradise…” Alphinaud spat bitterly, glaring at the floor, fists clenched and arm outstretched to try and refrain her from doing something reckless. He didn’t need to worry though, for once she took a few steady breaths, she felt her mind clear, and she refocused on protecting Kai-Shirr and Alphinaud should things turn nasty. She was making sure that they left this room in one piece, but the way that things were looking, she doubted that very much. They spent so much time trying to get into Eulmore… they didn’t stop to think of how they would get out if no one was allowed to leave.

All they knew was that they had just seen everything wrong with Eulmore… and it was all compiled into the thing sitting in front of them with that smug smirk that made her want to break his face in.

“You were granted a place in my city by a particular skill. What was it?” Vauthry suddenly questioned, demanding something new to entertain him.

“Painting…” Alphinaud all but snarled back, knowing that there was nothing they could do to change things as they were now. It was obvious to them both now that Vauthry had no interest in changing his mind in how things were run here. Yet as Claire looked at Alphinaud, she could sense that there was something else that was bothering him about the situation. Too bad that this was not the best place to ask.

“Oho! An artiste!” Vauthry cried out excitedly at the thought before ordering pompously, “Then you shall paint me a picture! Of Eulmore! If I am to find your art pleasing, then I shall forgive this moment of you… insolence.”

So it was now considered disrespectful to stop a man from forcing another to kill himself?

But she could see what was going on here. Vauthry was trying to tempt them into remaining under his rule again… like perfect toy soldiers for him to play with until he grew bored with them. If Alphinaud took the deal, they would most likely be allowed to remain in the city and continue their investigation. Perhaps Alphinaud could even try to work some kind of deal with Vauthry or use his strange ‘gift’ of controlling the eaters to their cause.

And if he had done that she would have been greatly disappointed in him. Which was why she felt her heart swell when she saw how Alphinaud didn’t even need a moment to think it over. He just turned around and went straight to Kai-Shirr, and held out a hand that began to glow with the magic of healing. She felt her mouth tug slightly when she saw him healing the wounded flesh, the Mystel continuing to whimper slightly as the skin mended and closed.

But seeing this infuriated Vauthry, who clearly wasn’t used to someone disobeying his orders, and screamed, “Who gave you permission to heal that criminals wounds?! I told you to paint me a picture!”

Since they weren’t likely going to remain citizens of Eulmore for much longer, it really didn’t matter if they listened to his so-called ‘laws’ anymore, did they?

Alphinaud didn't seem to be able to trust his voice to speak as he worked on helping Kai-Shirr. When he finished to a point that he was satisfied that Kai-Shirr wasn't going to lose any more blood, he finally stood back up as Claire helped Kai-Shirr to his feet. 

His blue eyes glared back at Vauthry as he gave an answer that would make Estinien proud, "What you need is a mirror. Not a painting. It will capture the horror I see before me far better than I ever could.”

Though he spoke in an otherwise calm tone, she could hear the anger that was just barely held in check. He didn't seem to want to waste anymore words on him as he asked Kai-Shirr, helping him to slump out, “Can you walk, Kai-Shirr?” 

“I...I think so…” the Mystel croaked out hoarsely as he stuck close to his side, heading back towards the lift. The crowd parted for them, as if afraid that if they touch them then they would be considered to be associated with them. 

Vauthry didn't say a word as she stayed for a few seconds longer to give him a disgusted glare. He looked back rather blankly before she turned on her heel to follow her friends, not even bothering to give him a glance back.

The people were deadly silent as she walked by them, only nearly bumping into one man who was leaning up against the door, as if bored with the whole spectacle. 

It wasn't until they helped Kai-Shirr into the lift did she hear Vauthry's voice again. It would seem that it took him awhile to realize that he was being insulted by Alphinaud's remark and he was now screaming out in rage.

“I—I—I’ll kill them!” he screamed, and she could hear what sounded like him pounding the ground with his giant fists as he continued to scream, “I’ll—I’ll kill them all! I’ll enslave their minds! I’ll—I’ll torment them—torture them! Then tear out their hearts!”

In his anger, he sounded completely at a lost as to what sort of 'punishment' he wanted to deal out to them for daring to say no to him. 

Well, despite how badly this ended, she could not help but feel some measure of satisfaction in royally pissing that fat lump off so dearly.

***Alphinaud***

The two of them escorted Kai-Shirr to the lift before Vauthry realized that he had been insulted. By the time the doors closed, he began to rant and rave, beating his fists upon the floor like a child throwing a tantrum. It was actually more pathetic than frightening in his eyes, but he could see the terror in Kai-Shirr’s face as he witnessed that.

Thankfully, they took the lift straight down to the ground floor, not bothering to stop at any of the floors in between, and quickly headed straight for the front door. No doubt Vauthry will be having guards on the hunt for them soon, and they figured that it was for the best that they leave now before things were made any more complicated—or worse—they wouldn’t be allowed to leave.

But because of the fuss that Vauthry was making, the guards were all running up the stairs to get to their ruler. So they met with almost no security as they entered the Buttress. And no one bothered to stop them as they walked straight to the front door. It seemed that Vauthry throwing his tantrum was doing more good for them than him. Hopefully, he could keep it up until they left Kolushia behind… or until he popped a blood vessel. Either way was fine with him.

“Thank you… again…” Kai-Shirr whispered, speaking for the first time since they first left the room. But Alphinaud didn’t answer him. He was so angry that he couldn’t seven find the words to speak for a long while.

When he felt her standing next to him, however, he felt some of his rage leave as he realized just what his temper had cost them.

“Forgive me,” he said to her, “In my anger, I seem to have marched us back outside again… though it is probably best we leave the island altogether.”

“I thought you handled that well,” she said to him, “At least you weren’t close to attacking him like I was.”

If she was trying to cheer him up, it wasn’t working.

“I believe we’ve worn out our welcome in Eulmore,” he decided, before deciding it was best to cut their losses and leave while they still could. “In any case, I’ve seen enough of the world’s self-proclaimed ‘capital city’ to convince me that our battle against the sin eaters will find few allies in Kholusia. I will accompany you back to the Crystarium. We need to regroup and think on our strategy anew.”

She sure didn’t hide the pleasure at the decision of leaving. Seeing it, made him calm down and his anger faded away before he turned back to Kai-Shirr, who was looking a little nervous standing there with them.

“Kai-Shirr, I have done you a grave disservice,” he apologized, “You were hungry and desperate, and I offered you a solution without once considering the risks inherent in you accepting it. If I had but known the price you would be made to pay…”

But Kai-Shirr didn’t blame him at all for what happened.

“You gave me everything I needed to make your idea work,” he countered, rubbing the wounded arm that had already been healed. Though no more blood spilled, there was still a deep scar from where he had been forced to cut into his own flesh. “It was me who made a mess of things, not you. But even after all the trouble I caused, you still stepped in and saved me. And now Lord Vauthry wants us all dead…”

“Why not come back with us to the Crystarium? I am certain we can find work for you there, if you are willing,” Alphinaud offered suddenly, feeling that it was the least he could off to make up for what happened. After all, he didn’t have anywhere else to go, and he was sure that he could build a future there with the right encouragement.

At the offer, Kai-Shirr looked greatly tempted, but he didn’t accept right away as he thought it all over. Eventually, he took them all by surprise by shaking his head and saying in a serious voice, “No… that would just be me leaning on your kindness again. I need to do some thinking—learn how to stand on my own two feet.”

At that, Alphinaud felt a true smile return to him. That did much to give him hope for the people here. While it won’t be easy, there was still a chance for the people here to find their own way. But so long as Eulmore was the way that it was, he could not see that happening. Still, it was a start.

“Very well,” he smiled back, “But you must promise you’ll be careful. The Eulmorans may yet come looking for us.”

“I’ll keep my head down, don’t worry,” Kai-Shirr promised, shaking his hand and then Claire’s, “And you take care too. Give me the chance to repay what you’ve done for me.”

That was when they heard the gasp behind them.

“Alph… Alphinaud!”

They all turned, and to his utter astonishment, it was the Chai’s. It was very strange to see them standing among the rubble and wreckage outside the city, and Lady Chai looked like she had run all the way here as she wheezed for air.

“Lord and Lady Chai…” Alphinaud choked out.

“What in the blazes did you do?” Chai-Nuzz demanded, barking at them furiously, “They have the entire city looking for you!”

Already? Well, it seemed they had even less time than they thought. They best make a retreat now while they could. He was about to inform them that they were going to be leaving, but Lady Chai had stepped forward, silencing her husband as she spoke.

“…I took a peek at your unfinished portrait, Alphinaud,” she said anxiously, “Now I’ve had many a beautiful and striking picture painted for me, but there was something about your work… it was as if you had caught the very essence of our love, and rendered it naked upon the canvas. It was bold, unflinching… and I adored it. Please, you must come back with us and finish what you began! I will speak with Lord Vauthry, and vouch for your character. I’m sure we can smooth over any hard feelings!”

Well, he was glad that she liked his artwork so much. Under different circumstances, he would love to promise her to come back and finish it when he had time, but he didn’t wish to get them into trouble for his actions. Besides, it was clear to him that staying here was not going to be doing them any favors.

“I am sorry, Lady Chai,” he apologized, remembering her support and feeling as if he had been taken advantage of her generous nature, “There are more important matters to which I must attend.”

“More important?!” she gasped, like she never once thought of such a thing, “What could be more important than enjoying the days we have left to us to the fullest?”

“Pray press me no further,” he asked wearily, rubbing his arm awkwardly before remembering the clothes he was suddenly wearing. He then added quickly, “We are leaving. But I would not presume to take the garments you were so kind as to procure for me. One moment…”

In truth, he didn’t know what he was going to wear now since he left his old clothes back upstairs. Thankfully, Lady Chai gasped at the mere thought and she claimed, “I wouldn’t hear of it! Keep the clothes, you silly boy—I insist! And I shall make arrangements so that you can pass through the gates without causing a stir. I expect you to come and visit.”

He smiled at that, though he doubt that he would be able to do that anytime soon. Still, he made a vow when he looked up at the city once more.

“I will return, I promise you that,” he said gratefully, “The outrage I witnessed must not go unanswered. The next time we meet, I shall be better prepared to confront the corruption which hides behind the glittering façade.”

He bowed low to them both, hoping that they would be alright, before he turned and left with Claire and Kai-Shirr. As he did so, however, he felt Claire took his hand in support, and he squeezed it back comfortingly.

Perhaps it was a small thing, but as Lord and Lady Chai made to head back inside, Dullia-Chai saw the gesture and gave a sad smile before she left with her husband.

They didn’t say anything else as they walked across the quiet landscape, heading back towards the direction of Stilltide. Claire explained that she arrived here on amaro and that her guide was most likely still there waiting for her.

They stopped at Mistress Theva’s tavern for a time so that they could have some drinks—something that he felt that they all needed. Kai-Shirr thanked them one last time, saying that he would stay here in Stilltide until he figured out where he would go from here. Mistress Theva agreed to let him house here for a couple days so long as he helped out with the tavern during that time, which he was happy to accept.

“You take care of yourselves,” he said as he waved them off with Mistress Theva, “I’ll be praying for your safe journey!”

They thanked them both and wished them the best of luck before they headed down the road that would take them back to Cracked Shell Beach. When they neared the shore, the worn dirt soon turned into softer sands and tiny stones beneath their feet.

“So where do we go from here?” she asked him as they walked along the shore, their arms bumping against the other.

“We will return to the Crystarium where we will consult with the Exarch,” he said, “Now that you know a little more of the troubles facing the First, the time has come to set the plan into motion.”

He looked up at her as he added, “I hate to say it, but you are a vital part in ensuring that the plan works. You will be forced to carry another burden if it turns out that we are right…?”

“If you are right?” she repeated and he looked down. Honestly, he wasn’t sure. While the Exarch had a lot of reason in his explanations, getting to that point was going to be far from easy. This was going to be a difficult journey on them… Claire most of all.

“We will be there to support you,” he promised, unable to answer anything else. Then he stopped as he turned her to look at him. Now that they were away from the eyes of Eulmore, he could feel how warm and loving the space between them had become.

He suddenly remembered what she said to him before about his new clothes. He only smiled as he took her hand in his own before he dropped to his knees and kissed it as if he were truly a prince from a fairytale.

She burst out laughing at the gestured as he stood back up.

“Don’t get carried away,” she scolded, but wasn’t able to stop smiling, “You may look like a prince… but I am far from a princess.”

She turned and led the way away as he watched on.

“Not to me,” he whispered. He meant every word that he said to Urianger that day when he learned of the fate that was waiting for them. He would not let her die. He would find a way to save her no matter what.

Now was the time to head back to the Crystarium and begin their plan to save this world.

And be prepared to be laughed at by his sister for smelling like roses.

***Crystal Tower***

Alisaie had left the tower so that she could check out a new book from the Cabinet of Curiosity… a sort of bedtime habit she developed growing up to read a little before bed to help her fall asleep. He had encouraged her, promising that he would send for her should something happen.

It was late, though one would normally not be able to tell with the sky the way that it was.

He sighed as he climbed up the stairs wearily, returning to the tower after his daily rounds around the Crystarium. He paused for a moment as he glanced up at the sky once more… it would soon be dusk at this point… and he would give anything to be able to see a normal sunset. While he knew that the sun, moon, and stars were all still there… they could not see with the veil of Light blocking everything.

To see the night sky… just one more time… he would give anything for such a sight. He wondered how the Crystarium would look at night…? He was sure that it would be beautiful.

Well, with luck and faith, he hoped that he would be able to see it soon. He thanked the guard as he passed by, entering the tower and breathing a sigh of ease. To think that even leaving the tower for a short amount of time was becoming difficult for him? He glanced down at the crystal arm and flexed the fingers, feeling the crystal pulling at the parts where the skin and crystal met. He almost couldn’t remember what he looked like before the tower arrived here.

Funnily enough, with their new guest, he could not help but feel the full years of waiting fall upon him… yet, whenever she was around, he felt like the young man he once was.

He retreated to the Ocular before allowing the hood to fall and he could breathe a sigh of relief as he ran his non-crystal hand through his hair, letting it fall over his eyes as he approached the mirror. It had already been a couple days since Claire left to reunite with Alphinaud and he was curious to see how things were going with them.

He smiled when he saw the two of them walking along the shore, Eulmore behind them. It looked like they would be returning to the Crystarium sooner than he had been hoping for. He was grateful to see the pair of them looking so well, and those smiles…? They were actually laughing together as they walked at the coast, the waves lapping at their ankles.

That was a rare sight in this blighted world.

But the more he watched, the more he found himself thinking more about the entire situation. He thought of those who had made it possible to even make it this far… those friends he had left behind just to bring the tower here to the First.

“Your sacrifices and hopes won’t be in vain,” he whispered softly to himself. It wasn’t going to be easy and the worst was yet to come; but he would see this through to the end. He wasn’t going to throw away the last century of waiting and preparing because of a few hardships. This was nothing compared to those who had given up so much just for the faintest hope for a second chance.

And already, he could see that it was beginning to pay off.

The famed Warrior of Light, the one he had been patiently waited for so long now, was finally here.

He frowned a little to himself, remembering how he had been the one who had failed to properly summon her here right away. And not just once either… his failure now resulted in her friends were trapped here. They had not been the object of his summoning, after all, and sort of just accidently arrived here.

Sending them back wasn’t going to be easy and it made him sick at heart to imagine what he was putting them through. Still, he was resolved in his course and could not stop now. Not when they were ready to continue with their plans to rescue the First and the Source from another Rejoining.

As he looked at her face through the mirror, he could see the slight trace of anger as she looked back to Eulmore. For most, it would be impossible to tell what she was feeling thanks to that stoic expression of hers; but he had learned to read between the lines. He could see the anger that lurked within the decadent city of Eulmore as well as the sorrow for the people who await their fates back at the Inn at Journey’s Head.

He could see that she had an even greater understanding of the suffering the people were facing here. He was remorseful that she had to be exposed to that, but it was critical she understand what they were facing here and how they could change the lives of so many others. While he doubted that she could ever turn her back on the suffering of others, he knew that it had to be her choice… her decision.

“How long have I waited for this moment?” he whispered softly to himself, unable to tear his eyes away from the mirror until he saw both she and Alphinaud approach the amaro to ride back to the Crystarium. “The only question now is… will we be ready when the moment comes?”

He was glad that he was alone at that moment, for he didn’t wish for anyone to hear the quiet desperation in his voice as he asked himself that question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kiss on the hand means: You are so lovely. 
> 
> The hand is sensitive and a kiss on the back of the hand can easily be felt and send tingles through your body. But there is a reason why you see a prince or knight kissing the back of a maiden’s hand in the movies… it’s a kiss that shows courtesy, politeness, respect, admiration, and even devotion from one person towards the other. In fact, it shows that they have a chivalrous nature.
> 
> So we are officially leaving Eulmore! At least for now. After being reunited with the twins and getting a brief glimpse of the woes that they were stuck facing with, they had to now focus on what they are going to do about it. This adventure has only just begun, but already the stress is starting to get to the heroes. Going to a new place is hard enough, but knowing that you are here to save the people, especially those who don’t care if they are saved or not, is never going to be easy. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and will be looking forward to next week where we are about to run through our first dungeon! Until next time!


	8. The Lightwardens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After returning from Eulmore, the Exarch gives a lecture on the true nature of the Calamities and their connections with the other Shards. As we learn of the existence of powerful Sin Eaters called Lightwardens, the key to this world's salvation, we get a chance to test these theories when Lyna bursts in. It would seem that the settlement of Holminister Switch is under attacks by eaters... and is led by a Lightwarden. So the Warrior of Light must now lead the charge to defend the people there... with friends and allies right behind.

Claire felt as if she had been through a marathon run by the time she returned to the Crystarium. She was exhausted both mentally and emotionally even before her feet touched the Crystarium's Landing and was making her way back to the tower with Alphinaud at her side. He was looking around with great interest, expressing that he had grown quite fond of this city in his time here and felt that Eulmore could learn a lot from it if they were more... agreeable. 

That was something they both agreed upon. Sadly, from what she saw there, Eulmore wasn't interested in the same kind of independence that the people here treasured. Just the thought of that city left her angry, wanting to hit something, and even had to suppress the urge to go marching out through Lakeland and kill something.

She just beat it down deep inside like she was normally forced to do. But she wasn't in the mood to talk about it, something that Alphinaud seemed to understand. The whole way back to the tower they remained in silence as they both continued to digest what they learned in Eulmore.

“Ahhh… it is good to be back amongst friends, not to mention my dear sister,” Alphinaud said, finally forcing a small smile when they were at the base of the tower, “I have not seen her for some time, but I gather she is as keen to press on with our plan as I am. And you’ve seen quite a lot of the First yourself now—more than enough to appreciate the scale of the obstacles we face. Let us lay our discoveries before the Exarch, and discuss what must be done. If only every town could share the Crystarium’s spirit of independence… Still, I suppose one cannot decide for others what they should and should not deem important. My powers of persuasion have certainly had little effect on the people of Kholusia…”

“Disappointed?” she asked and he gave a harsh laugh.

“A little,” he confessed, “But mostly at myself for being unable to come up with a different outcome that could reach the people there. But… I suppose that just means I have much more to learn. Mark my words, my friend, I will find an answer… for now, let us focus on meeting up with Alisaie and the Exarch and discuss where we go from here.”

But when they were allowed to enter the tower and saw Alisaie waiting there for them, her smile was infectious. She came over to them both to hug them, glad to see that they made it back in one piece. As she hugged the younger girl, she could feel curious eyes on her and looked up to see the Exarch was looking directly at her with that warm smile. As soon as he realized that she was looking at him, he quickly welcomed them both back. If they seemed a little less willing to talk about the experience, he didn’t ask, which she was grateful for. 

Alisaie, however, seemed to be restraining herself from laughing when she mentioned smelling roses and realized where it was coming from. Thankfully, the Exarch had a little more tact and didn't bring it up as Alphinaud came up to greet him and quickly asked how things in the Crystarium were going.

“I see you’ve returned with my brother as well,” Alisaie said after pulling away from her hug, “I’d dearly love to hear how that story went.”

She shot them both an annoyed look, which made Claire worry at what she was suggesting. But after a moment, the Crystal Exarch nodded and looked to her as he said, “I am told you and Alphinaud carried out his scheme to infiltrate Eulmore. I would ask what you thought of its base amusements…” he paused there, no doubt reading the irritated look on her face, before finishing, “but I doubt you are eager to relive the experience…”

No, she was not. And she had no desire to remember it anytime soon. She was just glad to be away from that perfumed air and the feeling of being watched at all hours of the day. While she was still on the fence with the Exarch, she had to admit that she felt much more comfortable here than Eulmore.

Alphinaud took the time to explain more of the situation that they saw from within the city, which the Exarch was impressed with—for though he had agents on Kolushia, he was unable to really get a good look at what happened behind the city walls.

“I have been to Eulmore only a few times,” he explained, “But the last time that I was there was about twenty years ago… during Lord Vauthry’s coronation, in fact. From what you describe… it sounds to me that in some ways he has changed beyond all recognition… other ways… not so much.”

“So he wasn’t always that large?” Claire couldn’t help but ask and he smirked at that.

“No…” he confessed, “He was born of man, after all. But the way that he rules over his city… I wish I could say I’m surprised. When I first learned that there was a man who had a measure of control over the sin eaters, I went to his coronation in the hopes of being able to continue our alliance with Eulmore—which had started to fall apart in those years. Yet, it could not have been any clearer to me that he did not at all care what happened to the rest of the world, or even to his own people at that point. Though I have tried… he has refused all forms of correspondence, unless it suited him.”

He looked over them both and reassured them, “Do not feel discouraged, friends. I always felt that trying to turn Vauthry over to our side would be neigh impossible. I am simply glad that you both managed to return to us unharmed.”

His words sounded so sincere that she honestly believed them. But, she could not help but notice that he was looking at her when he said that. She wasn’t sure what it was… but there was something almost… but that was impossible… wasn’t it?

Before her thoughts could go any further, Alphinaud told them that she managed to get a look around, and she added what she saw when she looked through the military headquarters. In all honesty, he looked greatly astonished at the idea of this Ascension, having never even heard reference to that before. That seemed to bother him much more than the amount of supplies and weapons that their army had.

“Regardless of how unused everything seems to be, there is no doubt in my mind that their soldiers could be marshaled at any moment,” he said with a frown. “But, we will worry about that later. Our first concern should be the sin eaters.”

He sighed before forcing a tired smile.

“And so you return,” he said, “Have you gained a better understanding of the crisis now faced by the First?”

Oh, more than she could have imagined. She looked to the twins on either side of her before Alisaie said, rather grumpily, “Better is not the word I would use. Some lands may have been spared the Flood, but the survivors live only to suffer. There seems no end to the horrors inflicted by the eaters.”

That was the impression she got as well. So long as those things lived, she could not see Norvrandt ever able to find a measure of peace. There was no future so long as the Light continued to glare down from above. But how could one change the very sky? While she knew that the Light in this world was overabundant… no one had been able to explain to her how to get rid of it.

“Indeed,” the Exarch sighed, “Those abominations are a calamity in their own right. And I can well imagine how hopeless the task of eradicating them must seem to you. But after countless battles and untold sacrifice, we have identified a potential weakness.”

He turned back to her and explained, “Sin eaters are drawn to serve the strongest of their kind—a class of creature we call ‘Lightwardens.’ And from what we have been able to ascertain, only a handful of these entities exist.”

Lightwardens… only a handful exist… and the strongest of their kind. She could see now exactly where this was all going. And sure enough…?

“Just as an ant colony will perish in the absence of its queen, we believe the death of a Lightwarden will cause the lesser creatures within its sphere of influence to disperse,” the Exarch told her.

“I have a feeling Eulmore might have something to say about any concerned action we take against these monsters,” Alphinaud spoke up worriedly, getting their attention. “Vauthry’s command over the sin eaters is integral to Eulmoran society. In seeming to guarantee his people’s safety, it guarantees their obedience. He will not take kindly to us depriving him of such useful allies.”

She still found it hard to believe that anyone could consider the eaters as allies. Just what was it that Vauthry did to get them to obey them? A trick… a spell…? If they knew, perhaps it would make their struggle a little easier?

“Agreed,” the Exarch answered back, frowning a little at this added complication, “Thus we will need to occupy or otherwise divert his forces whilst we proceed with the business of eliminating the Wardens. Until we have done so, all other considerations must be set aside if we are to forestall the Eight Umbral Calamity.”

Claire wasn’t sure she followed. While she agreed that the eaters needed to be killed, just what was their connection, and this world for that matter, to the Source’s impending Calamity.

“Are you sure that eliminating the Wardens will be enough?” she asked slowly, wanting to understand exactly what was at stake before they went any further. Fighting against these eaters, she knew she could do, but how was beating them going to change anything. And… why had no one been able to do so before now?

She had thought the Exarch would be annoyed with her questions, but he was surprisingly understanding of her confusion.

“Your uncertainty is understandable, given the circumstances,” he said kindly to her, “Perhaps a more detailed explanation is in order. To begin at the beginning, then…”

What he did, caused her to bite back a gasp. He tapped the bottom of his staff against the crystalline floor, and there was a deep tone that sounded… like someone had banged a gong. After that, aether began to flow into the room, removing them from the Ocular and cast into what could only be described as the night sky. She stared around, recognizing this at once… the exact same place she had been when she first saw the Exarch after her battle with Zenos…?

She could feel Alphinaud’s and Alisaie’s surprise as they looked around as well. Though she suspected that they had seen this before, it was something she doubted one could ever get used to. Just then, tiny motes of light began to form above them. She watched as the motes turned into perfect spheres of light and formed a perfect circle directly overhead. One of them, slightly larger than the others, and was incased in what looked like the outline of a shining star, stood out amount them all.

She looked back to the Exarch, whose smile was akin to that of one who knew they had just performed a very entertaining party trick.

So… even someone like him is capable of showing off.

Still, she could not deny that she was impressed. She always knew that the tower was capable of such things, but she was never able to get a full grasp of what it could do. She had never seen anyone so in tune with the tower before that they knew the ins and outs of everything here. If he was here while they first started their investigation of the tower back in Mor Dhona… perhaps it would have been easier to get to the top.

Rather than dwell on that, she listened to him start his explanation, like a teacher at the front of the class, and pointed to the largest sphere, the one with the star-like crown around it.

“In the ancient past, a single star was divided into fourteen worlds,” he explained, “This is the Source—your home. These others are the thirteen shards, in whose number we find the First.”

He then pointed to one of the two orbs on either side of the Source Star and she saw it twinkle slightly, as if it knew that it was being talked about.

“Though physically separated, they retain a connection to each other, and with the Source especially,” the Exarch continued, “Now, let us assume that a given element in one of the shards attains abnormal ascendancy.”

He then looked to one of the orbs, number nine, where it began to glow green. She watched as the aether began to billow out at an unnatural pace, and she could have sworn she felt a slight breeze from it.

“Just as water will flow from the highest point to the lowest, the excess energy will begin trickling into the Source…” he said and green aether began to leave the ninth orb and head straight to the Source star. “And such an influx of aether will of course exert a palpable influence. If the element in question were fire, then drought and wildfires might ensue. If it were ice, one might expect the weather to turn bitterly cold. As aether continues to pour in, such phenomena will become more and more extreme, until eventually, a single untimely event triggers a disaster which ‘cracks’ the barrier dividing the two worlds.”

And indeed, the Source star developed a large crack from all the aether flowing into it. After that, she could see that the remaining aether was now being sucked up from the ninth to try and repair it, that the orb faded and vanished before the crack in the Source Star closed.

“What was once a trickle now becomes a deluge, sweeping the shard along to be rejoined with the Source,” the Exarch concluded rather grimly, “At the same time, the element which held sway in the shard is unleashed in full, its energies amplifying the original disaster to truly catastrophic proportions. An earthquake thus magnified might strike with enough force to shatter continents; a tidal wave might swell to a size capable of drowning entire nations.”

She heard all this before? She knew she had… but he was the one who gave voice to what they were all thinking.

“These devastating events are what we refer to as ‘Umbral Calamities’,” the Exarch explained. “Seven times has a calamity befallen the Source; seven times has a shard been absorbed.”

Yes… she remembered that. She had heard of the other Umbral Calamities before.

Funnily enough, it was at the base of the Crystal Tower that she first learned of them.

** _*Memory*_ **

_“So you’re an expert on the Calamities, as well?” Claire asked as G’raha Tia stretched out next to her on their ledge that had the perfect view of the tower._

_“Nah, I just know about them,” he confessed, “I did some research into them because one of the Calamities was responsible for putting an end to the Allagan Empire once and for all. The others I looked into out of curiosity. Now, to start at the beginning, the world started around… oh, historians reckon about 12,000 years or so ago. At least, that’s as far back as they were able to record man being around. Anyway, from what I learned in my studies, the First Umbral Calamity, also called the Calamity of Wind, was the cataclysmic event that began recorded history, ending the period in which the Twelve were thought to have walked the world of Hydaelyn. After that… it was the prehistoric era.”_

_He began to kick his legs out over the edge as they enjoyed a few more sandwiches that they brought with them—sandwiches that were supposed to be his reward after doing his research, which she noticed he was currently ignoring._

_But he seemed content to sit there and talk to her as he began to tell her about all the cave drawings that were found that dated that far back. He told her about how theologians believe that their prewritten history, was a tempestuous time. After the First Calamity came the First Astral Era, where mankind was living in caves, using stone tools, and just learning to make fire. Over the countless centuries that followed though, they developed tools more for agriculture than hunting and gathering. Eventually this led to the establishment of villages where people thrived, especially after discovered leatherworking and metallurgy._

_Which inevitably lead to towns and then kingdoms… where they had kings who had their tools turned into weapons of war._

_“And that was what lead to the Second Umbral Calamity,” she asked and he nodded with his mouth full of bread and meat before he was able to force down an impressively large swallow. _

_“The Second Calamity is called the Calamity of Lightning,” he told her, “No one knows how it happened, but despite the constant wars waged by the kings who wanted to expand their domains during the First Astral Era, mankind thrived to huge numbers. In order to feed and house everyone, they began to cut down entire forests to have their fields planted. And to forge their weapons, they gutted mountains and worked until the skies were black with smoke.”_

_“So the lightning…?” she asked and he shrugged._

_“Maybe the gods were angry with man for how nature suffered during this time,” he said, “But eventually volcanos erupted until the sky was cast into eternal darkness. And from these clouds came levinbolts which destroyed their fields, boiled lakes, and destroyed even the mightiest stone wall. This is why, despite all that was built during that time, no trace of any building from the First Astral Era survived to this day. _

_“And what did the people do to survive that?” she asked._

_“Well, I don’t think there’s much anyone can do with faced with that,” he laughed, “Especially since lightning didn’t stop falling for a year and a day. During that time, the people were forced to hide underground… which became breeding grounds for sickness and disease.”_

_Claire shook her head at the thought. Being forced down into the dark, only to watch those around you die slow and painful deaths? It sounded like the calamities got worse each time._

_“However, one good thing came from this,” he went on, “And the power of prayer. Which led to the first magical incantations. So things like creating fire or even healing magicks were born from here.”_

_“How did that work?” she asked curiously._

_“Well, you can use magic, so I think you know the answer to that,” he countered pushing her shoulder gently, “But, many theologians think that out of desperation and their focused prayer was what led to those who were capable of using magic to begin to tap into that power. Anyway, through prayer, the people discovered magic, which brought them hope during those dark times. When the lightning finally stopped and the people emerged, they thanked the gods for their gifts and vowed to do better this time around.”_

_“But it didn’t,” she said._

_“Well, in some parts, yes,” he countered, “Such as how the people knew better than to face the wrath of nature again and took much better care of the land. But that also led to the Second Astra Era… where it was characterized by faith in the gods.”_

_“How is that a bad thing?” she asked, liking how he was taking the time to answer all her questions._

_“You’ll see,” he said, “But the point is that when they emerged, those who were able to discover their magic were filled with the belief that they were chosen by the gods to lead the people. And of course, people bought all that. So… they believed that only through faith in the gods can they be spared any other tragedy. That was how the first organized religions were born, and for a time, everything was peaceful. But… in a matter of years, those kingdoms were replaced with theocracies where everyone was eager to prove their faith to their gods. Imagine a world filled with Ishgards. Yeah, you can imagine how much fun that was.”_

_She had never been to Ishgard, having only ventured as far as the central Highlands and their outposts there since the gates to the city were closed off to them. Yet, she could still recall the way that they held onto their faith in Halone to almost an extreme… and in some cases… far too extreme. She could still recall the frightened look in Lord Francel’s face when he was told to prove his faith by throwing himself over Witchdrop. If the people during that time were that extreme in their beliefs… she was almost afraid to know what it was like. _

_“But it wasn’t all bad,” he laughed at the look on her face. “After all, they built massive temples and monuments from that, which brought a lot of peace and safety to people. That was also when they gave birth to painting and the art of goldsmiths. _

_“It sounds like there are some silver linings from each calamity despite the fact that so much was destroyed,” she pointed out._

_“Exactly,” he said, “You just have to look at the positive. Which makes it sad to know that what saved the people from the Second Umbral Calamity… was how that led to the Third Umbral Calamity.”_

_“I know I’m going to regret it, but I need to know,” she said with a sigh, finally taking one of the sandwiches that he offered her, “What happened next?”_

_“Well… power corrupts,” he shrugged, “And since the churches now had power over the entire realm…? Well, long story short, everyone thought that their religion was better than the others and that started the age of holy wars, witch hunts, and cleansings. I’m to going to go into too many details, but… well, with so much death and war going on… towns were burned down, children sold into slavery, people dying in thousands… and with no one to tend to the fields the crops withered so that those who marched to war died from starvation. Ironically, all the wealth that the victors won from the spoils of their enemies, they had nowhere to spend their wealth… and it was a nightmare one after another.”_

_“So the next Calamity…?” she asked._

_“The Calamity of Fire,” he answered back. “I can’t say for sure what it was that cased this Calamity either… maybe the gods were finally tired of the hubris by the churches, but they say the sun grew large and parch the earth and burned to smoking wastelands. Which led to wildfires and famine… So think of a drought on a cataclysmic level.”_

_“It’s almost like… the Calamities are here to humble man,” she said thoughtfully._

_“Maybe the gods had some hand in that as well,” he nodded. “Because after seeing the wrath of the heavens, the people decided that too much worship was as bad as not enough. So, society focused on the talents of the people and to depend on each other than look to the gods for aid.”_

_“I can see that you are hesitating here,” she pointed out and he grinned a little wider before wiping his hands on his trousers from the crumbs of lunch. That was when he grew excited and told her that it was during the Third Astral Era that led to the Allagan Empire and the most highly technological civilization that the world had ever known. _

_Which seemed strange to her. How could one go from fighting with swords and rocks… to a nation that made even the Garleans look primitive? But G’raha was so happy in telling her about a nation that once almost ruled the world. _

_She could tell that he had forgotten more about Allag than most knew about it. But after about an hour of him going on and on about everything that he knew, he seemed to realize that he was all but babbling at this point and actually blushed… which caused her to smile warmly at him._

_He cleared his throat and gave a quick explanation of the Fourth Umbral Calamity, the Calamity of Earth, that destroyed the Allagan Empire around 5000 years before. _

_“I’ll go into more detail about that at another time,” he promised her, “But I think that you heard me talk enough about Allag for now.” He cleared his throat and went onto talk more about the Fifth Umbral Calamity which was then known as the Calamity of Ice… the Age of Endless Frost. It turned out that during the Fourth Astra Era, where those who survived Allag’s fall, reverted back to pre-Allagan ways of life since most of their technology was now buried below the earth._

_Not much seemed to be known about the Fourth Umbral Calamity… no terrible wars or anything that was worth mentioning… except that a seemingly endless winter appeared. Raging snowstorms and entire rivers turning to ice. Much of the population perished during this time and even parts of the ocean froze over… which led to the migration of Miqo’te coming to Eorzea. Eventually, though, once the ice melted, it lead to the Fifth Astral Era._

_“Now, here during this time, Eorzea was dominated by three major cities, the scholars of Nym in Vylbrand, the white mages of Amdapor in the Twelveswood, and the void mages of Mhach in Yafaem,” he said. _

_Now she had heard of Nym and Amdapor… having run through their ruins on a few occasions, but she tilted her head at the mention of Mhach. She couldn’t remember ever hearing of Yafaem. But it seemed that during this time, great strides in terms of magic. The art of all forms of magic blossomed during this age and never had the world known such advancements in magic. But then… a war broke out.”_

_“What for?” she could not help but ask incredulously and he shrugged._

_“Can’t say for sure,” he said, “But it seemed that it was mostly between Amdapor and Mhach with Nym getting caught up in it since they refused to join sides with either. All anyone knows is that it was Mhach that first launched the attack that led to the War of the Magi… but from what I know… after Nym fell victim to some sort of illness… it was Amdapor who ended the war… but not in the way that no one hoped for.”_

_She then told him about how she met with the Tonberries in the Wanderer’s Palace and who they once were. His jaw dropped open at this news and was now begging for any kind of information that he could give her on what she now knew of the city of Nym… as well as what she had seen in Amdapor. _

_“That does it,” he said with finality, “When we finish exploring the tower, you are going to introduce me to those Tonberry friends of yours. I think I could learn a lot from them. Real live Nymians…?”_

_It took some time for her to convince him to tell her how the war ended… with the Elementals in the Twelveswood having caused a massive flood from the misuse of white magic of the people of Amdapor… which was also the reason that only those permitted by the Elementals were allowed to learn conjurey and even White Magic… which was exclusive to those like the Seedseers… or almost exclusive. She didn’t tell him that she was a White Mage as well… she had a feeling that he would lose his mind._

_Anyway, their talk about the Calamities ended when he told her that the great flood happened about fifteen centuries ago and as only not being rediscovered now that the remnants from the Sixth Umbral Era were unearthed by Bahamuts fury… during the Seven Umbral Calamity._

_She didn’t say anything else during that time, since Rammbroes was now yelling at them to get down and get back to work when he went to go and check to see the progress that G’raha had made since then. _

_But as she walked back, having enjoyed their talk together… she could not help but wonder… if another Calamity came… how much more would be loss to it?_

** _*End of Memory*_ **

She blinked, coming out of her memories as she looked up in time to see the Second orb in the ring around them suddenly engulfed in a dark violet light… and she could feel the spark of lightning aether vibrate the air around them before it was swallowed by the Source. And that was how it was for the next five orbs…

The Twelfth orb was the next to go and she could feel the heat of fire aether on her face as its aether was absorbed, leaving only an empty space between the Thirteenth and the Eleventh. But the Eleventh was not spared for long, since there as a bright glow of yellow aether radiating from it before it was also taken by the Source and left nothing behind.

She already knew the order when she saw the Eighth begin to light up and she felt the cold breeze of ice float by before it was rejoined with the others… with the Fourth following directly behind when the sounds of waves rushed through her ears as the aether trickled away towards the Source. And then finally… the Seventh Orb—directly across from the Source Star, began to light up with a dark kind of glow… where not even a decade ago came the rise of Bahamut.

With the large gaps between them all, she could not help but look at the remaining six orbs left hanging above them… though she knew that there had been other Stars that had been absorbed… set to Rejoin with the Source… seeing it all like this really brought it home to her.

Not only the massive loss of life that was surely involved in each Calamity… but the fact that this confirmed for her that the Ascians… were behind all of it.

She felt cold… and a little sick before the Exarch tapped the ground again, and they were back in the Ocular.

“At present, the Light-drowned realm of the First stands perilously close to meeting the conditions for a Rejoining,” the Exarch explained grimly, and from the way he was looking at her, she suspected that a sliver of what she was feeling was leaking through. He just gave her a kind smile though as he explained, “It is the sin eaters who are to blame for the Light’s continued dominance. In addition to attacking their lesser kin, the Lightwardens I mentioned earlier radiate aether, saturating every corner of their territory with Light. Even here in the Flood-spared region of Norvrandt, their influence is strong enough to banish night from the sky.”

If nothing was done soon, then this world would return to aether and been swallowed up by the Source like the others. And with all this Light… she suspected that it will do something to the Black Rose… making it more potent and deadly than it was supposed to be. So, if they could save this world… even just this tiny fraction of what was left of it… then they could avoid the aether flooding back into the Source.

But to do that means they have to find a way to bring back the night sky. And if the Lightwardens are so powerful that they bring the Light with them then that would mean…?

“Thus, if we are to restore balance to the First and head off a potential calamity, it is imperative that we put each and every Lightwarden to the sword,” he finished, unknowingly voicing where her thoughts were leading her.

Claire frowned at that as she thought it all over. But then what…? There was just this very continent left. What was to become of the people afterwards? Would it be possible to restore the rest of the land one day? She thought of the Empty… or the tiny glimpse she caught sight of while she was with Alisaie and wondered how an endless stretch of sand could possibly be salvaged.

“We've been doing our best to take the fight to the enemy ever since we first heard the Exarch's explanation,” Alisaie spoke up, getting her attention. She sounded almost apologetic, like she was afraid that their lack of progress would disappoint her.

“Though we have yet to claim any meaningful victories, if truth be told,” Alphinaud added just as gloomily, “Apart from being confounding elusive, the Lightwardens possess a troublesome quality which compelled us to delay our plans until such time as you arrived.”

That got her attention and she was wondering just what it was that this—quality—was that prevented them from putting the Lightwardens to the sword.

She opened her mouth to ask, but at that moment, the doors behind them burst open and Lyna sprinted into the room and was out of breath. From the wild look in her eyes, Claire was immediately on guard, and was not surprised to hear that it was not good news.

“Forgive the interruption, my lord, but Holminster Switch is requesting reinforcements!” she said, still at least attempting to hold a measure of restraint in the presence of their leader, “They say the sin eaters are attacking in force, and the village could soon be overrun.”

It only took a few seconds for everyone to grasp what was just said. Without a word, the twins had already taken off, running past Captain Lyna, and ready to lead the charge if they had to. Claire felt pride rise inside her at that, and was itching to run off behind them.

The Exarch was already taking charge though as he commanded in a calm but firm voice, “Alert the guard. We should be prepared in case the fighting reaches the Crystarium. You have command of our forces in the field, Captain, but hold off on entering the town until I arrive. That goes for Alphinaud and Alisaie as well.”

She certainly hoped that those two would wait long enough for her to arrive. She was going to lead this charge herself if she had to. And knowing her luck, that was exactly what was about to happen. Sure enough, after Lyna saluted and left, hurrying after Alphinaud and Alisaie, she looked back to the Exarch, who looked guilty at what he was about to ask of her.

He seemed to struggle within himself for a moment before he asked humbly, “Pray, lend us your strength. Such a fight will provide you with far greater insight than any explanation I could offer.”

“You cannot expect me to just stand here and wait for it all to end. You may as well make use of a one woman army,” she said, and something about what she said seemed to upset him slightly. Or, perhaps, she was just imagining it as he lowered his head.

“There is no doubt that you will be able to turn the tides,” he said, “But this is a choice I will not decide for you. What you choose to do, I will accept, no matter what it is.”

She looked at him, a little taken aback by his words. But she nodded, knowing that she wanted to help anyway, but wasn’t sure where this Holminister Switch was. He led her to the gates himself, quickly explaining as they hurried along that it was a settlement to the north of Lakeland.

She had only been out upon Lakeland once before and so she had no idea which way to go from here. The Exarch seemed to understand this and, after fixing his staff upon his back, he took her by the wrist and pulled her along after him.

“This way,” he said, as he led the way. She normally would have insisted on running herself, but she honestly had no idea where anything was, and he knew these lands better than anyone. So she allowed him to pull her up to the North, running passed the creatures that were stalking the area as they ran through thick trees of lightest shade of purple.

“I don’t suppose you have a map of this area?” she asked him at one point as they raced on.

He actually gave a slight laugh as he confessed, “I had planned to show you around myself if we had the time. But we can worry about where everything here is later. We will be there soon.”

A few seconds later she could smell smoke in the air and looked up in time to see several pillars of smoke standing out against the sky as if large bonfires had been lit. She felt her heart sink at the sight of it and the Exarch let go, no longer needing to lead her since the smoke now guided their way. They came to a stop outside a large wooden gate, where Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Lyna were waiting for them. In fact, it looked like the twins were trying to force their way through as Lyna restrained them.

“Holminister Switch is past these gates and through the woods,” he told her with a pant, “Tis not exactly a near neighbor to the Crystarium, but as we occupy the same region, we have built up something of a cooperative relationship.” He then looked to Lyna and asked, “What can we expect inside, Captain?”

“The town is beset by a swarm unlike any we have seen in recent years,” she answered loudly as a few of the Crystarium guards limped past, helping several villagers. Most looked to be in one piece, but were shaking and white as marble as they were escorted to safety. Captain Lyna wiped some sweat from her brow as she explained, “We did our best to evacuate the villagers, but as many as half remain…”

She shook her head before confessing grimly, “Judging by the number of eaters present, we have good reason to believe that a Lightwarden leads the attack.”

Truly? They were just discussing them and one shows up to help prove the point. Well, isn’t that…?

“How convenient,” Alisaie said, using the right word, “It seems we’ll have our chance to slay a Warden sooner than we expected.”

Captain Lyna heard her and snorted as she asked, “One does not simply ‘slay a Warden’. Has no one told you what happens if you defeat one of those fiends? They hold more Light inside them than all of their underlings put together. It can be struck down, aye, but its essence won’t dissipate like the weaker kind. Vile aether will bellow outwards and envelop the nearest living being—a reckless young swordswoman perhaps—and turn her into a brand-new Warden.”

She said that while looking at Claire, who understood the problem. So this was why the people of this world were having such a hard time in getting rid of those eaters. But then… how were they to what they couldn’t? Surely they had a plan, right? They weren’t able to get that far in their discussing before they were pulled out to fight one of the blasted creatures.

The Exarch, however, remained calmly as he reassured his captain, “Ah, well you can leave that particular quandary to us. I must ask that the guard stand down and allow us to engage this leader of eaters alone. Concentrate on the survivors—we must save every life we can.”

But the idea of their leader rushing off with this group of strangers, whom she clearly didn’t trust at all, seemed to be too horrible a thought for Lyna.

“But what if--!?” she gasped, but after taking several deep breaths and looking to the wounded people behind her, she seemed to realize that now wasn’t the time to argue. Instead, she nodded and said, “…Understood, my lord. As captain of the guard, however, I will not watch you brave such danger without an escort from our ranks. I insist that I go with you.”

Claire wasn’t fooled. She could see that Captain Lyna cared a great deal about the Exarch and was willing to do what she had to do to see him safe. Though she had accepted the rest of them into the town, she clearly didn’t trust them with the Exarch’s safety. But the Exarch didn’t seem to mind this fact as he nodded in agreement.

“Very well,” he said, looking over the rest of them, “Then our Warden-slaying party shall include myself, the Leveilleurs, Captain Lyna, and last but not least…”

They all looked to her, who paused only long enough to take a breath.

And so her story continues onto another battlefield.

She nodded, punched her fists together as she stepped up towards the gate with the others behind her. She blocked out any sense of fear or hesitation, reaching instead for the sword that was still heavy upon her back and heaved it out and back into her hands. Though hesitant for the other’s safety, it wasn’t like she could call in for some adventuring friends to help her out this time… besides, a part of her wanted to see if they could keep up with her. And so she led the charge through the woods and preparing to put the pasty-white bastard who was waiting for them at the end to the sword.

The twins were on either side of her with the Exarch right behind her and Lyna bringing up the rear. With her a veteran in such instances, they allowed her to take the lead and be prepared to take the full blunt while they offered support.

They ran through the trees, heading straight to where she could smell the fires coming from… all around her however were dozens of white cocoons. She would have been happy to slice them all open and kill them before the eaters fully awoke, but they didn’t have time if they wanted to save any survivors. But she could feel the shadow of the eaters that flew overhead and she glared up… almost stopping dead in her tracks when she spotted a large white-winged creature among the lilac colored foliage… a creature with part of a wing missing.

“Oh gods, that sin eater…” Alisaie gasped as she recognized it as well, and spotted how swooped in, “It can’t be…”

Claire doubled her grip over her sword as she charged at it, watching it head towards a large bear. They reached it too late, for it slashed at the poor creature and it was engulfed with light.

“They’re even turning the bears!?” Alphinaud cried as they reached it.

Why not? They didn’t seem to care what they struck so long as they had their fill of aether. She was upon the bear even before it broke out of its cocoon.

“Focus,” she called as she ran it through the thick hide. At her command they swarmed at the bear, bringing it down as quickly as possible before she led them across a small creek and into a next of more cocoons. This time three large wolf-like eaters emerged and were snarling as their sightless eyes bled with Light.

As they fought, the twins fell into their roles easily on either side of her. She had fought with them enough for them to know exactly where they were to stand upon the battlefield. She would draw the creatures to her and keep their attention as Alphinaud stood back and cast his healing spells while Alisaie struck from a distance with spells before charging in with a blade—before leaping back before she was caught up in another attack. They made a good team and she knew that they were strong enough that she didn’t need to worry about them so often.

As for Lyna, she was what you would expect with a soldier. She was calm and carried herself with confidence as she all but danced out of danger. She spun those curved blades with practice ease, and offered support whenever she could without even asking. Someone to be feared on the battlefield… the only one who she had no idea what to think off so far was the Exarch.

But he seemed to just be following her lead. He was content to allowing her to take charge as he offered support whenever she truly needed it. He was no amateur on the battlefield though, that much she could see. Despite his insistence that he was an old man—despite his appearance—he was no push over.

What really got her, however, was that he seemed to fall right into pattern not unlike how Alisaie and Alphinaud were able to do. He knew her battle style and where he needed to stand to not only prevent any unnecessary harm, but also to stay out of the way as she swung her sword.

It was like he thought she could do no wrong.

She didn’t like that feeling since she knew that was far from true.

But once the three wolf-eaters were dead, she ran ahead, her blood now pumping strongly through her veins. But along the road, they ran into a couple diremite-type of eaters waiting for them and their way forward blocked by thick webs.

“How do we…?” Alphinaud began as she sprinted ahead.

“Kill them and the webs should die down,” she ordered, and felt her sword crunch right through the thick armored plates on the creature’s back.

She shouldn’t be enjoying this, but she would be lying if she said that it didn’t feel good to see those horrible—things—dissolve into aether. The others did what she ordered and as soon as they were both dead, the webs began to disintegrate and allow them through to cross over a small stone bridge.

“I’m guessing you have experience with that sort of thing?” Alisaie couldn’t help but ask as she ran on her left.

Claire couldn’t help but snort with laughter as she answered, “Clearly you never been inside Toto-Rak.”

On the other side of the bridge were two more large bears breaking through their cocoons to meet them. At this point, Claire was starting to feel real frustration. They couldn’t take more than a few paces without running into some monster, could they? How many people could be turned already? They had to get through as quickly as possible if they wanted even a chance to save anyone who could still be in town.

More wolf-eaters were waiting for them as well as the diremite-type of eater that blocked their way with webs. Though they weren’t that strong, the problem was that they were tough and there were so many that stood in the way so that made their progress slow.

Perhaps it was just through sheer stubbornness, but they fought their way through the webs to reach a large clearing. In the distance she could see the glow of flames from over a hill as more towers of smoke drifted up into the sky so she knew the village must be right up ahead… but they had their own problems only growing.

It was in the form of that horror in white from the desert before it took a friend from them. It was bathed in a brilliant light, shining as it floated down towards them even with a mostly destroyed wing, looking as if it simply descended from the Heavens.

“This is the monster we saw in Amh Araeng!” Alisaie gasped, and Claire could feel her friend stopping dead in her tracks.

“Easy now, Alisaie,” Alphinaud told her. “We face it together!”

Claire wasn’t able to say a word to her as she stood her ground, but hoping that she understood that they were all here for her. Perhaps she did understand because it was Alisaie who charged in first, forcing Claire to jump ahead to clear the distance between the two so that the eater was focused squarely upon her.

Alphinaud joined in when she saw the glint of his Carbuncle serving as a guard and a healer while the Exarch stood off to the side and cast his spells to aid whenever he could. She couldn’t make out where Lyna was at the moment, but Claire couldn’t afford to spend time wondering when she was blocking the massive sword.

All at once, her nightmares suddenly came back to her and she gritted her teeth at the echo of the dream that had been plaguing her mind for moons now.

No… maybe someday she will die at the hands of someone stronger than her one day but it sure won’t be today, and it sure as hells won’t be against this thing. She will not live in fear!

That familiar dark chuckle now began to sound somewhere in the back of her mind and she pushed Fray out of there, determined to handle this on her own.

She mere focused on making sure her sword landed where it was supposed to. The problem was that this thing could still fly even with a mostly destroyed wing and so getting a solid enough blow against to bring it down was harder than she thought it would be. It may have been weakened before thanks to Tesleen, and that made her all the more determined to ensure that it didn’t leave this place alive and that Tesleen’s bravery wasn’t wasted.

She could feel the others around her, supporting her, aiding her where they could, all the while responding to any orders she had to give. After spending half her life running through dungeons and similar situations, they trusted her instincts on command. Not only that, but with the Echo, she could somehow sense the places where they needed to stand to avoid some of the more devastating attacks. She called for them to where to stand, letting them know where to stand and when to get out of the way. Since she could foresee its moves coming, and had to let the others know. This was a battle where they had to watch where they stood and they scattered without hesitation, much to her relief.

“Let’s give them a show!” Alisaie cried, calling in a meteor at one point, and she could see the perfect porcine-like body of the creature crack and burn from the impact.

Claire glared up at the empty eye sockets of the creature, and was suddenly visited by the image of Tesleen screaming in pain and rammed her blade right through its face… and watched with great satisfaction to see it fall to the ground and shattered apart into aether.

At the sight of it lying defeated at her feet, the image of her nightmare suddenly seemed a distant thing and she felt some of the heavy load she had been carrying around fall away with it.

“Is everyone alright?” Alphinaud gasped.

“We’re fine!” Alisaie cried, already moving, “Let’s keep moving!”

Claire had to sprint up ahead to stay ahead, shooting Alisaie a silent warning to stay behind her. It wasn’t that she doubted her abilities, but she was best equipped for this and she wanted Alisaie to remember that. Thankfully, Alisaie seemed to understand that she was allowing her anger to take control and drew back slightly, looking slightly abashed.

She knew that it was hard for her, but it was for her own safety… though, to be fair, they were far from safe right now. But as they reached the hill, she heard screaming and saw, in relief, a handful of people running towards them. They were covered in cuts and their faces were blackened with smoke and ash, but they were still alive and she felt her spirits soar at the sight.

“Look, there are still survivors!” Alphinaud cried as Lyna took command and began to instruct the villagers to follow the trail to where the rest of her men were waiting for them. They ran passed them without even slowing down, relief in their faces to know that help had arrived.

They cleared the hill and were suddenly running down a step path that led to large wide plains of farmlands… where they were surrounded by cocoons. It looks like all the livestock they had here were turned… and those who weren’t were killed where they stood. There were bodies scattered everywhere, the poor people who were unable to get away in time.

Claire gritted her teeth in pain at the sight of the bodies as she dashed to a group of eaters—including some gremlins who laughed and cackled at her.

“Heh heh heh… no one will save you!” one yelled.

“Futile!” another cried out, “All you do is in vain!”

Oh, it wasn’t bad enough that they were dealing with so much loss, they were now insulting her?

While they didn’t seem to be eaters to her, they just jumped to the top of her kill list. Just so that she didn’t have to listen to their voices taunting her any longer, and she left them in bleeding masses on the ground as they fought their way across the road where the nightmare only continued to grow.

She did her best not to look at the bodies were scattered around them as they reached a fence. Suddenly, a large yak-like eater broke down a fence to get to them as they tried to make it passed the farmlands and up more into the main part of the village. That was when she saw something waiting for them.

“Another eater!” Alphinaud gasped as Claire stared ahead, recognizing her at once.

That eater who caused the transformation was bad enough… but seeing this…?

She quickly looked to Alisaie, who had clearly recognized it as well, and was staring at it with shocked horror written there. There at the entrance to the main part of the village, surrounded by burning houses… was Tesleen. Or what was left of her.

“Alisaie…” she said before shaking her head—never hating herself more than she did at that moment. But what other choice was there? If it came right down to it and she suffered Tesleen’s fate…? She would want someone to end it quickly.

She paused, only long enough to grip Alisaie by the shoulder, getting the younger girl to stare up at her. She could see her blue eyes were red now with unshed tears… but she nodded in understanding.

She let Claire take the lead once more, but she was only a second behind her, and Claire could hear her whispering behind her, “…So, this is where you went.”

“Ah…ah…ah…Graaargh!” it cried out as it slashed at her.

The fight here was very different compared to the last one. Whereas that eater had been trying to deal enough damage to inflect her with the Light like it had done to Tesleen, this eater was just doing the bare minimum about of damage. It was as if… it didn’t mean to hurt her or anyone else. In fact, the more that she fought it, the more certain she was of this fact. It would seem that some sliver of the kind-hearted carer was still in there somewhere… perhaps it even recognized them and wished for them to finish it.

But she had to focus… she couldn’t allow sentimentality to get in the way of granting Tesleen as swift and painless a death as she could. She would do all she could to see her put out of her misery… and maybe be greeted by her mother on the other side…?

She hoped so.

At some points during the fight, it marked them as it struck one at a time, but the movements were slow and sluggish, giving them plenty of time to react to it. Only confirming for her that a trace of Tesleen was aware of what was going on from within that empty shell… but that only caused the fracture in her heart to break a little more. She could only imagine how bad that Alisaie was taking this.

She moved about, making sure that Tesleen focused on her. When one of her comrades were attacked, she ordered them to stand together to take the blunt together. But it was between her and Alisaie who were the ones who dealt the final blows.

In the end, it was Alisaie’s blade who pierced the eater through the back and impaled her from behind as a gush of white aether spilled out of her. Tesleen’s twisted form collapsed with a wretched sound as Claire struck from the heart… watching with pain in her heart as the eater reached out… as if for help… like how she did when she first transformed.

_‘I’m sorry…’ _she thought, closing her eyes and turning away as the body collapsed onto the ground and disappeared._ ‘I am so… so sorry, Tesleen.’_

But as she thought that, she could not help but feel a slight warm breeze brushing past her, and as if a gentle hand stroked her cheek for just the briefest of moments as a quiet ‘thank you’ echoed from somewhere inside her.

Claire had to take a few breaths of air as she heaved her greatsword back up… now coated with the white liquid that she now could confirm to be blood mixed in with Light aspected aether. She was going to be haunted by this for a long time, she just knew it.

“Alisaie…? Alisaie!”

She blinked and looked back in time to see Alphinaud was shaking his sister, who was staring ahead with shock written over her face and the eater’s white blood on her front.

“Alisaie! Are you alright? Speak to me!” he begged as he shook her.

“Here,” Claire said as she stepped forward, holding back her tears as she stood next to Alisaie and looked at her still form—as if she had forgotten how to breath. But as soon as Claire put her hand upon Alisaie’s cheek and gently turned her head to look at her, they shared a silent kind of pain between them and Alisaie blinked… tears threatening to fall.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, and Claire knew that it wasn’t to her that she was apologizing to.

“Come,” she said, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly, “We have to go.”

Alisaie seemed confused for a moment, but then the memory of where they were suddenly came back and she nodded in understand and wiped her eyes furiously on her sleeve.

“Tesleen… be at peace,” Alisaie whispered.

The others looked a little lost by the exchange, but Claire was already running ahead, anger now coursing through her as she all but ached for another fight.

No one deserved to suffer like that. And if she could help it, she was going to hunt down and slay each and every single eater that this world had to offer. She knew that she couldn’t save everyone from transforming, but if she could kill as many eaters as she could before she would inevitably be forced to leave this world behind then she knew that she could leave satisfied.

She forged on ahead where she could feel it now… something powerful was up ahead… they were close now… how she knew she couldn’t explain but she just knew beyond any doubt that the Lightwarden was waiting for her up ahead.

Good, with how angry she was right now, killing anything less than the boss who led this attack wasn’t going to quell her fury.

They ran on to have reached what looked like the very square of the village where she could hear more screaming coming from the crumbling houses.

“N-No, please! Get away!”

They looked to see a group of people running towards them with an eater right on their tail. She sprinted on as fast as she could, but they couldn’t get there in time… all three were struck at once and turned faster than blinking.

In her fury and agony, she ran ahead to kill the creature who did it.

“We were too slow to save them!” Alisaie screamed, sounding as furious as she felt.

It looks like this was where the main attack had started from. There were more bodies than ever that laid scattered around them and even more cocoons everywhere. Every time that they dealt with one cluster of cocooned eaters, another would hatch and come at them.

But she was patient if nothing else, and so she was more than happy to slaughter each and every creature in white that came at her.

Finally, once they killed the final cluster making their way across the square, they were able to put out the flames that blocked the road ahead of them. She had given up hope of seeing more survivors, but to her relief, she saw a few more people running down from the hill, and they waved at them. The survivors cried with joy when they saw them and they quickly instructed the group to just head straight through the village where their soldiers were waiting for them. Once again, Lyna, and offered to take them back with her until they reached the rest of her men. At least they managed to rescue a handful of people, and that did much to raise her spirits.

The group thanked them all tearfully, sobbing in both relief and grief as Lyna escorted them back the way they came, leaving the burning city behind them.

“Up ahead should be manor,” the Exarch explained, pointing up the hill where the survivors had just come from, “We are close. Be on your guard!”

She didn’t need him to tell her that, she could all but feel the light waiting for them up ahead. It was like the hum from an engine or something… she could all but taste it in the air and squared her shoulders. If they took out this one, hopefully the remaining eaters would be forced to scatter and get away from anyone else before any more harm had been done.

She dashed up the hill with the others now struggling to keep up with her as they broke through a small section of forest and onto a large, empty courtyard where there was a manor which was burning in front of them. But they weren’t alone for long.

From the ruins of the manor broke through another flash of white… but this was the largest sin eater she had seen yet. Only the lion-like eater she saw in Eulmore came close to it in size and even then she suspected that this eater could eat that one for lunch if it wanted. All she knew for sure was that this was, by far, the ugliest abomination yet.

How it was able to move, she had no idea, but it had a rather slim upper body connected to hindquarters that were massive and clawed hands that looked as if they were shackled with swinging chains. Connecting this lower body was a long tale that looked like it was taken from an alligator. The upper part was smaller and looked as if it was perching on a body that was oddly sewn together as it’s thick and massive tongue rolled out; defying reason that it was able to keep it in such a tiny head. Most of the eaters she had seen up until now had a sort of ugly beauty and elegance, despite the horrors she came to associate with them… but only the vilest of voidsent could she compare to this thing as its many chains floated about it as if weightless.

She didn’t need the Exarch informing them, “...We stand in the presence of a Lightwarden.”

Well, she was brought here to do a job, and let no one there say she didn’t see it through. She only hoped that if she had to face any other wardens, they weren’t going to be as ugly as this thing.

But, like she thought, killing it wasn’t going to be easy. She flew at it, and landed the first attack before it roared and went straight for her. She turned it around so that it was facing away from her comrades as they just realized the fight had only just begun.

During the course of the battle, she could make out some of her friends here and there and see how they were doing. Alisaie was filled with as much recklessness as she felt and was doing a fair bit of damage wherever she could, even shattering through a couple of the chains that flew around them. Alphinaud was completely focused on his healing, making sure that both she and his sister were being healed as soon as a wound was dealt and she smiled at how far both of them had come. Behind them, it looked like a few more eaters were answering their leader’s call—but Lyna was handling them with little problem. She was trying to prevent any other eaters from coming to outnumber them and Claire promised herself to thank Lyna for that later.

As for the Exarch, he was still able to keep up with all of them as he cast his spells from a fair distance as to not get in anyone’s way, but continued to rain down magical spells that she couldn’t remember seeing before. In that second, she could feel her curiosity grow and she wanted to know just what kind of powers he welded?

She would have to ask him later. Just then, the Lightwarden raised on of the giant lower claws, and raised it high above them and she saw it coming almost too late. She hit the ground and rolled and most of the others were able to move to one side—all but Alphinaud. He had been forced to take the full hit and was sent flying.

She watched, feeling as if her throat was closing up as he hit the ground hard and tried to roll over to get back to his feet. But the Lightwarden was now drooling at the thought of aether and she rushed in to help block the attack that was meant for him. She stood her ground and dug her heels in as its massive claws struck at her sword and she could feel it crack under the impact. Well, hopefully it would last long enough to finish it before broke completely.

“Forgive me,” Alphinaud said as he caught his breath and was back on his feet to continue healing.

She could see that the creature was surprised that they were putting up such a fight. It lunged at her and she braced for it, using all the strength she had to push it back and ignoring how her muscles screamed in protest. Then it somehow leaped forward despite the massive bulk of its lower body that it was forced to drag around with it and it’s chains whipped around her where she could feel them hammer hard against her. She knew she was going to be covered in bruises from those later on.

But they were making progress, at least judging from the Light blood from the wounds that the others were constantly bombarding it with. At one point, it seemed to think that it could go for the others and it spun around, opening its massive jaw as it began to inhale… with Alisaie now bound with some aetherial chains. Claire didn’t even think about it as she flipped over and brought the sword down on her binding and severing it.

“You alright?” she asked as Alisaie landed on her feet and dashed out of the way as the creature bit down on nothing but ground and air.

“Y-Yeah!” she yelled back, slightly angry with her now as she finished, “Watching your sword flying at me scared me more than anything.”

The warden jerked its massive lower arm back and began to stomp about it like a child throwing a tantrum. She moved back to avoid it’s thrashing hand as the others all bolted away from the swinging tail and began to move in a clockwork like pattern around them.

“Follow it in a circle!” she called, standing just off to the side as the Lightwarden moved around them like a dial on a wheel, stomping its arms and swinging its large crocodile-like tail so that there was hardly any place to stand that didn’t involve being stomped on or flattened unless it was right beside it.

Just when she thought it was running out of steam, it began to roar out louder than ever in both hunger and frustration as it stomped its fists furiously at them. It was hungry and it wanted to be feed now.

“They’ll be nothing left of you but a smoking crater!” Alisaie yelled as she held up her weapon and began to summon another meteor… a larger one this time. But as she was readying the spell, she heard another cry and her head jerked around to see that it was the Exarch who needed help this time. He was being held by aetherial chains and was lifted off his feet as the Lightwarden turned to them as it had done to Alisaie moments before. She dashed in and with a mighty swing she was able to slice through the chains as if they were made of string, and he dropped to the ground at once. She grabbed him by the upper arm as he wheeze and she pulled him off to the side just as the Lightwarden pounded the ground.

Alisaie had finished her spell at this point and they watched as the meteor fell and scorched the creature as it howled with pain. It was getting tired, she could sense it, and was now pushing itself to its breaking point. They just had to keep it up a little longer and she would be sure to finish it.

Despite all the suffering it had caused… she knew that it had once been a person who was cursed in this grotesque form. How that thing could ever had once been mortal seemed impossible to her, but she just bit her lip and swung with all her might.

She had long since lost track of time at this point, but felt that they had to have been at this for at least an hour before she could feel the struggle taking its toll on them all. The others were exhausted at this point, but she was still going strong as it now forgotten the others completely and was determined to eat her for all the pain it was putting her through. But its own movements were becoming slower and heavier where she became aware that it was just a battle of wills at this point between the two of them.

And hers won out.

The injuries it was dealt caused it to falter… just for a moment… but long enough for her to get the opening she needed. Thanks to the damage in its thick skin upon the chest she made earlier, she was given a clear shot and slammed her sword right through where she believed the heart to be.

With one final great roar the Lightwarden thrashed about as its chains cracked and broke… and it slumped forward… becoming somewhat flat in the process as the creature died at long last. They stood back, all of them panting hard as they stared up at the dead eater—all of them on edge as if expecting it to rise up.

She spit out onto the ground, where she could taste some blood mixed in and stood tall as she closed her eyes, her heart aching from everything she had seen today.

Could this even be counted as a victory with all that was lost? She breathed hard as the others behind her all gathered together and seemed stunned by what had happened. She barely glanced back, checking them over and seeing if they were alright; but they all seemed to have made it through with no serious injuries.

“Rest well…” Alisaie sighed as she looked back to the trail that led to the rest of the town’s ruins. Claire didn’t need to ask who she was speaking too and felt her heart going out to her friend. Alphinaud, while he didn’t seem to be aware of what happened to her and Alisaie’s friend, understood that she was in pain.

“Alisaie,” he whispered, looking like he wanted to reach out to support her… but wasn’t sure how to do that.

Claire looked back to Lyna and the Exarch, with the former staring from her to the dead Lightwarden.

“A Lightwarden gone, I can scares believe it,” Lyna whispered, her weapons hanging limply in her hands as she stared at the eater… as if afraid to awake and find it all a dream.

The Exarch, however, was looking right at her.

“It was no less than what I expected, but… well done,” he said softly to her.

Again, there it was… the way he looked at her… the way that he seemed to know just what she was thinking. The way that she charged ahead and battled with the eaters with him directly behind her… it all felt so… familiar. But why? Why would she feel familiar around him? She didn’t know anything about him, or even what he looked like under that hood. And whenever she unconsciously tried to get a better angle so that she could at least see his eyes… he turned away so that all she could make out were the shadows of the cowl.

But she knew what she felt… as if the two of them had… fought together before… a long time ago. But how was that possible?

A suspicion suddenly blossomed at the back of her mind… but that theory was so crazy that she could not help but push it away. There was no way. That couldn’t be possible. But then…? She forced that thought away, not wanting to think of anything ridiculous. But still… that feeling remained even as she felt something—strange behind her. She turned around to face the warden again and that was when she saw the edges of the creature beginning to glow. It quickly drew the others attention and they turned back in time to see the corpse was now illuminating a brilliant bright, white light.

“It's releasing its aether. Fall back!” Lyna shouted in fear, her focus turned mostly towards the Exarch as she cried out in warning, “We cannot let it touch us. Quickly, my lord, we must withdraw!”

“That’s not necessary, Captain.”

She could hear him speaking calmly as she stepped forward… as if in a trance… staring at the Light that was pouring out of the dead creature. She was so lost in staring at it that she barely noticed how her fingers became slack and she let go of the handle of her greatsword. It fell next to her as she stood there, standing in front of the others, and ready to act the part of a shield.

She could feel everyone behind her looking at she could hear… something coming from the Light. She knew she would never be able to describe what it was like, only that it was like the suggestion of a whisper seemed to come from the Light… as if it were… alive…? But all of a sudden, words began to drift across her mind as she stared at the lifeless creature:

_Who fights? Who flies? Who falls?_

She could not understand as she stood there, wanting to know what it was trying to say.

All the while she could hear the Exarch speaking behind her, his voice almost trembling with excitement, “...Though I appreciate your concern. The eternal Light of these creatures has confounded us for nigh on a hundred years. For each we have put down, another has risen up in its place, born of the selfsame aether relinquished by its predecessor.”

He paused there, as if he just realized what was going on and said with that excitement almost giving way to fear as he finished, “But now we have a way to contain that corruption.” 

Contain? Is that the reason she was here? She was brought to this world to contain the Light in her own body and that will somehow… fix things? She was no stranger to Light in her body… but…?

The lifeless, grotesque body slowly began to dissolve as the Light left it like a torrent and rose up into the air. Not a single thing was left behind of the Lightwarden… its Light was above them, all coming together until it formed a brilliant ball… almost like a miniature sun. At that point, everything around her… the ruins of the town, the bright sky, her comrades, even the ground itself was all drowned out so that all she could see was the bright aether that shone beautifully.

She could hear a slight buzz behind her as someone spoke, and it took her a moment to realize it was the Exarch… who’s voice suddenly cut through the strange haze that clouded her mind as she stared at the Light… her Light… the Light in her body somehow calling the vast condensed Light in front of them to come to her.

“The blessing of Light! And the hero who wields it now stands before you!”

She took a deep breath as the Light seemed to zero in on her and went straight for her. She stood there, suddenly bathing in the Light as it came to her in portions, but she could feel it sinking right into her, fusing with her skin and taking root from somewhere deep within. It wasn’t painful… but it certainly wasn’t gentle either. She held up her arms and watched in awe as the Light clung to her almost greedily… and the strange sound she heard before was back… only now the words were clearer to her than ever:

_For whom weeps the storm, Her tears on our skin The days of our years gone, Our souls soaked in sin These memories ache with the weight of tomorrow_

The cries of all those who were lost to the Light before…?

She could feel the Light now fully integrated within her… coursing through her body like the blood in her veins. It was as if she had just gotten over a terrible sickness and every part of her felt weak and tired… but she remained standing even as a terrible headache struck at her mind. Not as bad as the Echo usually was… but she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she calmed herself… just riding it out like a storm at sea. All the while she could hear the strange song continuing inside her head.

_One brings shadow, one brings light One brings shadow, one brings light You are the light_

_I am shadow, I am the light_

Though at that point she wasn’t sure if it was the song who said that… or her…?

As quickly as it had come, it had gone… she was herself again and she could feel the surge quieting within her, as if settling within its new home in a contented way. Her eyes opened and she was standing back upon that parched ground… not a trace of the creature in sights. Yet the Light was still coursing through her as she looked to the bright sky and realized how much she hated looking at it.

Somehow, seeing that sky, she knew what she had to do to be rid of it. She knew what to do even though she could not explain how she knew. Only that it was some instinct that seemed to go straight to her very soul did she know that she now had the power she needed to part the sky. And part the sky she did.

She held up a hand and commanded the Light to break… and she used a tiny hint of the Light that was now locked inside her to send up a bolt of Light that literally cut through the thick clouds like a knife. And that was when she saw it… like someone had pulled back the curtain, and a dark sky with a clutter of stars shining overhead as the clouds broke apart and disappeared.

“Behold!” the Exarch cried with joy, “The monster's power is broken! And the world twisted by its touch returns to its rightful form!”

There was stunned silence as she lowered her hand, watching as the Light finally left the sky and for the first time in in hundred years, the night sky was revealed to the people below them. Staring at it sent goosebumps down her spine as she stared up at it.

The Light in her calmed and faded deep within her as her headache faded and she was as she was before… only now suddenly exhausted.

No one spoke for a very long time as they stared upwards, not entirely sure what to say at that point. Finally, it was Captain Lyna, who was gasping in awe, as if not believing her eyes as she questioned, “Is that… what I think it is…?”

“The night sky,” Alphinaud confirmed for her calmly, “As it should be.”

Hearing that calm tone seemed to snap her out of it.

“Who are you people?” Lyna demanded suddenly, “You killed a Warden, then bathed in its aether as if it were a spring shower, and now the sky…? The legends are true!”

Oh, she really wasn’t hoping that the people here were suddenly going to start treating her like some hero again? She was just starting to enjoy being a nobody here. She turned back, wondering what they were going to say. That they were from another world? That they were here to save the First? Somehow she doubted that Lyna would believe anything they had to say…?

But suddenly, the Crystal Exarch got their attention. Claire had just bent down to retrieve her sword when she noticed that he was still staring at her. He slowly approached… until he was just a yalm away—but what he did next startled her—and then he suddenly sank down to his knees to kneel… bowing his head in an almost… pious reverence.

The sight of it… bothered her as much as it shocked her. For despite all the fame and admiration she had acquired over the years in the Source, she could never recall anyone ever treating her with such… worship before. As if she was the only thing that he could see. She was actually quite speechless and didn’t know what to think…?

Captain Lyna was questioning him, but he completely ignored her as he turned his full attention to Claire.

“How many years have I waited for this moment…? For the one possessed of Her blessing?” he asked himself out loud, “For you.”

Why? Why was he waiting for her? She didn’t understand… what was she supposed to say? But… why?

He took a deep breath and said firmly, “You have vanquished the Lightwarden of Lakeland, and for the first time in a century darkness has returned to the mantle of night. Without the ever-present Light to sustain them, the sin eaters will have no choice but to retreat. ...Yet our victory is far from complete. Though darkness has fallen here, the other Wardens yet bask beneath burning skies, feasting upon what little life remains.” 

That’s right… he said that before. While there were only a handful of Lightwardens, there were still more than the one here she brought down. Which means, that this won’t end unless she goes out and kills each and every single warden.

The Exarch took a deep breath, finally forcing himself to lift his head to look at her, and though she couldn’t see his face—less so now than ever with the darkness now doubling the hold over the shadows of the hood—she could feel his eyes on her.

“Even should it cost me all I have, I would see each and every one of them slain, that this world might be spared from oblivion! Not only for the First, but for the Source as well! Save one and we save the other!” he cried out passionately, before his voice then became soft before finishing, “But...be that as it may...I concede it was wrong of me to summon you to this fight against your will.”

He then bowed his head as he vowed, “I swear on my life, I will one day atone for that deed. But for the present… I beg you stay and see this fight to its conclusion. Cast down the Wardens, and restore Darkness to the First!”

She looked long and hard at him. Not sure what to think… only what she could see with her own eyes. All she saw was an old man who cared so deeply for his people that he was willing to do whatever it took to save them… even if it meant all but kidnapping someone from another world. She could all but feel it radiating from him. This joy… joy of at last finding a way of saving this otherwise doomed world… but also guilt… bone-deep guilt that he forced them all here. She knew she should be angry at him for forcing her into this seemingly endless quest to save a world that may already be too late to save… but she didn’t. She felt only understanding… and a little sorrow for both herself and for him.

He was struggling to keep going… the people were all counting on him and he couldn’t let them down. A feeling she understood all too well. Perhaps this was the answer to the familiarity she felt with him… perhaps he could understand her in more ways than she thought. They were both… outsiders in a way. Oftentimes it felt like the world was against them and it was all they could do to hold on and not worry anyone else.

People like the two of them needed support even though they would never dare admit it out loud.

Well, the three of them.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ardbert still there. Since no one even bothered to look in his direction, it proved to her that he really was all but invisible to all but her. She did not dare look at his expression though, even though he staring directly at her.

She blinked, remembering that everyone was waiting for her answer.

It was her choice… one that they will accept no matter what she decided. Though she still wasn’t sure how she felt about the Exarch, though the secrets he was surely hiding left her conflicted and worried, she felt that so long as they could accomplish their goal of saving both Stars and preventing the Eighth Umbral Calamity… that was all that mattered.

So with Ardbert’s eyes upon her, she officially took up his former title and forced herself to say, “I will become the Warrior you need.”

Those words were all the Exarch needed to hear as he bowed his head once more and said gratefully, “On behalf of the First, I offer you my deepest thanks.”

"I understand there is much at stake here, Exarch, but why do you risk yourself so readily?" Alisaie asked suddenly getting their attention. Unlike Claire, she wasn’t so ready to accept fate as it was and seemed keen to continue questioning him for answers. The Exarch looked up at her as she reminded him, "It must have been a dangerous drain on your aether to summon even one person across the rift."

He stood up, speaking without a hint of hesitation, as if it was obvious, "I do it for my people, of course ─ to give the Crystarium the tomorrow it deserves."

"That is true now, yes ─ but the city had yet to be built when you first called forth the Crystal Tower,” she pointed out and Claire realized that she was right. The Crystarium didn’t come into existence until after the Tower was brought here. She looked back to the Exarch, who seemed to freeze at the question—as if wondering how best to answer that.

But Alisaie pressed on, wanting an answer as she asked, "I'm simply curious to know what prompted you to commit yourself so completely to this particular course."

The Exarch looked to the ground, as if afraid that if he looked up, he might say something he would regret. Claire watched him, wondering just what it was that inner battle was going on inside at that moment. At last, he spoke up in a soft voice, but there was another emotion underlining it; something that she could not help but feel that it was regret.

"There are...things which we can ill afford to lose,” he said almost jerkily before he looked back up to the sky, staring at the stars and now looking completely lost in thought when he finished, “And...I sensed from the first that I had a part to play in preserving them." 

They all looked at him before he finally looked back at them all, his robes suddenly hanging a little looser on him as he requested, "Forgive me. I fear the events of the day may have taken their toll. Despite appearances, I am an old man ─ one burdened with many...difficult memories, some too painful to recall."

Of that, she had no doubt. She could all but see the pain that wracked his body from whatever memories that were clearly haunting him. She wanted to ask, but knew better than to do so. Though he did not answer her question, it seemed to have thrown Alisaie for a loop and seemed at a lost to what to say next.

But she seemed to sense that she was treading upon a sensitive topic and let the matter go as she told him apologetically, "Well, then I'm sorry for pressing you. It's a family failing, I'm afraid."

Alphinaud huffed softly at that and Claire felt her mouth twitch at that before he cleared his throat and confessed, "One which has served us well, more often than not."

The two of them looked at each other and she could see the concern in his eyes as he said, "Needless to say, we will continue to fight at your side until the last sin eater is defeated."

But there was no denying the worry that remained within those blue orbs. She clenched her fists tightly, only nodding, and the full weight of her new title began to weigh her down once again:

The Warrior of Darkness.

***Exarch***

It had been no small feat to calm the people down—but it was more from excitement than from actual fear. Even those who were now taking sanctuary within the city after having lost their homes to the eater attack, were crying in joy at the return of night.

He called to them all to reassure them that they are safe and that the Lightwarden who ruled over Lakeland had truly been defeated. That he had witnessed the defeat with his own eyes and that it had fallen at the hands of a mighty warrior, who quickly left, most likely leaving to defeat the rest of the wardens and return the night sky to the rest of Norvrandt. At the news of this ‘mighty warrior’ already he could hear the gasps that it could only be the Warrior of Darkness… who had finally come in their darkest hour.

He did not confirm or deny the rumors that were now spreading like wildfire, and instead, ordered for the people who were not homeless to be treated and cared for. Where they will go now, he could not say, but he promised them that they were welcomed to stay until they decided where they would go now. Of course, with it now so dark, they were trying to find a way to see their way around the city. The light from the tower was enough to illuminate everything in a beautiful blue shine, but the Mean was quickly working on creating lamps and lanterns for the people to see by.

Though there was much loss this day, there was much joy and a renewed sense of hope for the people that a future was now waiting for them with the return of night.

It was several hours later before he was allowed to return to the tower to catch his breath. But he was having a hard time trying to tear his eyes away from the night sky… seeing it for the first time close to a century. Just seeing that sunless sea with stars once more proved to him, once and for all, that all that he and so many had gone through was not in vain.

Of course, he was also aware that they shouldn’t get ahead of themselves just yet. While one Lightwarden was gone, there were still four others that had to be dealt with before his job was done.

Not only that, he was concerned for the Warrior’s welfare. Though they showed no signs of anything wrong, he knew that this was only going to be the beginning of a long and painful journey for them. He quickly checked his mirror in the Ocular and was glad to see that she had fallen asleep in her room, the shutters wide open to reveal the dark sky, and she had collapsed onto the bed, still in her armor.

Though he knew that she was as stoic as a marble statue in the eyes of others, he knew enough about her to see that she had gone all out and was surely exhausted. But the sudden behavior of the eaters concerned him almost as much as ensuring that their warrior was alive and well. There had been attacks on villages in the past, but never one on this scale—at least not in Lakeland for several decades. Ah, perhaps that was the problem. With most coming to the Crystarium for safety and their guards protecting the people, most eaters were killed before any real harm had been done. Perhaps the eaters had grown so hungry that they could not stop themselves?

Still, these creatures weren’t known for attacking together like that. More so, he did not like that she was forced to fight before meeting up with everyone. Urianger was still in Il Mheg, Y’shtola still in the shadows of the Greatwood… and Thancred…? Well, he could be anywhere right now.

He wished to have her reunite with the others as soon as possible before he dared to request she do battle with another warden. Though they now had a way to contain the light…?

He stopped there, lowering his head as he realized that he would be forced to use her once more. But he was also aware that there was no time to come up with another solution. The only way he could soothe his guilty conscience was the thought that she may not have to suffer for too long. Once all the wardens were killed and their light absorbed… it would be over.

In more ways than one for her.

He had to keep it together. While he was concerned for her well-being up until that point, he had to do his best to keep himself from growing too attached. He had a job to do and he didn’t come all this way to screw up now. He could prevent this terrible future coming to pass, but he had to remain strong and not allow his own emotions to get in the way. He would do all he could to see her rest and well cared for while she was here in the city and under his care, but keep her at arm’s length least their parting be that much more painful for him.

Yet, now that Claire understood what needed to be done, all they had to do was wait for the right moment to set out. Now where was it that they go from here? It would only be a matter of time before word reached Eulmore of the return of night to Lakeland and they would surely be hearing from them soon.

He would need Urianger to meet with them as soon as possible to continue to aid him in keeping his secrets hidden, so perhaps it be best that they head to Il Mheg next. He was sure that Y’shtola would be able to see what was happening to their friend right away and they couldn’t risk her making things complicated for them at the moment. Despite his best attempts to earn her trust, she clearly disliked him for his many secrets. In fact, it was for this reason that she had a bit of a falling out with Urianger, whom she knew was hiding something from her. But he couldn’t risk her staying out of the loop for too long, especially since they would have to go to the Greatwood sooner or later.

He would see if he could try and get a message to Thancred? If they could do that, then he could lead them safely through Il Mheg and to Urianger? Yes, that seemed to be the wisest option at the moment. Perhaps after they dealt with Titania there, they could move either to Amh Araeng or the Greatwood after that. With Eulmore upon the shores of Kolushia, it would be best to save that territory for last.

He would send word to Urianger as soon as things calmed down and inform him to be ready. He would send the others to him as soon as he tracked Thancred down.

He looked back to the mirror to see her sleep deeply and peacefully… which he was grateful for after the horrors they saw earlier. Most would not be able to rest after witnessing the destruction of Holminster… but when he asked Alphinaud after the speech he gave if Alisaie made it back safely, he reassured him that he saw Claire earlier, but Claire complained of a headache and returned to her room to sleep.

He believed that was the first complaint that he had ever heard out of her. He had a bad feeling that this headache wasn’t just from exhaustion.

Oh, but being able to witness her skills first hand instead of watching them from a mirror in the safety of the tower? It all but took his breath away. The tales did not do her justice and he could barely keep up with her as she led the charge while swinging that enormous blade around? To him it was a chunk of sharpened steel that he doubted that he would even be able to pick up, let alone swung around like a pocket knife like she could.

He had watched her through the mirror during her journey across Ala Mhigo and the Far East, studying her battle style. She was a master in many different weapons, and each one he saw her use very differently. Such as the types of staves that she used… one she could focus more on healing and protective spells, while the other type was more for damage dealing. But both she liked to use to fight from a distance. Or when she used some of the heavier types of weapons such as with her greatsword or an axe, she drew everyone’s attention onto her and took the damage as a living, breathing magiteck tank.

To see reports or listen to the countless tales or songs that told of her adventurers was one thing, but to experience first hand or see it up close…? It all but took his breath away. He could see how the twins were both motivated and inspired to work even harder on their own battling techniques. Alisaie all but trained like a mad-woman to try and live up to such an example, while Alphinaud turned his studies more towards the art of healing than to deal damage.

As for him? Oh, he felt young again as they charged across the battlefield together. Despite the horrors that were waiting for them, he felt no fear, knowing that she would protect him. He would just have to do his part and do the same… keep her safe and back her up the best that he knew how.

The way that she stood in the way and protected him from the warden’s attack…? He wasn’t the least bit afraid as she stood there and took blow after blow for each of them. And when its body fell to the ground, defeated, he confessed he felt fear for the first time. He only feared that he had been wrong and that the Blessing wouldn’t be enough to contain the light. But as they all hoped for… it did. She approached the creature, ready for another fight if she had to, as the light began to leave the dead creature and search for a new vessel to claim as its own.

For that split second, he was about to run in and pull her back to protect her. After all, if she failed to absorb the light, she would suffer the same fate as Titania had suffered decades ago. She would fall… she would become a Lightwarden with power beyond any other. Who could hope to stand against her in such a state? And two worlds would fall because he failed…?

But when he saw the light flood into her… saw the way she held up her hand… as if she had it planned all along… saw the way she cut the very sky and revealed the night…? It brought tears to his eyes. The sight of that blinding light being torn from the heavens as the stars, moon, and darkness looked back down at them as if waiting for them…?

He wanted to throw his arms around this wonderful woman and cry with joy. He wanted to tell everyone who had worked so hard and gave so much to see him to this point that it worked… that she could truly do it and ensure that their sacrifices weren’t in vain…?

Instead, he dropped to his knees, and expressed all that he dared to profess in what many would consider to be sincere admiration. He cared not have he looked to anyone else at that moment though, for he knew that this was still a choice she had to make. He knew that she hated it when people lied to her, so he did his best not to lie… he spoke only the truth as he confessed to her his wish to save Norvrandt. He could feel Lyna’s eyes on the back of his head as she watched on, still confused to what was happening.

He vowed that he would do whatever he could do to help her and the others to save not only this world but the Source as well. But… he also confessed that he knew that it was wrong to bring her to this world without an explanation. And even more so that he had brought her friends here and had no way to return them back to Source… at least not now.

He did have a plan for returning them home, but he couldn’t go through with it until the end. Instead, he promised that he would find a way to make it up to her, but begged that she stay long enough to help save this world.

She did not speak the entire time as she looked at him with those eyes that made him feel as if she was looking into his soul. In that moment, he was all but convinced that she had put it all together and realized who she was. The thought of sent fear through him… no, she couldn’t know him. She could never learn who he was… if she did then…?

But his thoughts never finished because, in the end, she agreed, declaring to become the warrior this world needed. It was so much to ask of one person. But her resolve to help the people here meant more to him than he could ever say.

It only strengthen his resolve for what he had to do. For now, though he felt sick at the heart for even daring to think this way, he had to use her. Using her as a tool was bad enough, but he would not use her as a weapon… so long as she was here and under his care, then he would treat her as she deserved to be treated.

Even if it meant lying to her on what would happen to her should she try to absorb all that excess Light?

“My lord?”

“Ah, Captain Lyna,” he called, causing the image in the mirror to fade just as the doors opened and Lyna came in. She saluted before she informed him that the Crystarium’s new residence were now being treated and that those most badly injured would be given beds in the Pendants for now.

“Thankfully, most of the injuries were not so serious that they are in danger of dying from them,” she said, “The eaters attacked the village with no warning, aye, but little over half of the people did manage to escape in time.”

“I see,” he said, his heart still heavy at the thought of all the loss of life.

“Our soldiers have already dealt with most of the eaters that were left in the town by killing the cocoons before they cracked open,” she went on, “Though, with the return of the night sky, most seemed to have fled.”

He nodded, not surprised by this.

“It’s only to be expected,” he said, “Without the warden and the ever presence of Light, they will not last long here. Many of the weaker ones may have even perished the moment the Light died down. But I would have you stay on guard, captain. I will remain in the tower for now and will be ready to raise the barrier if we have to.”

She nodded.

“There is something else,” she added, and she was frowning at that, “According to some of my scouts, they spotted several suspicious characters lurking in the mountains to the south of here.”

“Suspicious characters?” he repeated curiously.

“They thought that they were survivors from the attack, my lord,” she explained, “Yet when they called out to them, they turn and fled. That was when they noticed they were in Eulmore’s colors.”

“Ah, I see,” he said in understanding. “I knew that Vauthry had been keeping his spies on us for quite some time. Well, it would seem that they make to return to Eulmore and report to him of the Lightwarden’s death. Which means that we should be hearing back from them in a matter of days, if not hours.”

“What should we do then?” she asked, “They will surely come knocking at the door. And with relations having grown so tense?”

“I doubt that they will send an army to attack us, at least not yet,” he reassured her. “I am confident that they will first send an emissary to speak with us. Should we have any guests from Eulmore, then welcome them in. We will hear what they have to say, but be on guard with them as well. I doubt that they will take kindly to what happened here.”

She nodded in understanding and made to leave, stating that she will see to her men and their injuries. But as she turned to leave, he added, “One last thing, captain. I am sure I don’t need to say this, but I ask that you not tell give them any information on what, or rather who, it was that caused the Lightwarden’s death. I will not stand by and let Vauthry try to stop us in our mission to destroy the wardens… but I will not wish to bring war to the Crystarium unless I have no other choice.”

“Of course, my lord,” she answered, looking back, “No one other than those who witnessed the Lightwarden’s death are aware of what happened. But, forgive me, rumors of the Warrior of Darkness are flying around left and right. It is hard to get anyone to focus.”

She fell silent as she then asked, “Is she…? Is she really…?”

He just smiled back at her.

“I cannot confirm or deny that yet,” he said, “Just know that she and the others are here to help us. You can trust them.”

“But how do you know them?” she asked, worried once more, and he could see where this was going. “That woman… who is she to you? For so long now, I suspected that you have been waiting for someone to arrive… it’s her, isn’t it? The way that you ran out of the Crystarium the other day when she arrived…?”

She looked long and hard at him before asking, “Who are you, my lord? After all these years, I know better than anyone to know that you only have good intensions. You have fought and struggled to aid the people here, and for that, I have always admired you. But… why are you doing this?”

The question hung in the air as he looked on kindly.

Lyna looked suspicious as he sighed and confessed, “Because I have grown to care for the people of this world more than I can say. If I can secure a future for those who remained behind, to know that the sacrifices of all those who came before were not in vain, then I know that my life was worth living. But more than that… the truth is, captain… there is someone to whom I deeply wish to save. Someone who is greatly loved… and I am content to save this world for her sake.”

She stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time as he gave a weary smile back.

“Rest assure, I will do all in my power to look after myself until this is over,” he promised her. “I am sorry for keeping this secret from you, my dear girl… but know that when this is over, you shall know the truth. So please, promise me to survive and take care of our people until then. So long as you are here, I know that they will be in good hands.”

“M-My lord…” she stuttered, and he could see the blush in her cheeks as he smiled fondly. He could still remember when she was a young child, having lost her family to those accursed sin eaters. He took her in and all but raised her as his own daughter… or perhaps a granddaughter in this case. But he meant what he said, knowing that with people like her around, the Crystarium would survive with or without him.

***Claire***

Claire felt more drained than she had in a long time. Even after charging through Doma castle, ruins in the sky, or even through the Gimlet Dark didn’t exhaust her nearly as much as she felt right now. The thought of a warm and comfortable bed waiting for her back in the Pendants was so inviting that she wanted to just head straight over there first.

But she made sure to pass on the message to Bragi first, informing him of how the people would be needing medicine and supplies—who was more than happy to reserve for them. That was when he pointed her over to the barkeeper over at the Wandering Stairs and an interesting business opportunity. Well, she soon found out what this was about when she was introduced to Glynard and a bar maid named Cyella, who told her of the Cardinal Virtues. Most sin eaters followed after the strongest of their kind… but there were a handful who broke from the crowd and did things their own way.

They must be strong if even a Lightwarden couldn’t control them. While there were a handful of them around Norvrandt… the strongest and most feared were of the Cardinal Virtues. At first, she wasn’t too interested in them, at least until she learned of what they looked like... each of the four Virtues took on the form of one of the fabled villains of eld who caused the Flood. She froze at that thought as her mind was cast back to that fateful day.

Those other former heroes?

But how? She knew of Ardbert’s fate but how could the others have become sin eaters? Was it possible it was just a coincidence? She found that very unlikely… but then… according to Cyella, they showed up only a few years ago. Why was that?

She thought of more of what he said during their last meeting:

_“The Flood was poised to swallow Norvrandt… Minfilia and my friends, they… they surrendered what little they had left to hold it back. Just faded away… leaving me to bear witness.”_

Ardbert had been left behind… cursed to wander as a spirit with no one able to see or hear him. That fate was bad enough, but she was suddenly struggling to picture which fate was worse. That… or to become an eater? A shadow of the person they were before?

She thought of each one of them, warriors she met and lamented their fate.

She wasn’t sure what to think.

Glynard looked thrilled at the thought of their tavern being able to boast the idea that their hunters had slew one of the Cardinal Virtues, but she felt sick at the heart at the very idea. Still, she forced a smile she did not feel as she waved and headed off, promising she would think about. He was very understanding and Cyella merely pointed out those in their tavern who had plans to go after the Virtues at some point.

She would take them up on their offer, but only because she wanted to see these Virtues with her own eyes. Whether or not they were the same people she met back in the Source didn’t matter to her. She had made up her mind that if she was to ever come across those eaters, then she would do all she could to put them out of their suffering.

She wondered if she should tell Ardbert about this…? Speaking of whom…?

Claire wearily made her way back to her rooms, having been told by the innkeeper that lamps and lanterns had been prepared for her and the other guests for the night. She was grateful for that, not having to worry about stumbling around in the dark, and it cast her room into a warm glow the moms net she entered.

She could ignore most of the celebration in the streets as she closed the door behind her. It looked just like how she last saw it, with the only difference begin the warm glow from the lamp that was now sitting upon her table.

The windows were closed though, and she immediately went straight for it, wanting to see the sky once more. As soon as she opened the shutters and stared out, the night sky filled with stars twinkled back at her, bringing another smile to her face just at the sight of it. Seeing those stars in the inky-black sky caused something soothing to enter her soul.

Then he was there.

She sensed him before she saw him. She could feel his presence always lurking close by since they first spoke in this very room—when she learned she was the first to be able to see him in close to a century. So when she turned around to see him standing there, still with that fragile glow around him and an ironic smile on his face, she wasn’t surprised.

“So it’s your lot’s turn to be the Warriors of Darkness, is it?” he said with a rather bitter amusement in his voice, “It’s funny how things work out.”

“Been watching, have you?” she asked, already knowing the answer, remembering the few times she could have sworn she saw him there watching her… or how she had saw him only a little while before. He seemed to realize she was well-aware of his answer.

“Well, I did warn you,” he reminded her, “I followed you to Eulmore and then on to Amh Araeng. And I was there when you slew the Lightwarden.”

At least he was honest. She folded her arms and shook her head at that. If he was going to be hanging around and watching her from now on, then they were going to have come up with some ground rules.

Before she could bring up that topic though, he suddenly became very pensive.

“Those white-haired twins who were with you… I remember them from our battle in the Source,” he said suddenly, “Are they your friends, then? Through thick and thin?”

She was glad she didn’t blush that time. While she was hoping that he hadn’t given her some form of privacy, she had a feeling that he had been watching her interactions with Alisaie, as well as those private moments with Alphinaud.

Rather than say anything like that though, she merely nodded, ready to come up with any kind of retort if he tried to dig any deeper. He surprised her, however, as he just nodded, confirming what he already knew.

“Aye,” he said in understanding and then advised, “Then I suggest you keep them close. It’s when you charge ahead trying to save someone else that you end up losing those you love. Not that you need telling. I’ll bet you’ve lost plenty. But I wonder… what will it cost you this time?”

She looked away, her heart heavy as the images of friends she knew before suddenly appeared in her mind. Minfilia, Papalymo, Ysayle… Lord Haurchefant… so many others…? She closed her eyes, her heart now aching before forcing herself to look back to Ardbert, whom she could see her own pain mirrored in his face.

“I don’t remember when it was that I learned regret wasn’t worth the bother,” he sighed, “You get numb to it over the years. The lost comrades, the broken promises, the abandoned principles—just more nagging burdens to ignore.”

“Does it get better with time?” she asked. She suddenly doubted very much that he was as numb as he was trying to be. The fact that he admitted that he tried so hard to ignore the pain was volumes to her. He didn’t answer before heaving a great sigh before he walked up to stand next to her so that he could look at the sky.

“The last time I saw the sky like this was back on the Source,” he informed her, “Just before…? Well, just before we came to the decision that ending your life would speed up the Rejoining.”

She could remember that. How desperate they had been to finish her off. Which was something she was still struggling to understand herself. The first time that they met, he barely seemed interested in her… their goals were to bring another Calamity and hasten another Rejoining… one that she could now understand. They believed that it would be a preferable fate compared to having this world erased by Light.

They had even given her a clear warning not to get in their way.

“Why didn’t you try to finish me off back when we first met?” she asked him, “After you all defeated Ravana? And then later on after we beat you to Garuda? Wouldn’t it have been easier then? Me and Alphinaud were outnumbered…?”

“You think that we liked the idea of bringing a Calamity to a world that didn’t deserve it?” he asked her with a shrug. “We cursed the circumstances that led us to that point. But we had nothing left to lose and were desperate. Our original plan was to cause enough fear and desperation among the beast tribes to have them try to summon another god… one that would be sure to hasten your world to destruction. And besides… we couldn’t… bring ourselves… at the time…?”

He seemed to be struggling with his emotions as she looked at him. He finally sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he confessed, “We felt a connection with you.”

She blinked at that, not sure what he meant as he seemed to actually turn red. Or… at least, she thought it was blushing. It was hard to tell with that ethereal glow about him, but she had seen Alphinaud embarrassed enough times to recognize it at once.

“Well, I felt something familiar,” he confessed, “I mean it’s only natural, isn’t it? We were all hailed as Warriors of Light. And there we were, up against someone with that same title. But we, at least, had each other to lean on. You didn’t have other warriors like you to fight alongside you in those hard battles like we did.”

“You pitied me?” she asked, folding her arms and he realized how it sounded.

“Not at all,” he confessed, “I admire you for it. I had my friends there to support me. I’m not saying that you didn’t have the same… but… I can’t help but feel like there was a part of them that didn’t truly understand what it felt like to be relied upon so greatly. But you had to shoulder that on your own. For that. I admire you for it.”

He actually gave her a rather fragile smile when she looked down, now feeling her cheeks grow warm at the compliment.

“Though we were on opposing sides, there was something about you that felt familiar,” he confessed. “I could not help but feel that if we had met under different circumstances, then we would have been good friends.”

Friends… yes… she could see that. Running around with a group of other adventurers, getting themselves into such troubles… just passing through… helping out where they could…? She honestly could not say that it was a bad life… but it was rare to meet with someone who could understand her in such a way. The last person she felt who could understand the burdens of the Echo were with Ysayle… and she smiled sadly at the thought of her lost friend.

Now that she thought of it… when she did battle with the Warriors of Darkness back on the Source, she could recall how there was something about them—him especially—that seemed to call out to her. As if she could feel his pain more keenly than her own. Of course, she was too busy trying to avoid getting killed at the time, so she wasn’t able to really focus on the strange sense of something so conversant.

“If you felt that way…” she began slowly, looking back up at him, “Why did you try and kill me?”

He looked greatly uneasy about that, as if hoping that she had forgotten about that part in their shared history. But the answer she got was not one she was expecting.

“You can thank that snake friend of yours,” he told her and she blinked in surprise before realizing who he was talking about.

“You mean, Urianger?” she questioned, remembering how Ardbert had once called the Eleven a ‘snake’ when he stepped in to save her from Ardbert’s axe, and he nodded.

“He was the one who approached me with the suggestion,” he confessed, “I’ll say this for him, even though he used us all, he was certainly convincing. Looking back, nothing he said was a lie… but he certainly knows how to keep his secrets. I would watch my back around him, if I were you.”

She frowned at that idea. She had thought that it had been the Ascians who ordered them to kill her… who gave them the idea of speeding up the Rejoining with her death. She was aware that Urianger as pretending to be on their side for the most part, but the idea that he had been the one to suggest…? The thought sent a bad sense of foreboding down her spine. Looking back, while she was fully aware of why he did it and that he had stepped in to save her afterwards, she didn’t like the idea that someone she had considered to be a friend would convince those who were already so desperate to kill her.

She did not answer that as she turned to look up at the stars, just as he was doing. She had only been here for a couple days, less than a week already, but she didn’t realize just how much she missed night. There was something so soothing about seeing the dark sky… something about the darkness that felt so safe to her.

That constant glare of Light made her feel anxious all the time and it was like she could relax properly for the first time since arriving in this world.

But she looked back to Ardbert after a time, wondering how he felt about this whole thing. The man who had fought and sacrificed so much for this world… only to be now remembered as a villain? He had done everything he could to save this world from the Light, even giving up his own life for the faint promise of a second chance…?

Only to be cursed to wander for a hundred years alone… and then have her show up out of nowhere and watch how she succeeded where he had failed. Now she was living up to the name he had so proudly taken up while in the Source… and watch how she was called that with such reverence? All the while, forced to carry the regrets and pain of the past. Not even having his comrades here to bring him succor… and she then remembered their fates as well.

Just looking at him like this… it broke her heart.

She realized in that moment that she wanted to help him. She wanted to help put his suffering to an end. But… how was she to do that? She didn’t know what she could do to bring him peace.

“You must hate me,” she said softly and he looked back at her in surprise as she looked back grimly. She then pointed out all those thoughts and wondered how he could stand to be in the same room with her when she all but swooped in and did what he couldn’t do before.

He was silent for a time, as if he was letting those words sink in.

“I… I guess… a little bit,” he admitted quietly.

“I’m sorry,” she said, truly regretful that he was forced to go through this.

“No, I don’t want you to be sorry,” he said quickly, “If anything, I’m grateful that you decided to come here and agreed to help even after all we put you through. Most would never want to go to another world like this, especially one where there is so much danger and on the brink of collapse.”

He shook his head and admitted, “Even if I believe that this world has reached a point that there is no saving it. But it’s not anger or hate I feel towards you. It’s directed towards myself. Because, I know that everything that happened here is my own fault. You have nothing to do with any of that. And you have nothing to be sorry about.”

Still, his tone was bitter and she wished she could reach out and touch him. But even as she raised her hand, she realized that it wouldn’t work anyway since she would pass right through him like that cup on the table.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, “I don’t see you as a villain. You… and the others… you didn’t deserve what happened to you. You deserved a kinder fate.”

“Yeah, well, what can you do?” he asked as he looked back down at her with a strange look in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what it was that he was feeling right now… his eyes held so much sorrow and self-loathing that she could not detect anything else.

“Is there… a way to help you?” she asked him. “A way to free you from… this?”

He blinked, startled that she was even asking him something like that.

“I… I don’t know,” he confessed after a few minutes of silence. “I mean… I tried everything I could think of over the years to put myself out of my misery. But there’s not much that someone like me can do. It’s not like I could try and make up for my mistakes by fighting the eaters in this state… and I’m already dead so I can’t just axe myself off.”

He looked away.

“Maybe we’ll find a way,” she said quietly, “I know that you want to try and make things right. I don’t know how I can help, but there must be a reason that I’m able to see and hear you. This is your world… and maybe… if I can help save it… you will be able to find the peace you deserve?”

They looked long and hard at the other as they let that statement settle between the two of them. In fact, they were both quiet for so long, she was beginning to wonder who would win out over this shocked silence. Finally, he broke it by asking, so quietly that she wasn’t even sure she heard him correctly, “You would do that for me?”

She nodded.

“I know that you only desire to atone for what you feel like is your fault,” she said, “And I only know that because if it were me, I would want a chance to set things right as well. So… I want to help. And maybe… when this fight is over, we can find a way.”

He suddenly reached out, as if wanting to touch her this time, but stopped halfway, much like how she did before, after realizing that his hand would surely go right through her. There was no point… but the desire to be leaned upon, to support… it was an instinct that was too strong for either of them to ignore.

“Thank you…” was all he could say with a sad smile on his lips.

That that, some sort of understanding seemed to pass between them. A silent kind of charge like electricity passing from one to the other that seemed to soothe any hesitation away from them.

They were like that for some time, at least until the drunken cries of joy echoed from below them reminded them of the lateness of the hour.

“You should get some sleep,” he finally said as they looked over the ledge to see the partying go on below them. “You’ll be needing it. History tell us that we won’t have much time to rest before another adventure calls.”

She agreed, finally setting her heavy sword down and walked straight to the bed. She was so tired at this point that she didn’t even bother to change out of her armor as she headed straight to the bed.

She thought she could hear Ardbert chuckle from the other side of the room. Normally, she would tell him to get lost, but she was too tired to do so, and her headache was back and worse than ever. Besides, when she looked back, he was gone.

Well, at least she didn’t need to worry about him watching her all night.

Suddenly though, as her hair fell into her eyes, she noticed something very strange about the tresses… so much so that she had to check the mirror that was set up for her against the wall. She looked in closely into the glass to see that the ends of her normally bright pink hair had turned white. She ran her fingers across the tips and frowned slightly at the sight of it. She had many adventurer friends who have highlights in their hair… but she could not, for the life of her, figure out what caused the tips of her hair to turn white like that?

Worried that she would have to cut it off later, she convinced herself that sleep was what she needed and she would worry about it in the morning.

But even as she finally fell onto the soft mattress, she found that sleep did not come so easily to her this time.

She kept thinking about Ardbert, the Lightwardens… and the Exarch’s words. She had to be careful when people asked for such big favors… after all, it wouldn’t be the first time that she had been taken in by seemingly true convictions only to be betrayed later on. She had thought that Ilberd had been someone she could trust before he sold her and the other Scions out for coin… and it would be a long time before she could forget Asahi’s seemingly sincere words.

But the Exarch was different from them. She believed that he wanted to help the people here, but then… why summon her here against her will? If his plan had worked, she would be in her friend’s position. Probably stuck here for years and unable to return to the Source while forced to fight against such foes.

Still, after seeing this world, or what was left of it, with her own eyes, she knew she couldn’t leave it. Not after seeing how desperate the people clung to life… not when Ardbert and so many others sacrificed so much to save it.

So, in the end, she decided she would do whatever she could to save this world. Besides, she still had some promises to fulfill, didn’t she?

Though she still had reservations about the Exarch… she decided that she would work with him. Hopefully, she would get some answers from him before this was all over.

With that thought, she closed her eyes and her worn-out body relaxed completely as sleep took her over. Never realizing that she was being watched from different sides… with one watching protectively from the window… and another watching worriedly from the tower…?

And another watching from the shadows of the street down below… his golden eyes looking up at the open window with an unreadable expression on his face.

***Malms away***

Though the warrior was finally taking the time to rest, there was another outside the city walls who was wide awake and staring up at the sky. She had been asked to stand guard while her travelling companion got some rest this evening. She had been sitting upon a rock and looking out for any trace of an eater or random beast that could come charging in at them when the sky grew dark. She could remember seeing the smoke rising up from the distance and was worried that a wildfire or something had started over there. She was in half a mind to wake her companion up when the light in the sky seemed to shudder. She looked towards the trails of smoke that slowly trailed up onto the sky before a great big burst of light erupted from beyond the trees and created a pillar straight towards the Light above. She could only stare on in shock as the light parted ways to revel a dark velvety sky… just like she had always been told in the stories… with tiny little twinkling lights that shone like jewels.

Stars… she had never seen anything more beautiful than the sky that night.

She could only stare up at it, unsure of what to say or do for quite a long time. Finally, she felt her lips move as she spoke, her voice in whispered awe, “So this is what the Light was hiding…”

She finally tore her eyes from the heavens as she looked to the Crystal Tower in the distance that sparkled even brighter than before. The stories were true… the Warrior of Darkness was here…?

That was when she felt something inside her began to grow warm. As if a gentle voice was telling her what she needed to do, where to go from here. She wasn’t sure if it was herself who was telling her this… or… _her_… all she knew was that she had to go.

She looked back for a moment, wondering if she should wake her companion up and tell him. But with so much happening at once, she feared that he would put a stop to it. But she couldn’t allow him to, not this time. She knew that he would just try to protect her, but this was something she had to do. She had grown much in the last few years, and could handle a few sin eaters on her way… and the Crystarium wasn’t far… she was sure she could make it.

She had to.

“She’s here, I must go to her,” she whispered to herself before holding her head up high. There was someone she had to meet… she knew that this was right. And so she took a few shaky steps out on her own for the first time since she was rescued from her cell in Eulmore.

***The Source***

How did this happen?

How did he get here?

Why did he let those two use him like this?

Those thoughts were racing through his mind as he ran down the metal corridors and the officer behind him screaming out, “Intruders! Fan out and find them!”

He ran, trying to get out now while there was still time and the doors remained open.

But still, he could not erase the memory from a couple days ago from his mind. He had been at the Shiokaze Hostelry with the dragonet Orn Khai… and even just thinking about that made him realize how strange it was. A dragonslayer—or former anyway—with a young dragonet?

Why did he ever listen to Orn Khai that day?

After he brought the Warrior of Light to Ser Aymeric and left her in his care and made to return to the battle. But with Zenos and most of the Garleans having withdrawn from the front lines, leaving the Imperials in disarray, he was not needed there for the time being. He instead wandered through Coerthas, honing his skills and preparing for the next battle, which he was certain would come soon once the Imperials got their act together.

While there, he ran into Orn Khai. The same little dragon he helped in a quest to find his sire’s long-lost consort. After visiting the Far East, he ran into the little dragon and the Warrior of Light, having arrived at the Azim Steppe and succeeded in returning the dragon to her senses and reuniting her with Orn Khai’s father—Vidfornir.

However, it would seem that the dragonet now had a thirst for adventure and wanted him to accompany him back to the Far East after having heard of the dragon known as Seiryu… both rumor has it that he was worshipped as a benevolent guardian and feared as a man-eating fiend.

If this dragon was one who devoured man, he felt he had to see with his own eyes. And if it turned out to be true, then it was his duty to put an end to it. So it was with that did the former Azure Dragoon set off to the Far East with Orn Khai at his side. Of course, it turned out that truth was stranger than legend. The so-called dragon Seiryu was no dragon to begin with… rather he was more of a large serpent who had lived many centuries and had the powers akin to that of a god. Not only that, it turned out that he had done battle with the Warrior of Light—where he had been brought back from the brink of madness.

Well, that confirmed it for him. Despite her kind nature, he knew that the Warrior of Light was not one who would let something evil like that remain standing. She seemed content to let him be, and even fought side-by-side against a powerful foe later on with several other god-like animals.

He would have to hear that story next he spoke with her.

Of course, by this point, his funds had run dry and he had to endure several days with an empty belly when they returned to Kugane. He was trying to think of a way that they could return to Eorzea when the proprietor of this hostelry spotted them. Once more, he could not believe that anyone would consider dragons to be bringers of good luck… but as soon as she saw them, she offered them board and means in exchange for attracting customers.

He hoped no one back home never learned of this. If they had, he would never live it down.

***Memory***

_‘A spectacle for drunkards…’ he thought as he glared around the room._

_"How ungrateful!" Orn Khai snapped at him as he watched Estinien wolf down some dried squid—Surume—and was now huffing about it. "I find myself less and less inclined to sear your squid!"_

_Really? After putting him through all that? The least he could do was make it so that he didn’t have to eat some dried up raw squid!_

_"Fine. I'm grateful," he managed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Now sear me another one, will you?"_

_Like the mind of a child, the sarcastic remark seemed to be enough for Orn Khai, who breathed a tiny flicker of flame upon the dried squid, which released a delicious aroma as it was charred black. He wasn’t sure what it was, but who would have thought that dried squid was so good? Especially after a good roasting. _

_He enjoyed his food as Orn Khai greeted out some newly arrive patrons. At first he didn’t really pay much attention, at least until he saw two Lalafellin maidens marching over the threshold._

_One of them was none other than Tataru, dressed in a bright pink kimono, and looking rather at home in this place, as she greeted him with a shrill cry of happiness. As for her companion, he knew who she was right away though he could not recall ever having met her. Krile Baldesion, another of the Scions, and she was standing out in that cat-eared hood and robe compared to the rest of the people here in the Hostelry. _

_After getting one look at him, she couldn’t bite back her laughter at seeing the infamous Azure Dragoon now ‘serving tray’ as she called it. While annoyed with her, especially with how much she was laughing at him, he could not repress the sense of dread that was all but radiating off them. He had the feeling that they came here looking for him specifically… and he didn’t like the idea that they were about to ask him for some sort of… assignment._

_Deciding to leave before he regretted it, he turned to Orn Khai and told him that he was leaving now, but so long as he remained here, he wasn’t going to want for comfort. He then picked up his travel sack, his lance slung over his shoulder, and leapt straight up. He drew gasps at how he all but flew up to the second level above them and rushed through the door even as there were many who thought that it was a show and applauded his display of acrobatics. _

_But no matter where he went, no matter how hard he tried to avoid and lose the two Lalafells, they were able to keep track of him. It got to a point that he felt like a child playing hide-n-seek… they were more than able to keep up and find him no matter where he went. The more that he eluded them, the more determined they seemed to seek him out. He figured if he could just hide out until dawn and take the next ship out then he would be beyond the reach of them and their troubles. _

_He led them on a chase all throughout Kugane for the rest of the night, but not only did they keep up with him, they were cheerful and seemed to be enjoying his escape attempts… as if they knew something that he didn’t. At last, when the sun was beginning to rise and he was heading back to port, he heard Tataru cry out right behind him, "Anyone would think you were trying to avoid us!"_

_He all but groaned that he had been found again and turned to face the two smug Lalafells. He was about to demand that they tell him how they were able to follow him when…?_

_The Baldesion woman suddenly collapsed where she stood, cradling her head with her hands. At the sight of it, Tataru was at her side, asking if she was alright. For just that one moment, he felt guilt seeing that, believing it was their game of cat and mouse all night that was the cause of her sudden collapse. In fact, he was about to offer a hand to help her up when she suddenly began to laugh._

_"Oh, Estinien... Never would I have imagined..." she grinned and continued to roar with laughter._

_"What's this, now? Did you see something from his past?" Tataru asked, her voice dripping with curiosity and he felt as if his stomach had dropped and a chill went across his body. So like with the Warrior of Light and Ysayle… Krile was able to see into the pasts of others. He didn’t even want to think about what memory she had just seen to cause this reaction… but he had a few guesses. _

_He just glared down at her before she was finally able to compose herself and got back to her feet. The look of pity was death enough to his pride as she said, "Be at ease. I am not so heartless as to reveal what I saw. Not here and now, at any rate."_

_He just narrowed his eyes at her as she clapped her hands together, glad to see that she got his attention as she said, “But enough about that. We were hoping to speak with you ─ if you have a moment?"_

_For one wild moment, he wondered if he could just make an escape… but with her armed with whatever memory that she clearly saw, he could only sigh, knowing that he had no choice. But that didn’t stop the dark thought that raced through his mind:_

_Damn you to the bottom of the seventh hell._

***End of Memory***

Somehow… he found himself standing upon the deck of a merchant vessel that very next morning, bound for Radz-at-Han, on his way to the Empire. He had been informed by the Scions of the deadly poison weapon known as Black Rose and that if they were to try and ignore the threat, it could be bared against their friends and allies. Which is the reason he was now charged with finding—and if able to—destroy the weapon before it could be used against them.

Regardless of how he felt of the matter, he was not going to stand by and allow such a coward’s weapon be used on his comrades. Besides, who better than him to accomplish this task? Besides, he had to admit that there were other perks. Such as when Tataru handed him a heavy leather pouch filled with coin…? At least he didn’t need to worry about funds this time.

Now here he was in Ilsabard and trying to get out of one of many magitek facilities that were set up along the borders. He had only just begun his search when he realized that there was hardly anything here to suggest the use of poison being made or experimented here. He went through dozens of rooms, but so far, came up empty-handed.

But then he got careless… which led him to being spotted… which is what lead to the Imperials screaming about intruders. Concluding that what he was searching for wasn’t here, he bolted down the hall, planning to head straight to the exit and come up with a new plan. As he ran though, at the end of the hall, he spotted a blue-haired girl with a makeshift spear on her back.

“Out of my way!” he yelled out in warning as the girl looked up from the crate she was looking through.

The girl didn’t even see him coming as he struck. She was sent flying back, her spear soaring off in one direction before she landed hard on the hard metal floor. He raised his spear, ready to deal the final blow when someone called, “Stay your weapon. We are not your enemy.”

His head jerked up at once to see a couple figures stepping out from the shadows. One of them was an elezen man with tattoos on his face; but the other was the one who drew his attention. Though he had never seen him before in the flesh, he knew right away who he was. He no longer wore armor, now wearing only a dark red coat that was dirty and tattered, he could see the Ascian masks hanging at his belt.

“When the alarum sounded, I wondered what we had done to betray our presence,” he said as the other Elezen looked over his shoulder suspiciously at Estinien. But their leader was observing him with nothing but interest as he finished, “But I see now we were not the only intruders. Ser Estinien, I presume—the dragoon who plucked the Warrior of Light form the jaws of death. Your armor is most distinct.”

He wasn’t sure how he felt being addressed from one who was once a sworn enemy to Eorzea. But it didn’t seem to him that they were here to fight. He lowered his weapon slightly, but made sure to keep it in hand to show that he was ready to strike back if they tried anything.

“Must as yours once was,” he answered back, “But even without it, I see a former legatus still has eyes and ears in unexpected places. ‘Van’ Baelsar, in the flesh. Though I understand you prefer ‘Shadowhunter’?”

“Hmph,” Gaius grunted at his new title before asking, “You are in contact with the Scions, I take it.”

“Hmph,” Estinien grunted back with a shrug, “Through no choice of my own. They tracked me down, and conscripted me to their cause.” He then growled to himself, remembering those two demons that all but forced him into this cause before hissing out, “I swear their receptionist was trained as a spy. Not that anyone can escape that Baldesion woman once she has caught the scent of your aether…”

If he survived this, he was going to get even with those two for this.

“If they have resorted to using freelancers, I must assume their attempts to wake the afflicted have failed…” Gaius asked with his eyes narrowing, and then asked quickly, “And what of their champion?”

“Away on other business,” he answered gruffly back as the girl at his feet rolled over and slowly got to her feet. “Thus it has fallen to me to root out any trace of the Empire’s new weapon.”

In truth, he was only vaguely aware of where their champion was these days. Tataru said that she had left on an important mission to awaken the other Scions and they didn’t know when she would be back. But already he could see the effects that her absence was causing. There was no small talk going around that the Warrior of Light was carried off the battlefield, and there were even rumors that she was mortally injured.

Moral was low with their allies at the borders as well—and he knew that the reason that so many of them were ready to go rushing off into battle was because they had the Warrior of Light at their side and that she was usually enough to help them turn the tides of battle. It was strange how the absence of one woman could bring so much uncertainty.

Still, he was aware that she wouldn’t have left them like this unless it was important. She was alive, and away on an important mission… that was all he needed to know.

He looked at Gaius, who was sharing a look with one of his comrades, who nodded back.

“If it is Black Rose you seek, you are too late,” Gaius spoke up again, turning his attention back to Estinien, “My people have already completed your mission here. Yet this is but one factory among many. When they caught wind of our efforts, they built additional facilities to ensure production continues unabated.”

Oh, great. He had thought that it would only be one or two factories he would have to contend with. Of course it wasn’t going to be that simple. But then he saw how Gaius’s hands were clenched into fists, and he looked even more upset about this than he did.

“There will be no one left in the lands they conquer,” he said tightly, “Not citizens to conscript, no skills to exploit, nothing the Empire needs. And they will call it victory.”

Typical for a man of conquest.

The blue-haired girl was not glaring at him, which Estinien promptly ignored, before asking, “What exactly does this Black Rose do?”

He had been told that it was a poison gas, but the way that Gaius just spoke of it… his sudden anger at the mere idea of it… it made him wonder if there was more to it than he first thought. Besides, while he had him audience, then he may as well see if he could get any other information out of him.

“The gas is described as a poison, but its actual effect is more arcane in nature,” Gaius explained, surprising Estinien a little with how he came right out and admitted to him. “It was created to disrupt the aether in living beings—to bring the flow of their life energies to a standstill. Inhaling even the tiniest amount will cause all bodily functions to case, much as a potent venom will stop a man’s heart. Released over a city, Black Rose could conceivably kill every inhabitant, and all without damaging a single structure.”

Ah, so it was even more dangerous than he first thought.

At that moment, he thought of Ishgard… a city that was just recovering from the effects of the Dragonsong War… only now the city was standing with the streets littered with bodies.

He breathed in hard, vowing never to see such a sight.

But it would seem that their time was cut short.

“Search every corner! Rouse the barracks if you have to! I want this facility secured!” someone screamed, heading their way, reminding him that they were in a dangerous area and that they should be escaping now before they were caught.

“I have more questions, but now is not the time,” Estinien said hurriedly as he turned to leave, planning to send word back to the Scions of what he just learned as soon as he was outside. But it would seem that Gaius wasn’t through with him.

“Ser Estinien, I have an offer for you, but I will make it only once,” Gaius called to him suddenly, “Since it would seem we seek the same answers… you are welcome to join us.”

Truly? Did he really think that he would resort to becoming someone’s underling? The only man he chose to follow was Ser Aymeric, and even then… he found orders difficult to follow.

“Hah!” he laughed, remembering what he heard about the famed ‘Shadowhunter’ and retorted, “From what I hear, you need all the help you can get. In case you don’t know, Varis himself confessed that your empire was a creation of the Ascians.”

Which was another piece of information that he was struggling to believe… but not the least bit surprised. After all, it was the Ascians who had been pulling the strings behind the archbishop and their fellow knights in Ishgard for so long… why not be the ones responsible for the Garlean Empire and all the suffering that they brought.

“I am aware of what His Radiance said at the parley,” Gaius answered back, “Thus would I return to the capital, that I might behold the truth of this corruption with my own eyes.”

His eyes suddenly looked very dark at that moment as he finished, “My path leads to Garlemald.”

Estinien looked on as he wondered what he should do. But the shouts of the Imperials were getting closer and he knew their time had run out. In the end, he decided that they discuss this outside before they were rudely interrupted by their hosts, who may not take kindly to their unwelcomed presence.

Gaius agreed and he left with them, wondering just what the fabled capital of Garlemald was like.

***Tataru/Krile***

At around the same time, Tataru and Krile were sitting at the Shiokaze Hostelry, taking refreshments with their new friend Orn Khai who was telling them all his adventures so far. They were enjoying a large plat of dango and some rice wine with each other before planning to catch a ship back to Eorzea.

But as they laughed and enjoyed themselves for the first time in moons, Tataru asked her suddenly, her cheeks now flushed from the wine, "So, tell us, Krile... what scandalous event from Estinien's past did you see?"

At the question, Krile only gave her rather coy smile, like a child who was in on a big secret that no one else knew about. And when she finally answered, both she and Orn Khai burst out laughing so that they could be heard all through the Hostelry.

"I’m sorry? Whatever gave you the impression I saw such a thing?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This chapter almost killed me getting it out. Oh, I am so glad that it’s finally up! So yes, we had several different views in this chapter, including our favorite Dragoon friend. I wasn’t planning to add him in, at least until I read the chapter involving him and I just couldn’t resist it. I hope that you all enjoyed it, I know I did with Krile and Tataru working together to trap him. Those two make quite the pair now… almost scary if you think about it. Anyway, we finally made it through our first dungeon of Shadowbringers and boy, it was a joy to play through. I will be going into more details about how the twins felt running beside Claire in a later chapter, so please look forward to that. Speaking of chapters, I do hope that this one will keep everyone entertained for a while. Sorry, I will be taking another break so there will not be new chapter next week. But that is when we will be moving on to meeting with an old friend… and one that is both old… and new…?)


	9. The Oracle of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night has been brought back to Lakeland, and that is something to celebrate. But there is still so much work to do... and that list only grows longer when our heroes discover that someone has been taken prisoner. Someone who was once an old friend yet a new ally... and she needs their help. The first step has been made to restoring night to this world and they are going to walk it to it's end!

Alisaie didn’t know how long she stood there in the charred remains of what had once been a thriving town. Only that by the time that she did finally notice how much time had passed was when she looked up to see the slightest hint of red staining the blackened horizon, signaling that dawn was approaching.

Alisaie finally tore herself away from the remains of the town and began to make her way back to the Crystarium. There was no need to fear getting lost even with the fading darkness around them, for the tower cast everything around it in a heavenly glow that was oddly comforting.

But she barely noticed as her mind wandered.

_*Flashback*_

_“The villagers we evacuated earlier have arrived safely in the Crystarium. They seem to be accepting their situation for the moment—most folk are far too distracted by the sky to worry about wounds or lost homes. They whisper and wonder if the Warrior of Darkness has come…”_

_How interesting that they guessed the truth so quickly. Then again, with the entire sky covered in darkness and stars, it would be sure to get everyone's attention._

_Almost like this was set up perfectly for them?_

_So now the Warrior of Light has become the Warrior of Darkness?_

_The name suddenly brought back a sad memory to her..._

** _"Warrior of Darkness, servant of death; take care of our souls at our dying breath… Let sinners and eaters of sin go with thee; that all may return to the sunless sea.” _ **

_The story seemed to send chills up her spine just thinking about it. But...?_

** _"Do you think so? I always liked the idea that he treated every soul the same, even the sin eaters."_ **

_Still, she wasn't sure if she liked the idea of Claire having that title and what comes with it._

_But the Exarch was speaking again and she felt herself listening in spite of herself._

_“Tis to be expected,” the Exarch said sagely as he looked to Claire and asked, “Claire, I must ask a favor of you. Would you be so kind as to conceal your involvement in this endeavor for the time being? Seeing the Light recede from Lakeland is a momentous occasion, and many will be swept up in a maelstrom of excitement and confusion. Should you come forth as the legendary Warrior of Darkness, I fear that, no matter how good your intentions, such an appearance would throw the city into disarray.”_

_She was glad for that. She knew that the last thing that Claire would want to do was to be held up on another pedestal. That kind of stress was the last thing that her friend needed now._

_“I find myself in agreement with the Exarch although my concerns are more focused on Eulmore,” Alphinaud added, “It may be best if you maintain a low profile until we see how Vauthry responds to all of this.”_

_Naturally, Claire nodded in agreement, and she could see it in her face how tired she looked. She had seen Claire worn-out and tired, but here... she looked... so weary. Alisaie felt worry stir in the pit of her stomach and she wanted to come out and ask her if she was alright or if she should even escort her back._

_“My thanks,” Exarch said with gratitude, “Though we cannot freely celebrate your success, pray allow your heart to be buoyed by the joy of our citizens—a joy you surely brought into being.” He then turned to Lyna and added, “Ah, and I must ask the same deception of you, Captain. ‘Tis my intention to share with our people the tale of a great warrior who stood in defiance of the sin eaters. This unnamed champion defeated the Lightwarden and has since departed for parts unknown, yes?”_

_“As you wish, my lord,” the captain said at once, “Your penchant for mystery is nothing new, and I will encourage folk not to question this either. Although I expect to be told the whole truth of it one day. About all of you.”_

_The Exarch looked apprehensive about it, at least Alisaie thought so since it was hard to tell with that stupid cowl over his head._

_But he nodded before looking to Claire once more finished, “With that settled, I shall return to the Crystarium and make an address to the people. These explanations and adjustments will consume much of the time, so pray take the opportunity to rest and recover from your exploits. And to think, you’ll not even need to shutter the windows to enjoy a dark and peaceful night’s sleep!”_

_*End of Flashback*_

Alisaie reminded behind with Claire and her brother for only a short time. There was something she needed to check on. Alphinaud was confused by her vague answer, but Claire understood and led Alphinaud away so that Alisaie could have the time she needed, which Alisaie was grateful for. The last thing she wanted was to have someone over her shoulder while she tried to mourn the loss of a friend; and she headed back to the smoldering remains of Holminister Switch.

She had tried, really tried to see if she could find something... anything left of Tesleen's. A scrap of cloth... a piece of jewelry... anything?

But there wasn't even the tiniest trace of the person she had once been and that broke her to such a point that it was like she lost her all over again.

Alisaie had found a quiet location somewhere deep in the forests where she was able to give herself a break and quietly break down away from prying eyes. It was so much easier to do that in the dark. She wished that she could have shown Tesleen the night sky... she remembered all the times she would try to explain to the kind-hearted carer what she thought the night sky would look like without revealing that she came from a world that still had night. But after a year here, she had almost forgotten herself how beautiful it had been, herself.

Yet a she gazed at the twinkling stars, she knew that she was right about one thing. She knew that Tesleen would have loved it. 

And it wasn't just with Tesleen, she thought of all the poor people who died earlier today from the attack of Sin Eaters. How much pain and suffering was in this world... suddenly in that moment, she hated everything about this world and wished she could go home. 

But just looking at the sky seemed to light a beacon inside her. She knew that these people were still praying for night to fall. And so many, like the people at the Inn, deserved to see it as well. She wanted to be there to see the looks on their faces as they looked up and could really hope for the future. 

After several long minutes of quiet thought, she wiped her eyes and got up, ready to head back out there and do what she needed to do. Lock it all inside and get to work. She could mourn later when they were all safe.

But as she headed back to the Crystarium, where there were loud cries of celebrations were continuing to ring out all across Lakeland. Even well into the hours of the morning where there was some minor panic that the glare of Light was returning. But when they saw the sunrise, the tears of fear quickly melted into joy at the dazzling array of colors were splattered across the sky. And for the first time in a hundred years, the sun rose over Lakeland.

Of course, by the time that she arrived at the Pendants, she found a crowd of people, both injured and dirty, clean and unscathed, asking for rooms. 

She knew these people were some of the survivors of Holminister Switch, and she approached the desk to ask what was going on.

"Ah, Mistress Alisaie," innkeeper gasped, looking frantic as he shifted through papers, "Pray forgive me. I’ll be with you in just a moment. But with so many survivors from the sin eater attack today, we are struggling to find room for them all. We have some rooms that we are preparing as we speak, but it will be awhile before they will be ready for anyone to move in. So we are looking for temporarily rooms for those who need it most. But it is proving to be difficult."

Even more so when Alisaie learned that one woman was close to giving birth to her baby, but there was no spare beds in the infirmary or at the Spagyrics that would be able to make room in time. Without even thinking about how tired she was, Alisaie volunteered her room to the young couple until they were able to find room elsewhere. 

The keeper of the inn tried to reason that it wasn't necessary, but she insisted on it, saying that she would just go to her brother’s room to rest for a while. It wasn’t like she used her own room that often, anyway.

She left just as the innkeeper called the family over, informing them that they suddenly had space for them after all. Yet Alisaie didn't want to be thanked right now, feeling like she didn't deserve anything of the sort.

Instead, she walked silently through the halls, hearing her own footsteps echo around her. She supposed that most of the people were off celebrating in the city. But she kicked at the wall in frustration, only wishing that she was in the mood to celebrate.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice when a door opened up behind her and a familiar voice asked, “Alisaie?”

She jumped and stopped dead when she realized that it had been Claire’s voice who spoke. She slowly turned back to see that Claire was sticking her head out of the door and gazing at her tiredly.

"Oh, Claire," she said, remembering that she had just been standing directly outside her door when she kicked out in frustration.

Claire was looking well, but drained, and she can tell from the tussled hair and blurry eyes that she just rolled out of bed.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I woke you," Alisaie said, turning red. "I wasn't thinking and...?" She paused and looked at Claire properly in the faint light of the new lanterns that were set up to light the halls. 

"Are you ok?" she asked in concern, coming closer to the door to look her in the face, "You look pale?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Claire said, sweeping her hair out of her face. "And you didn't wake me, don't worry. It's hard to sleep through the revelry outside."

“Ah, right…” Alisaie mumbled in embarrassment and looked to her feet. Perhaps Claire could sense how she was feeling right now and opened the door a little wider.

"I was about to make some tea, would you like some?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, I could use something," Alisaie said, rubbing her tired eyes, realizing that she didn’t want to be alone any longer. Claire let her in, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, Alisaie was taken aback when she found her own brother fast asleep at the table, resting his head on his folded arms and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"Why's he here?" she asked in surprise.

"He needed a room since he gave it to some of the survivors of Holminister Switch," she answered.

Alisaie froze at that and Claire took one look at her before she grinned and said, "And you did the same thing? That explains why you were heading to your brother's room when you told me your room is in the opposite direction?"

Alisaie lowered her head, her face burning even hotter than before.

Claire only chuckled as she rubbed Alisaie's back in a comforting way as she showed her inside. Alisaie didn't say a word as she watched Claire go over to the stove and began to brew up some tea.

There was nothing but silence around them. Other than the clinking sounds of Claire making the tea and Alphinaud's soft snores, it was eerily quiet.

Warm sunlight flooded in through the window, nothing like the blaring light from before. It just really dawned on Alisaie that this may be the first time that sunlight touched this land for a hundred years. She looked to see the slight dust dancing in the light, appreciating how beautiful it all was.

When she glanced at her brother, another memory came back from earlier. After she headed off to look through the destroyed town, she had turned back before she got too far, wanting to tell her brother to be careful on his way back through town when...?

She had seen them kiss before… and it always sent a little thrill of joy through her whenever she did witness how caring the other could be to each other. But when Alisaie turned back, she had seen it when it was just Alphinaud Claire together when all the others left. They were getting ready to head back when he saw how her brother stood on his toes and gave Claire a lingering kiss upon the cheek.

He had certainly gotten bolder during their time apart.

She was happy for them. Even after all this, she never once thought that she would see anyone so happy… so then… why was she so annoyed at that? She loved seeing him so happy and so full of warmth and treating someone so tenderly… so why does her heart ache so suddenly?

Rather than dwell on that, Alisaie turned her attention around the rest of the room, once more marveling how much larger and well stocked it was than her own. The Exarch seemed to have gone out of his way to make sure that she was comfortable and had everything she needed… if she didn’t know better, she would have thought that he was spoiling their mutual friend. Then again, it wasn’t like she was there to use it that often, so who was she to judge?

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Alisaie asked, glancing to the freshly made bed.

"Like a newborn babe," Claire answered back as she stifled a yawn. "I just woke up when I heard Alphinaud in the hall and he was looking for your room for a couple hours to sleep."

Claire's back was to her, but Alisaie could hear the smile there. She just turned to watch her gather a couple mugs from a cupboard, watching how Claire tighten a dark red cloak around her shoulders before coming back to the table with the tea hot and steaming. Alisaie took it gratefully, too tired to really do much else.

Both of them sat there silently for another few minutes as they let the silence speak for themselves… both of them thinking of everything that happened last night.

“Will you be alright?” Claire asked quietly after a little while of silence.

“Yes,” Alisaie admitted softly.

Another moment of silence.

“Do you want to be left alone for a while?” Claire asked after another moment.

Alisaie thought it all over before shaking her head and whispered, “No.”

Alisaie was suddenly aware of the burning in her eyes and she grew ashamed of the tears that were threatening to fall. She was so angry with herself for being such a mess, she didn’t notice when Claire got up and sat next to her until she felt her take her hand. Alisaie looked up at her, feeling both lost, scared, and confused on where she was supposed to go from here. How could she ever fully be alright? A good friend had become a sin eater right before their eyes, and there had been nothing she could do to save her. And now… mere hours ago, they had put her to the sword. Whatever else that creature was, it had still been a kind-hearted person.

How did it all come to this?

Claire just pulled her into a hug and ran her fingers through her hair as Alisaie held on. She didn’t break down sobbing, but the tears fell quietly as Claire hummed a soft tune. It hurt. She hurt… like… like her lungs could not draw breath. Like she was about to be sick… or there was a deep wound in her chest that she couldn’t heal.

This was a victory for them. A glimmer of hope for these people who had all but given up… so why did it still feel like a defeat?

“I’m sure she would understand,” Claire whispered. “I didn’t know her for as long as you did… but I know that she wouldn’t blame you. She didn’t seem like that kind of person.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Alisaie answered back grimly.

“No, it doesn’t,” Claire agreed softly, “But that’s ok. You don’t ever need to hide from me how you feel. I want you to know that.”

“I know… thanks…” she whispered and Claire smiled softly as she finally pulled back to look into her eyes.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Claire offered with a kind glimmer in her eyes. “I was just about to put this sleepy head to bed when I heard you in the hall.”

Alisaie looked to her brother, who was still out like a light and she felt her mouth give a feeble twitch.

“No, no I…” she began before lowering her head and turning red at what she was about to say. In truth, she didn’t want Claire to leave just yet. She wanted her to stay… to make her feel safe and cared for… just for a while.

“You what?” Claire asked and Alisaie turned her gaze to the floor and remained silent.

“How about, I stay until you fall asleep?” Claire offered, getting up and taking her hands to pull her up with her. “You get into bed and I’ll get your brother. Would that help?”

Alisaie was too tired to argue and mutely nodded as she walked to the bed. When she looked back, she saw Claire had gently moved Alphinaud from his seat and scooped him up into her arms. It was hard to picture the fact that he will one day tower over her… and she actually smiled as she remembered how frustrated he was with how their growth spurt seemed to be delayed for the time being. Then again, their bodies were left behind in the Source and they would have to wait awhile before they would be able to get back to them. Still, there was something cute about the way that she held him up, and she knew that she would love to tease him all about it later when he was awake.

Claire set Alphinaud down on the bed and pulled the covers up to his chest before saying to her, “I hope you don’t mind sharing. But it’ll be big enough for you both.”

“It’s no trouble,” Alisaie said, and she was practically dozing from where she stood. She swayed slightly and stumbled before she felt Claire reach out to catch her. She blinked at her with mild confusion as Claire asked, “Are you ok?”

Alisaie glared up at her, about to threaten that she didn't dare tell another soul that she tripped over her own feet... but her voice caught in her throat. 

She suddenly realized how close they were at that moment. They were in a rather awkward embrace with Claire chuckling slightly at the clumsiness. But her expression, just for that moment, was free of any trace of worry or anxiety that Alisaie was a little dumbstruck at it. How long has it been since she last saw her look so happy and at ease? 

It must have been a long time indeed if something like this caused Claire to laugh like that and Alisaie, terror shot through her so that everything else was wiped clean from her mind other than just one thing.

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Claire asked, noticing how quiet Alisaie had become.

Alisaie cleared her throat and shook her head with more force, and forced a smile a she said jokingly, "Sorry, guess I’m more tired than I thought."

“Alright,” Claire said, “I’ll stay until I know that you’re asleep.”

“Where will you go after?” Alisaie asked as she climbed under the covers and Claire sat on the edge of the bed.

“I hadn’t had a chance to properly explore the Crystarium since I arrived and I want to do a little exploring,” she answered, “Besides, there’s a lot of cleaning up that needs to be done and the Mean will be busy for a while. Plus, there was a business opportunity about hunting some powerful sin eaters that I think it polite to at least hear what they had to say. There’s no need to worry about me.”

Alisaie could only nod as she curled up under the blanket, feeling sleep take over. Claire didn’t say a word as she gave her a knowing smile and Alisaie understood what she was trying to say and she felt a surge of gratitude welling up to such a point that she almost flung her arms around her again.

“I feel like I’ve been taking your bed since you got here,” she muttered, no longer able to fight the pull of sleep.

Claire just chuckled as she felt her hand through her hair once more, relaxing her and putting all worries to rest. But there was just one thought that went through her mind at that moment that troubled her.

What was wrong with her? Why was she thinking such thoughts? Why was she visited by such a strong desire to remain in her arms?

***1 week later***

***Exarch***

It had been a long transaction for everyone.

The death of the Lightwarden, as well as the banishment of most of the sin eaters in Lakeland was a thought that seemed almost too good to be true to the people here. And it took some time to lay his people’s fears to rest. He only requested that everyone remain calm as they try to go through the aftermath of the damage left over from Holminister Switch. Little over half the people from the town survived and were now seeking refuge within the Crystarium, and there was much to be done to help support the people as they get back to their feet. The Mean had also been hard at work crafting lanterns and lamps for the people, for now they were needing to see at night, which was a very strange but glorious concept for them all.

He could only smile like a proud parent as his people worked hard with each other to adjust to the new way of life. With proper sunlight gracing them, they could already see a change in the gardens and in the plant life. No longer did they have to bring out tents to shield the crops from the constant glare, and with the clouds fully able to shine again, rain—actual rain—fell onto Lakeland for the first time in decades!

Cool breezes came from off the lake when the sun was up high, and peaceful dreams came to them at night. The people were smiling, all so much happier, and felt safer in a world where there was both light and darkness.

He could hear how his people were eagerly discussing with each other how they never noticed just how beautiful their world was until now. Especially when a glowing sunset gave way to twinkling stars, and how the dark skies would give way for a beautiful sunrise…! It was for that very reason that he found himself leaving the tower mere moments before dawn so that he could watch the sun rising as well.

Everyone was getting used to their new sleep schedule, but for now there was no one outside for the time being. He ventured out to his favorite spot, a guard tower that stood near the entrance to the bridge, where he could watch the beginning of a new day, and walked with a slight spring in his step all the way up the steps.

He stopped dead before he even reached the last step when he saw that he wasn’t alone up here.

Claire was sitting upon the edge of the platform, her feet dangling over the edge as she watched the sky glowing from the horizon and stretching across the land.

He gulped at the sight, having not seen her since the return of night. Why was she up here? Looking for a quiet place to watch the sunrise as well? Well, if she came here looking for solitude, he wasn’t going to intrude upon that. Despite the desire to walk out there and greet her like an old friend, he felt an almost childlike fear grow inside him as he tried to figure out what best he should do.

He stood there frozen, feeling like a fool for just standing there. But he couldn’t help it; he just found himself watching after Claire for a long time, resisting the urge to call out. He knew that she had been hard at work the last few days around the Crystarium, and even across Lakeland to aid people where she could, and he suspected that she was just looking for some time to herself. Finally deciding that it was for the best that he just headed back downstairs, he turned to leave. But as he took a step back, the treacherous stair creaked softly, getting her attention.

“Exarch?”

He jumped slightly at the voice when she turned her head to see who it was.

“My friend,” he said, hoping to keep much of the nervousness out of his voice. “I do apologize, I didn’t know you were up here. It seems that we are in like mind to watch the sun rise. This is a wonderful spot for quiet contemplation.”

She looked on at him and he could feel himself suddenly very nervous before clearing his throat.

“Well, I will leave you to your thoughts,” he said, and he was actually glad for the excuse… at least until…?

“Don’t be silly,” she told him and moved over, so that he could share the landing with her.

He hesitated for a moment, but the idea was too tempting to ignore and came over to sit next to her as they observed the sun continuing to rise. He could see the shadows and warm beams stretch across the mountains, reflecting upon the lilac-colored trees as the lake sparkled like diamonds the longer that they sat there. The sky was awash with different shades of reds and golds with pink mixed in as well for good measure… colors that he had almost forgotten about in the last few decades.

“It’s so beautiful,” Claire sighed, “Nothing at all like the light from before.”

“No,” he agreed with a smile. “This light is warmer… gentle. And best of all, fleeting. It will soon be followed by night, as it was always meant to be. I can’t remember the last time that I saw a sunrise so peaceful.”

“The last time?” Claire asked him, “So… you were here before the Flood?”

He realized his slip up and coughed slightly.

“Well, yes… I have seen both night and day in my youth,” he confessed to her, “Despite my appearance… I am very old. My youthfulness is thanks to the Crystal Tower, but that is another story.”

“How did you bring it here?” Claire asked, glancing back to the tower of glimmering crystal that shone behind them.

“Through a lot of powerful magicks,” he chuckled, “It was reckless, in hindsight, and it almost killed me… thus my current… condition…” he held up his crystalline hand and gazed at it with an edge of sadness as the light sparkled off the crystal, casting facets of light around them. “I prefer not to think too much about my past and the… well, I hope you can understand.”

“I’m sorry,” Claire said softly, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Oh, you didn’t,” he reassured her quickly. “No, I apologize, I was lost in my own memories. No, when this is over, I would like to talk to you more about my past and all that I was. But that can wait. No, I am simply glad to have such fine company on this bright day.”

She smiled, a slight blush tickling her cheeks and it made his heart feel so warm at the thought.

“I’m starting to think you are a flirt,” she informed him and he laughed out loud at that.

“Now there, something I haven’t heard in a very long time,” he grinned before turning back to gaze at the sky once more. “I confess, I did have a bad habit of showing off to fair maidens when I was young. Nothing ever serious, mind you. But, I had a pretty interesting childhood.”

“Truly?” she asked curiously, tilting her head curiously at that, and he laughed at that. She looked so different to how she was days ago… and he could still picture the image of her exhausted face after defeating the Lightwarden… but then the memory of her stretching out her hand to free the sky from the shackles of light? He knew that will be an image forever planted in his mind… how she healed the sky with a single gesture…?

“Word has spread about the ‘Warrior of Darkness’ to the entire Crystarium,” she informed him, “I see that you were right in that rumors have a way of spreading here.”

He grinned back and answered, “The people here do love to gossip. But I honestly cannot remember the last time that they had such reason to celebrate. With all that has happened recently, I think that they should enjoy themselves. Do you not think?”

“I’m still not sure how I was able to do it…” she said as she looked down at her hand with a strange look in her eyes. “Returning the sky to normal, I mean. I didn’t do anything but… let the Light from the Warden come to me… and then… it settled inside me. I know not how else I can describe it?”

“The Light is being contained inside you,” he explained. “Thanks, in part, to your blessing and your own strength, you are able to keep it locked inside. With its influence on the land now imprisoned, the sky returned to how it should be.”

She looked to him and asked, “Did you think that I could do that from the beginning? What would you have done if I couldn’t contain it?”

He looked on fondly at her and answered, “I confess, my faith in you never waned… it was my own thoughts that brought me doubt. But after all you had done, I knew that if you could not do it, then there was no hope for this world. Again, I deeply regret all but dragging you here against your will to fight in such a battle. Yet I knew that I could not choose another to place my hopes in. And full grateful I am that you have agreed to lend us your strength.”

He gazed back to the sunrise and added, “Though, we have a long way to go before we are able to see the end of this battle. I am aware of that. But still, we took the first step forward. We are heading in the right direction.”

In truth, he wasn’t sure how best to handle this. He had spent over a hundred years readying himself and everything around him for this moment… countless years of toiling and sacrifice to give two worlds their best chance for survival. And now that it was here, that he had seen with his own eyes that it was possible, that there was a chance to avoid such a horrific future… he found himself at a loss for words.

“Is that why you brought me here? But I still don’t know why you feel that I…?” Claire asked and he wished he had just kept his big mouth shut. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. Only that whenever she was around, he found himself talking far too much and he had to reel himself in before he let something slip that he wasn’t supposed to. He so badly wanted to throw his hood off and explain the full situation with her… but he had to keep it all locked up. At least for now.

But she was watching him expectantly, and he knew he had to come up with an answer. And so, after another moment of silence, he spoke the truth—or at least, a small portion of it.

"There's someone I want to save. This person meant... she means so much to me that I'm willing to save the world for her sake."

Claire blinked at that, a little surprised and he didn’t blame her. He knew how hopelessly romantic that his words sounded. He lowered his head, just making sure she couldn’t see anything below his eyes as he said, “I’m sorry if it sounds vague, but…?”

“No, I think, I understand,” Claire told him kindly and he felt her hand upon his shoulder. He raised his head slightly so that he could see her smiling at him. And he knew that look to tell him that she wasn’t going to press him for any details. But that she was here and willing to listen should he need it.

He smiled hesitantly back at her, grateful for this much.

“Oh,” he said as he remembered something and pulled out a small book he had been carrying around with him. “I meant to give this to you for a while, but I fear I hadn’t the chance.”

He handed the book to her, and she looked over it in interest as he explained, “This here gives a brief history of Norvrandt and its lands. It mentions how everything was before the Flood, but after I found it years after the sin eaters arrived, I started to make notes and sketches to add to the differences. I know that it may be a messy, but I hoped that it may help…?”

He found his voice dying off slightly as she took the book carefully, as if handling glass, and carefully flipped through several pages with interest. The book was mostly written to be more of a storybook for children about the different lands and stories that came with each territory… with his own added notes in the margins and little sketches that he made here and there.

“I just thought that it may help you learn a little more of each location before you go straight there,” he said, “As well as provide a map. Granted, the map is over a hundred years old and has gone through many changes since then, but…?”

“I love it. Though I think you’re starting to spoil me,” she said, but her eyes were sparkling when she glanced from the book, to him and she added, “Thank you.”

He was glad for his cowl hiding the blush on his own cheeks.

“I will read it whenever I get the chance,” she promised him. “You really are too kind.”

He felt as if the breath was swept out of his lungs for a moment. Before he could say anything else, she went on, "You and everyone here has been so kind. I've never been to a city like this one before. I think that Eulmore could learn a few things from you."

He felt that he was walking on air from her praise… but the more he gazed at her, the more he saw her smile fade to be replaced with worry.

He could see her mind trailing away, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind? What was she thinking about as she gazed up at the night sky? He wanted to ask, but was terrified that he was overstepping himself with her. He wanted to help her... to help her carry these burdens for as long as he could before the end. But how could he do that without giving away everything?

“I will do all that I can to help the people here,” she promised him. “But, in all honesty, you seem to be more confident in my abilities than I feel, right now.”

“Oh, I have no doubt that you will come through for us,” he reassured her.

She shifted slightly, her legs kicking out a little over the edge, before becoming still. It seemed that she was wanting to ask him something, but perhaps he imagined it, for a moment later she asked, “So, where do we go from here? There is still light in the sky over the rest of Norvrandt…?”

“Ah, yes…” he said carefully as he gazed up skywards to the brilliant shades of red and golds that mixed in with the clouds, “That is a good question. Well, there is still Kholusia and Amh Araeng. But there is also the Rak’tika Greatwood and Il Mheg as well. I suppose it all depends on how Eulmore will respond to the death of the Lightwarden. Either way, I think it for the best that we plan to head towards the lands of Il Mheg next.”

“Il Mheg?” Claire repeated.

“It the language of the Fae, it means the Kingdom of Everlasting Rainbows,” he explained at once. “I, myself, have only been there a couple times in the past. Both before and shortly after the Fae Folk have made it their home. I had hoped that I could enlist the pixies and other beings who dwell there into becoming our allies. Alas, that is not so simple.”

“Why is that?” Claire asked curiously.

“The Fae Folk are immortal, or as near to immortal as it is possible to be,” he answered, “But they live only for today, and as such, have little interest in the outside world and its many troubles. Your lovely branch Feo Ul, is a rare exception to this trait. Come to think of it…?”

He looked back and asked, “Your name is Faye…?”

Claire chuckled at that and whispered how she got her name and he burst out laughing.

“I see,” he grinned, “Well, that explains much. Full happy I am that you told me that. Perhaps you will be able to win over the Fae Folk when one who bears so similar a name comes to them. Either way, you need not fear going through there alone. Urianger is there right now, and I do know that he will be more than happy to assist us in defeating the Lightwarden. I do know that he has a plan in store for the Warden in that area, and knows where it is.”

“That’s good to hear,” Claire stated, “How has he been doing since he arrived here?”

“Quite well,” the Exarch reassured her. “He left just little over a year ago to study what he could in Il Mheg. I think that it best we continue there. Not only because he has been preparing for this for some time, but should the worst happen and the Eulmorian Army try to stop us, they will think twice before venturing into the pixie’s lair.”

“Do you think they would try something?” Claire asked worriedly. “That they will try to attack the Crystarium for me defeating the Lightwarden?”

“In all honesty, I know not how they will react,” he sighed grimly. “With Vauthry, it could go either way. I suppose a naïve part of me hopes that he will see the error of his ways and join forces with us when he sees that it is possible to win against a Lightwarden. Yet…?”

He looked over at her and when he saw the look on her face, he chuckled.

“Quite right,” he smiled warmly until he saw her frown give way to a smile as well, “I would be very surprised as well. Regardless, you should rest while you can and be prepared to head out. I know that Urianger will be happy to see you all again.”

“It will be good to see him too,” she agreed before hesitating and asking, “What is Il Mheg like?”

“You’ll soon see,” he promised, feeling a little bit disappointed that it would be unlikely for him to accompany them to the land of the Fae, “But imagine a crystal clear lake surrounded by fields of flowers. I think you’ll like it.” He sighed a little longingly as he said, “The pixies planted all the flowers there. Oh, I would love to have more flowers here in the Crystarium and Lakeland… I think the people would like it as well.”

There was some silence between them for a moment before she asked, “Will you be coming?”

He was startled by the question, feeling his very ears burn at the thought.

“Ah, no…” he confessed, “I fear that I can’t leave the Crystarium for the time being. But know that I will be here to support you from afar. In whatever you need, know that both I and the Crystarium are at your aid.”

They sat there in silence as they watched the sun finish rising pass the horizon before he stood up.

He requested that she and the twins join him in the tower sometime today when they had the time. He had something that he wished to discuss with them. Together, they walked down the stairs, after she promised she would be in soon. As he began to head back to the tower, he stumbled slightly and she held out a hand to steady him, taking hold of his crystalized hand in the process.

Both of them froze at that and he knew she could feel the cold of his crystal limb. The light behind them streamed right through the entire limb and cast the glittering facets upon the ground and on their clothes. He glanced at her face the few twinkling facets on her face and he suddenly felt embarrassed by his… condition.

But his sudden frown seemed to cause her worry.

“Does it hurt?” she asked in concern, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“Not at all,” he vowed, “It sometimes pulls where the skin meets the crystal, but nothing unbearable. Thank you for your concern.”

“Well, if it does, if there’s a way I can help, let me know,” she told him and he felt this wonderful warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the sun’s rays.

“As you wish,” he promised.

***Hour Later***

After Claire finished up with some work at the Mean, she decided to head to the Crystal Tower to see what else the Exarch had to tell them. She was welcomed inside by the guard before informing her to head up to the Ocular where the others were.

Sure enough, no sooner did she enter the Ocular did she spot both the Exarch and the twins there, clearly having been waiting for her to arrive.

“You are come at a good time,” the Exarch said when he turned to greet her. Before she could even respond, he turned their attention to a section of the crystal wall and she looked up, blinking in surprise to see a large, circular image in the crystal section behind them. She approached slowly, gazing into the mirror-smooth image that shone back.

Before she could ask what was going on, he explained for her, “As you may have heard, we have something of a quandary on our hands.”

He looked to the mirror and her mouth falling open when she saw what looked to be an image of Lakeland, with a rather gaudy-looking airship positioned outside one of the ruins she had seen scattered over the landscape.

“Laxan Loft, here in Lakeland,” he explained getting a better image of the airship, and was even able to see the scattered soldiers wandering about underneath. What was this? 

“Eulmore has sent one of its airships," the Exarch told her, "They have questions for us concerning the death of the Lightwarden. Their emissary makes his way here even as we speak.”

Well, they did say that they should be expecting repercussions for their actions against the Lightwarden, but she wasn't sure what she was expecting. Would they really be forced to fight against Eulmore and the sin eaters at the same time? As if they hadn't enough to worry about? She suddenly remembered seeing all the weapons and supplies that were waiting to be used back in Eulmore and she couldn't help but feel a strong sense of unease in the pit of her stomach at the very thought of what it would mean. Sin eaters she could fight against, but an entire army?

“I suppose the sky does rather give the game away,” she heard Alisaie mutter under her breath and Claire's lips twitched half-heartedly at the tone.

“Indeed. ‘Twas inevitable that they would come knocking," the Exarch sighed at that in grim agreement. "The only question is how soon."

Well, they weren't left wondering how long that would be. For only a minute later there was a knock on the door to the Ocular and they all looked up when they heard Captain Lyna's voice calling out, "My lord. I am come with the Eulmoran emissary. May I show him in?”

That was certainly fast and Claire was deeply curious to hear what they had to say. The Exarch, however didn't seem to be nearly as eager.

“A moment, Captain, if you would,” he called back before immediately turning to the mirror and she watched as he held up his staff to dispel the image.

Once it returned to regular crystal, he whispered urgently to the rest of them, "Everyone, gather round."

Claire blinked in confusion, but she followed after him with Alphinaud and Alisaie as he led them to a furthest position from the door and moved them all together.

“I do not wish to show our hand prematurely,” he whispered in barely more than a breath, “Forgive me this liberty.” She wanted to ask what he was going to do when he held up his staff and whispered, almost like in a coo, “Vanish.”

And her body faded away. She was used to such spells before, having experienced many different forms of it, such as from the Sylphs from Little Solace, and other various tricksters she met during her journey, but in this case, she felt as if a cool breeze swept over her before she disappeared from sight.

The twins weren't as used to this as she was, and she heard them squeak in surprise as the faded from view. Yet, the Exarch merely raised his finger to his lips, silently telling them to remain still before he called in his regular voice, "Enter."

He seemed to be a fair actor, if nothing else. 

But when the doors opened, Captain Lyna was leading behind her an elderly man... and Claire was startled, recognizing the old man she ran into back in Eulmore.

_“I know not who you are or where you come from, but this is not a place for you to linger. I suggest you leave as soon as you can.”_

His words seemed to be banging inside her skull just thinking about them. So it seemed she was right in that this person was someone to be reckoned with... at least judging from the sense of unease radiating off the Exarch, who seemed stunned by this man's appearance. Thankfully, he recovered quickly enough for him to clear his throat and say in a pleasant tone, “Well, well… The commander of the Eulmoran Army himself. To what do I owe the honor, General Ran’jit?”

She had a feeling that the Exarch was stating his full title for her benefit as well as to show proper manners. Though she couldn't see them, she felt Alphinaud and Alisaie press up against her and she felt their protective stance near her.

She suspected that they already knew who he was, but she just went by what she felt when she saw him. The powerful stance, the air of calm that hung around him... the way that he carried himself... everything about him just screamed out experienced warrior. She felt her own senses tighten like a bowstring, threateningly to break free as she observed him. This man was dangerous and he knew it. He was using that to his advantage, not as a threat, but as a warning.

Ran'jit's eyes glanced around the room, and for a moment, she was certain that they met hers for a fraction of a second before he turned to the Exarch as if this meeting was planned for days.

“The Lightwarden is dead, Exarch,” he said gruffly, cutting straight to the matter at hand, “Were your people responsible?”

The Exarch remained calm and answered, “You are clearly in some haste, my lord. But before I address your question, you must allow me one of my own. What is Eulmore’s interest in this?”

Claire wasn't sure it was wise to push their luck, but she had to admire his boldness. Not only that, he had made it quite clear early on that he wasn't going to allow Ran'jit the run of this meeting. Already she could see a slight vein stand out in Ran'jit's forehead when he noticed this as well.

Though he was clearly the stronger warrior of the two of them, the Exarch was not someone who could easily be intimidated.

“His benevolence Lord Vauthry is gravely concerned that the actions of an ignorant few may jeopardize relations between man and sin eater,” Ran’jit answered back, still calm, but there was an edge to his tone this time. “Should it transpire that the Crystarium is guilty of abetting the villains responsible for this outrage… my lord has decreed that it shall suffer the same… retribution.”

She had seen plenty of meetings like this to know what he was talking about. Eulmore had no proof that the Crystarium was responsible for what happened to the Lightwarden and weren’t eager to come to a full on battle… but he was still looking for an excuse. It was very clear from what the saw on the mirror mere moments before that he had his men stationed just outside the Crystarium and they were preparing for a fight. They just needed a reason to fire that first shot. But rather than risk open warfare, he was trying to frighten the people here into submission. 

“I see,” the Exarch said, and though his tone was polite and welcoming, there was a definite note of defiance hidden underneath. Claire also saw how Lyna was on guard, as if ready to rush to the Exarch’s defense should this conversation end badly. But the Exarch chose his next words carefully when he said, “Since you have been so candid, I too shall speak my mind.”

He raised his head a little higher as he said, without a trace of a threat or rudeness, “Regardless of who is responsible, the Crystarium rejoices in the Lightwarden's death, and welcomes the return of the night sky. If Eulmore considers this tantamount to aiding those you term ‘villains,’ then by all means carry out your retribution. Know, however, that even should every innocent soul in the Crystarium perish, nothing can stop that which has been set in motion.”

Claire couldn’t help but grin at those words. Though it was a bit wordy, what he had just said to them was that nothing that he or his master did was going to change anything and so they better prepare for the worse.

Yet Ran’jit didn’t look worried or even offended. Instead, there was some manner of exasperation in his tone as he said in disappointment, “Folly. The death of one or a thousand thousand sin eaters changes nothing. The world is dead, and writhe as we might, like maggots in its rotting corpse, it will not be reborn. Only by my master's grace may we live out our days in peace.”

Right… spending the last few days of your life living in a perverted paradise may suit some, but who would want to live like that?

“But I waste my breath,” Ran’jit said firmly, “You have made your stance clear. I shall relay your words to Lord Vauthry. In the meantime, you would do well to counsel any here who have done more than merely ‘rejoice’ in recent events to throw themselves upon Eulmore's mercy. Promptly.”

To her relief, he turned and made to leave. But he barely took more than a few steps away did he stop and look back at him, “One last matter.”

He moved and said it in such a way that it seemed like he had almost forgotten, yet in the way that his eyes were still shifting around the room, she knew that this was far from true.

“We are searching for a young artist and his assistant,” he finished, “Know you of whom I speak?”

Claire felt cold rush through her and Alphinaud tensed up beside her. She brushed her hand over his in comfort as the Exarch lied so smoothly that she almost believed him, “An artist and his assistant... No. I cannot say I do.”

“What a pity,” Ran’jit sighed, “Should they reveal themselves to you, I bid you hand them over at once. My master is most eager to see them again.”

And he turned to leave a second time… yet as he did so, his head turned sharply and his eyes found her own. She stared back as he glared directly at her so firmly that she feared that the spell had faded and exposed them. But he didn’t say a word, nor stop walking, as he brushed passed them and headed straight for the door.

The door closed with a firm finality and she let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She didn’t know what it was, but something about that old man made her greatly uneasy.

The Exarch waited a few moments more, making sure that Ran’jit was on his way out of the tower before he lifted the spell on them and they were visible once more.

“Am I imagining things, or did he just stare straight at us?” Alisaie questioned at once.

“I fear he did,” the Exarch sighed, and he didn’t seem surprised by this sudden turn of events. “The General is not a man to be trifled with. He is a warrior of fearsome repute who has led Eulmore's army since before Vauthry's time, when the nation still spearheaded the fight against the sin eaters. One does not command the world's mightiest army, and for so long, without possessing exceptional instincts.”

Yes, that was part of it. But she couldn’t help but feel that it was at least partially her fault that he could sense them there. Though she knew not how he could have known.

There was something about him… something… buried underneath that thick shell but she wasn’t sure what it was. She couldn’t put a name to it no matter how hard she tried.

“We must assume it places him at an even greater threat level than expected, regardless,” Alphinaud said, and there was no hiding the slight shake in his tone this time, “If Eulmore chose to send such an individual, we must assume this talk of retribution is more than an idle threat. While we are grateful for your support, my lord ─ we cannot in good conscience put your people in harm's way.”

“'Tis noble of you to say, Master Alphinaud, but my people have been in harm's way since long before you arrived,” he reassured him, “Eulmore has ever yearned to rule over what remains of the world.”

He looked to Claire and added firmly, “Even should we surrender the Warrior of Darkness to them, they would find some other pretext upon which to invade. The people of the Crystarium know this only too well, which is why, when the time comes, I am certain they will fight to the last man. If truth be told, I would not have been surprised had Ran'jit declared war here and now...”

Are relations truly so tense? Then again, with Vauthry’s temper, she supposed it wouldn’t be a surprise.

“He may have reason to delay,” Lyna interrupted, speaking for the first time since accompanying Ran’jit inside. When they looked to her, she explained, “According to reports, the Eulmoran forces at Laxan Loft were observed taking a prisoner. A young woman believed to be none other than the Oracle of Light ─ Minfilia.”

Claire stared at her.

Minfilia?

But how…? She thought that she was…?

“It may be that General Ran'jit wishes to convey her to Eulmore before commencing hostilities,” Lyna informed cautiously, “Having mentored generations of Minfilias, it would not surprise me if he had made her capture his chief concern.”

Wait, what?

“...I’m sorry, ‘generations of Minfilias’?” Claire stated, unable to stop herself from interrupting here, feeling completely lost to what they were saying. 

The others all looked at her, seemingly surprised she was asking, before the Exarch realized that was probably the first time she heard of this.

“Ah, of course. How remiss of me," he said apologetic, taking the time to fully explain to her the situation before they went any further. 

“I had intended to speak to you of Minfilia," he informed her, "There is, however, much to say, and precious little time in which to say it...I think it best that you seek out Moren at the Cabinet of Curiosity. He will be able to enlighten you.” 

At the suggestion, he suddenly turned to the twins and added, “Alphinaud, Alisaie ─ would you care to accompany your friend? You doubtless have insights of your own to offer on the matter.”

Both of them agreed, and they left the tower with her, leaving the Exarch to discuss matters with Lyna.

“It seems an age since we bade Minfilia farewell…” Alphinaud sighed when they passed through the doors. 

"I'm sorry, but what is going on?" Claire asked them as they headed outside into the warm sunshine again. She had wondered about Minfilia and what happened to her since she first left them to journey to the First. 

Suddenly, the image came to her mind of Minfilia bathed in light as she drifted before a wave that shone brighter than any water... she had stopped the Flood. Of that, she knew... but...?

“Whatever you think Moren’s going to tell you about Minfilia, it won’t be what you’re expecting,” Alisaie said, “Just… trust me.”

Well, those words did nothing to ease her worries.

But she trusted them to explain later so the three of them made their way to the Cabinet of Curiosity. She could see the fond way that the twins’ eyes lit up at the sight of all the books, but they continued straight up the stairs to where Moren was pouring over several tomes.

“Yes?” Moren asked when they approached, “If you’re after books pertaining to the Warrior of Darkness, I’m afraid most are out on loan at present. They are experiencing quite a surge in popularity.”

“Ah, no,” Claire said, really not interesting in reading about some sort of legends or myths about the Warrior of Darkness right now. She was only just starting to get used to the ruddy name. Instead, she told him, “We are here to learn more about… Minfilia?”

It was more of a question than a statement, but she saw how he leapt up like an eager puppy, wanting to be of aid.

“Oh, you wish to learn about the Oracle of Light?” he asked, and when she nodded he added, “Then it would be my pleasure to assist! After I have finished off some few outstanding tasks, that is. While I attend to them, perhaps you could fetch me a book: the Illustrated Tale of the Oracle of Light, it’s called. Though it’s intended for younger readers, it provides an excellent summary of the subject matter, and the artwork is quite lovely besides. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning about Minfilia! But you must see for yourself. The book should be located on the level below.”

Well, it wasn’t.

It actually took about twenty minutes of looking through the books on all the shelves before they got lucky and found the right title. When they returned, Moren began to flip through the storybook before telling them the tale of the Oracle of Light.

The book wasn't at all like the images she had seen in the last one. There was a lot of bold colors and black lines... many different shapes put together to form a picture. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen, but it certainly was refreshing in her opinion.

Moren held the book out for them and the three gathered together to get a good look at the pictures that took up the whole page and he told them the story, starting with the image of a young girl standing among terrible monsters.

He told them about how a hundred years ago, Minfilia appeared out of nowhere and halted the Flood before all of Norvrandt was swept up in the chaos with the rest of the world. For delivering the realm from destruction, she was given the title of the Oracle of Light.

Already Claire could understand. For how else did she earn her wretched title of Warrior of Light back home? She wondered how Minfilia would have felt about such a name?

The story didn't stop there as he told them about how Minfilia disappeared... but fifteen years later, they found another girl who had the same hair and eyes as the original Minfilia and Claire could remember their Minfilia's blond hair... and the solid blue of her eyes after she became the Word of the Mother.

This girl had been found when the sin eaters attacked the Kingdom of Voeburt and that she was immune to the creature's touch. She was said to be the Oracle reborn and took up the name of Minfilia before enlisting in the Eulmoran army before she also died in battle against the corrupted creatures.

But with her dying breath, she promised that Minfilia would return.

Hearing those words sent a chill up Claire's spine. 

Even more so when Moren explained that after that, every few years a new girl would be born with the same powers and appearance who would take up the name of Minfilia and battle with the sin eaters... a cycle of death and rebirth that continues today. With the latest incarnation… who was still a young child.

And with that, Moren closed the book and looked up at them all as he finished, “…And that concludes the tale."

But Claire was lost in her memories to a distant life when she first set her sights upon the Lord of the Whorl... where the Sahagin priest took possession of another body. Did Minfilia do the same?

She couldn't imagine, for the life of her, that Minfilia would ever do something like that to another, especially to a little girl but...?

Could she have been desperate enough to do such a thing? The idea made her feel strangely ill.

But Moren was speaking again and she snapped out of it to hear him continue.

“By their valor and sacrifice, these women have saved Norvrandt on numerous occasions,” he explained with a note of reverence.

“They sound like formidable warriors,” Alisaie offered thoughtfully.

Which was another strange thing that confused Claire, for the Minfilia she knew wasn't a warrior. She could vaguely recall that she always wore a knife at her side, but she could not recall a time she ever had to use it?

“Some, perhaps…” Moren confessed, “The truth is rather less simple. Though the Oracle is reborn with certain common traits, she does not inherit the memories or the knowledge of her previous incarnations. All of the Minfilias thus far were discovered as ordinary girls, unversed in the ways of war and ignorant of the power they harbored. While some embraced their fate and devoted themselves to training, others did not… but all were made to face the sin eaters, and all died to keep our hope alive."

The exact same person... but all of them completely different. How was that possible? Was it just a coincidence that these girls were all born looking the same with the same abilities...? But no sooner did she think that did she shake her head and realize how stupid that sounded. Maybe the first few times... but over and over? This was over a hundred years ago, and if each girl was found around ten to fifteen years at the least... there would have had to have been around ten girls known as Minfilia... that was just a rough guess. There had to be a reason... if each girl was born with the same powers but... different souls? Was that how it worked?

She could see the twins on either side of her were digesting this news as well before Alphinaud asked curiously, “What can you tell us of the current Minfilia?”

Moren looked a little hesitant, but he told them without missing a beat, “She was found by the Eulmoran Army some ten years ago and taken into their care."

Claire didn't like how he used the term 'care' like it was a bad thing. And sure enough...? 

“Or rather their custody," he finished sadly, "She was a prisoner in all but name. For by that time, under lord Vauthry’s rule, Eulmore had already abandoned resistance in favor of decadence. Minfilia was an uncomfortable reminder of the war they no longer wished to fight."

No, she didn't think that Vauthry would be happy about this little development. But she doubted that they would be eager to put the girl to death without causing outrage all through the city. Besides, what would be the point? Even if they killed her, she would return in a new person, would she not?

"A potential threat to the peace," Moren shrugged, "And so they kept her under lock and key.”

Terrible. Claire felt anger boiling inside her at the very thought of keeping a little girl locked up for no other reason than for the fact that she was born. While she suspected that the girl was treated well while under their 'care' she was still locked away from the world. 

Just another reason to hate Vauthry.

“For a long while, we heard nothing more of her,” Moren said, “We couldn’t even be certain she was alive, save that it was in the Eulmore’s best interest for her to remain under their control. But then, three years ago, a gallant soul stole into the city and rescued her from their clutches! Just like a hero from the tales!”

As the flicker of a memory of a dream suddenly appeared in her mind. 

A figure in white leading a child through a dungeon...?

Wait... could it be...?

“Indeed,” Alphinaud said thoughtfully, “Well, I believe we now have a good grasp of Minfilia’s tale. Thank you for your time, Moren.”

Before she knew what was going on, Alphinaud led them outside of the Cabinet of Curiosity, saying that he needed to speak to them both urgently. 

But the whole way out, Claire thought of the strange dream that she had shortly before arriving in this world... the day she awoke upon the Steppe...? She had thought that it was just a dream before... her imagination playing tricks on her...?

But then why did it feel so real? Why would she have such a dream? She struggled to recall what happened... but the creatures in white... her eyes widen in horror a she realized that she had seen that white lion that Thancred fought in her dream before! The same 'pet' that Vauthry was reclining on in his chambers.

How?

She bumped into Alisaie, not realizing she had stopped. Before she could apologize, Alphinaud turned to them and said in a quickened voice, “As you will have already surmised, the gallant soul who rescued Minfilia was none other than our own dear Thancred."

Once again the image of Thancred running through that dungeon came back to her mind and a shiver went through her body. The other two didn't notice this however when he went on, “They have since been wandering the land together, never remaining in one place for long—which is why we have not yet had a chance to meet them.”

Ah, that explains it. So Thancred recused Minfilia from her prison, but Eulmore wasn’t about to give her up without a fight and so most likely has been searching for her the last few years. Thancred, no doubt aware of this fact, took it upon himself to rescue her when he first learned of her imprisonment, and has been her bodyguard since then.

But just who is this girl? What was she like?

“We know that Minfilia journeyed here as Hydaelyn's emissary to halt the Flood of Light,” Alisaie reasoned, “It could only be her that the people of the First witnessed a hundred years ago. The original Oracle of Light. But while there's plainly some connection between the woman we knew and her namesakes, the fact that these girls do not share her memories must surely mean they are not the same person. Thancred has to understand that.”

Which led to another important fact. She always knew how protective Thancred was of Minfilia, the original one, and so he would feel responsible for this girl who shares the same name. The question is, how has he been handling this fact? Because if it’s true that none of these girls are the same then…? It can’t have been easy for him.

“I have no doubt he understands,” Alphinaud said slowly, “The question is how he feels. If she has been captured, we may be certain he will not stand idly by.”

That much she was certain of. Thancred had been looking after this girl for the last three years. He would never allow her to be captured, and she doubted that he would ever leave her alone for long. So what happened? How was she captured with Thancred there? Did something happen to him? Either way, there was no doubt in her mind that he would never just abandon the girl… original Minfilia or not.

“Hmph, there you go again, talking in your roundabout way. “If you think we should rescue Minfilia, just spit it out,” Alisaie sighed before cracking a smile and finished, “It just so happens I agree with you. It’s quite clear that this Minfilia posses Hydaelyn’s blessing.”

Alisaie glanced up at Claire and added, “And it wouldn’t hurt to have a second such individual on our side. Right, Claire?”

“Quite,” Claire agreed slowly, truly wanting to meet this new ‘Minfilia’. If this girl had the same ‘blessing’ as she did… she must carry a heavy burden. That title was a lot to live up to, and if there was anyone here who understood that, it was her.

She wanted to meet her.

“I see you've made up your minds.”

The voice startled her, having not expected it, and looked up to see the Exarch having just come down the stairs and towards them, coming straight up towards them

“Exarch!" Alphinaud said in surprise, turning to greet him politely, "What brings you here?”

“A report and a proposal," he answered back with a slight mischievous grin, like he was planning something big. 

This immediately got her attention and they gathered around him as he cleared his throat and said, “First, the report. Our scouts have confirmed that the Eulmoran forces at Laxan Loft do indeed have Minfilia in their custody."

So there's the second reason they were here in Lakeland. The Eulmorans must have been on their way here to the Crystarium when they found her. But again, what about Thancred? She found it hard to believe that someone like him could be brought down easily.

"For the present, they are holding her there, but we can be certain they will move her to Eulmore ere long," the Exarch explained, "Should that happen, we may be forced to give her up as lost.”

Alisaie's eyes narrowed as she rested her hand on her hip and spoke up what they were all thinking, “So if we mean to act, we should do so quickly.”

No one here would disagree with that, the problem was how do they go about this? She wanted to save this new Minfilia, but the last thing she wanted to do was put the people of the Crystarium in harm's way. Despite the Exarch's words before, she had little doubt that Vauthry would declare war on them and anytime she can avoid a full out battle was a good idea to her.

“Which brings me to my proposal," the Exarch informed them, and she noticed how he was looking directly at her. Once more, she couldn't see his eyes, but she just knew that he was staring at her with that same intensity that he gave her after they defeated the Lightwarden of Lakeland. The way he looked at her... not in a bad way… yet it was just as if she was the only person in the room and he would forget that the others were there for a moment.

She had no words to describe just what the feeling it was that he gave her.

“I ask that you entrust this undertaking to us, the people of the Crystarium,” the Exarch said firmly to her.

Was he serious? Was he not aware of what could happen? The backlash alone could spell big trouble for the people here? What kind of leader would not consider the danger? While she appreciated him willing to help them out, she didn't feel right about this.

“You are doubtless eager to attempt Minfilia’s rescue—and with your combined strength, you may well succeed,” he said, “But as I said earlier, I do not wish to show our hand unless absolutely necessary.”

No sooner did he say that did she realize that a group of people were coming down the stairs. She looked over his head to see them all heading towards them. Not only was Lyna there, but she saw all the major figures around the Crystarium all looking like they had been summoned here specifically.

What was going on?

“Twas not merely the night sky that you restored to us, but hope—for the future of Norvrandt,” the Exarch whispered to her. And she watched as he gazed down at his crystal hand for a brief moment before finishing, “Unlike you, we cannot contend with the Lightwardens. But so long as hope burns in our hearts, we will fight on regardless. This I will prove to you.”

“What do you…?” she began slowly, but he just smiled at her before he turned to the other heads of the Crystarium, gazing at them all fondly.

“My friends, I thank you for gathering at such short notice,” he said, “There is something I would ask you all. As many of you are aware. I received an emissary from Eulmore a short while ago—in the form of General Ran’jit. To my dismay, the general condemned the slaying of the Lightwarden, and warned me in no uncertain terms that, should the Crystarium cast its lot with the Warrior of Darkness, there would be war.”

Their expressions said it all. While they must have been aware of Ran’jit and Eulmoran soldiers arriving to speak to him, they knew not of what they discussed. Yet it seemed that they had a pretty good idea to what the Exarch was about to tell them. That they had come at a crossroads and either they stand with or against Eulmore… and Eulmore made it very clear that if they chose not to stand with them they were their enemies… and this dying world had no need for them.

“Let none be mistaken: we would be hard-pressed indeed to resist the might of Eulmore,” the Exarch said, deciding not to sugarcoat the predicament that they were all in. “Some would even call it suicide.”

But his hand went to his chest once again as he finished, “And yet my heart cries out to fight. Better that than relinquish the hope that swelled in my breast when I beheld the night sky for the first time in a hundred years.”

Just the mention of night was enough to cause a spark to appear in their eyes. Each and every one of them just picturing that velvet black sky free of that glaring blaze of Light and refusing to let that image go.

“…or so says my heart,” he finished, speaking honestly, “My mind, meanwhile, reminds me that to follow my heart would be to risk everything we have accomplished thus far. Clearly, this is not a decision to be made lightly—nor less alone. And so I put the question to you all. What should we do?”

He looked around at them all, awaiting their answers.

Glynard was the first to speak up.

“My lord, you already know our minds,” he declared. “It brought tears to our eyes to witness the night’s return. The whole of Norvrandt deserves the same and not just because some children’s story tells us so.”

Bragi, the keeper of the markets, nodded in agreement and added, “Eulmore’s influence is far-reaching. Should war break out, trade would be subject to restrictions. The flow of goods will dry up, and we will struggle to make do with what little trickles through… but make do we will.”

“Aye, we can weather such hardship! Is that not the very thing the Crystarium was built for?” the leader of the Mean, Katliss, asked. “We have always taken pride in our ability to sustain ourselves—not just to endure, but to thrive!”

Not a single person was afraid to stand with the Exarch and his decision. And Claire could see that everyone was nodding along with what was being said.

“When all falls down around you, rise up,” quiet Moren added, “Those were your words. There may come a day when all hope seems lost. But even should the rest of the world give in to despair—we shall not. We shall fight on, that our children and our children’s children might know a better tomorrow.”

“Rousing words apart, I never much cared for those Eulmoran bastards anyway,” Cassard added jovially, “No better than common swindlers, most of them. Wouldn’t know a fair deal if it came up and kissed them on the arse!”

And that broke the seriousness of the atmosphere by causing them all to laugh out and the Exarch couldn’t have looked more thrilled.

“It appears we have a consensus,” the Exarch said eagerly. “Let it be known that the Eulmoran host at Laxan Loft has taken the Oracle of Light captive. They fear the power she holds over the sin eaters, and doubtless intend to imprison her once more. So I move that we rescue the Oracle, grant her a place among us, and let that be our answer to Eulmore’s ultimatum!”

And so everyone cheered out while Lyna stepped up to stand with the Exarch, taking command now.

“In planning as strategy for the rescue, I open the floor to you all,” she called them. Without wasting a breath, they already were talking amongst themselves as the Exarch turned back to them. Claire just realized that her mouth had fallen open and quickly shut it as he beamed at them.

“And there you have it,” he informed them all, as if merely they had decided the location for a party instead of choosing a possible war. “If Eulmore wishes to denounce us as villains, then we shall embrace our villainy. Will you do so as well?”

Alphinaud let out as shaky laugh and shrugged, knowing that there was nothing else he could say to that and decided to just go with it for now.

“We will not be outdone,” he said, “Consider us your partners in crime.”

Well, this was not at all how she expected it to go, but she couldn’t lie in that it felt good. This city was quickly becoming her new favorite city in this or any world.

“My lord, our proposal is as follows,” Lyna spoke up, getting their attention. And that was when they all began to pitch ideas and a plan was formed. That they deploy Amaro over Lakeland to delay the airship’s departure. Then they scatter dream powder from the air to knock the solders out. It would knock most of them out and give them time to rush in and recuse Minfilia with the guard cut down.

Simple, easy to understand, and hopefully it will not end in a bloody mess. Something that Claire could get behind. As did everyone else. Everyone was in full agreement of this plan, and apart from some minor details that needed to be sorted out, everything seemed to be well underway.

“And what exciting crimes would you have us commit?” Alisaie asked the Exarch once the rest of the Crystarium heads left to begin their preparations, “Speaking for my fellow villains. I’d say we’re capable of most things—though we draw the line at indolence.”

Oh, that had to be the worst thing ever. She just couldn’t stand being told to stand back and let someone else do all the work for them. That would just make things boring.

“If excitement is your desire, then I bid you join the guard,” he offered, “Captain Lyan will give you your orders.”

They looked to the captain, who saluted at the suggestion.

“So, you will be joining the guard,” Lyna said as she observed them all with a critical eye, “But however highly the Exarch thinks of you, you will receive no special treatment from me. Is that clear?”

Claire nodded just as Lyna barked, “Where’s your salute, soldier?”

Taken aback, but still leaping into orders by copying the salute that Lyna had just given her as she was judged for her performance.

“Better,” she admitted, “More spirited than the Exarch’s feeble attempts, certainly. Go to the Crystalline Mean and report to Katliss. She will see you are measured and fitted.”

Well, the people of the Crystarium certainly were a spirited bunch, weren’t they?

So after heading over to the Mean and being poked and prodded, they had her measurements. Still, they were gentler than that time Tataru ambushed her back in the House of Splendors so long ago. Though they had none in her size and had to work to adjust some for them; especially with how small the twins were. Still, they promised to have the uniforms finished by the time the mission started.

After meeting up with Alphinaud and Alisaie, Lyna appeared to give them their orders. She made a few marks on a map on where they were to go, and explained the basis of their plan. The unit responsible for rescuing the Oracle was to be split into two groups. One deploying from Fort Jobb and the other from the Ostall Imperative. The twins were to join the unit at Fort Jobb, while she would go on ahead to the Imperative with Lyna. After that, she instructed them to head to the Spagyrics for a serum to ward off the effects of Dream Powder. The last thing they wanted was for any of their own to fall asleep on the battlefield.

The medicine was disgusting and burned her throat all the way down, and she gagged, feeling like she was about to be sick. Despite almost falling over, she managed to swallow it all and bore with it well, even as the healers around her laughed at the sight. After wiping her mouth, she went to the Rookery, asking them for an Amaro to borrow. Unfortunately, they were all going to be used in the raid and they didn’t have any that they could spare long enough to take her to the fortress. But they did tell her that she would be allowed to deliver another Amaro as far as to the ruins of the outpost called Radisca’s Round.

She climbed up onto the back of the Amaro and took off, and as she felt the sun upon her face and the wind in her hair, she felt immediately better. She had been struck with these headaches every once in a while all week, but being out in the open air like this seemed to make a world of difference. Especially now when it was the most beautiful day with only the whitest of clouds in a clear blue sky that awaited them. She couldn’t stop the smile as she flew all over the landscape. She knew that they were short on time, but just the feeling of joy was enough to bring her joy. Eventually, she made it to the Round, only for them to tell her that they needed it passed on to the Imperative anyway, and let her go on ahead to the stronghold.

She couldn’t hide the laugh, feeling that she had been given the run around. Still, she made it to the Ostall Imperative in one piece with a rather ungraceful thud on the ground. The Amaro Keeper then instructed her to find Lyna, who had been waiting for her to appear… nor did she waste time by putting her immediately to work.

They still had time before the raid, and so she was rushed here and there to help get everything ready for the attack. While they would be putting most of the guards to sleep, there were sure to be those who could resist the lure of the powder long enough to stand against them. Now, they weren’t sure how many there were waiting for them at the old fortress, but from what Claire had seen, more than enough to cause concern.

Though she was busy it wasn’t uneventful since word had gotten around about the ‘warrior’ that were seen charging through Holminister Switch to save survivors. It turned out that many of the guards stationed at the Ostall Imperative had seen her that very same day, and she could see the first bits of amazement and respect welling up in them when they talked to her.

She kept the meetings as short as possible, not looking forward to trying to explain where she learned to fight like that. She would just smile and wave before hurrying off; sometimes even before they had a chance to finish speaking.

Preparing took some time, and it was under the cover of nightfall by the time that everything was ready for them to strike. And not a moment too soon, for word had gotten to them that the soldiers were preparing to send the airship that they arrived on back to Eulmore, most likely with their prisoner on board.

Soon was the time to strike.

When she appeared before Captain Lyna again, she was given her orders to climb the tower and await at the top until they got the signal to fly in. The Ostall Imperative had a massive tower, which she learned had once been used to study the stars and the constellations, though had not had any reason to be used in such a manner since then, and raced to the top where she was given her finished uniform.

Before long, she was in the same red and black armor as the rest of the guard, and her eagerness was so high at that point that she almost couldn’t contain it. She could feel her own confidence soar as she stood upon the landing and watched… seeing the airship up on the hill.

Soon enough, a flock of Amaro were soaring above and Claire could see what looked like crystalline dust being dropped from the backs of the riders. Pretty soon, what looked like an entire section of Lakeland was sparkling and she grinned as that old familiar sense of excitement began to burn within in her breast.

She had just fixed her gauntlets on as she heard the cheers around her and Captain Lyna marched over for a report.

“Captain, the powder has taken effect!” the scout next to her saluted excitedly.

So now it was their turn for this. Lyna nodded to the scout before turning to Claire to address her directly.

“It is time,” she added to Claire, “Let us free the Oracle from their clutches!”

Oh, she had been waiting for a chance to stick it to Eulmore ever since she set foot in that city. With no small amount of satisfaction, she swung herself up onto the back of the Amaro waiting for her, making sure not to poke the gentle creature with her sword before they took off, ready to join the fray with all the others.

The dust continued to drift all around them by the time that they landed, and though it made her eyes sting and felt like it was blocking her senses, she wasn’t feeling remotely tired as she joined the guard with Lyna and rushed through the gates.

They dismounted behind the unit, rushing in to join all the others as the interior of the fort came into view and she sprinted ahead to clear the way for the soldiers.

“The first contingent has already entered… let us follow,” Lyna called as they climbed the stairs and rushed by guards. Most of the Eulmorians looked like they were on the ground, snoring soundly, but around half of them were still upright.

No sooner did she come in did she see Alphinaud battling with a couple guards, already dressed in his own armor.

“There you are, Claire!” Alphinaud yelled, looking up to see her dash over, “Mayhap you could lend us a hand!”

“Awww, I thought that I could sit back and let you fight for a while,” she called back, making a note to tell them both how cute they looked in their matching armor. Not that it stopped her from charging in and taking on two soldiers at once who were rushing at Alphinaud with their blades raised.

And, as if she needed any other insensitive, the memory of how she was forced to dance at that stupid club flashed before her eyes as well as the image of that fat tub of lard watching as a desperate man bleed to death on the ground…?

Oh, if she wasn’t willing to fight before, she was now. And she could see the terror in the Eulmorian’s eyes as she charged in and took a dozen guards on at once.

The fighting was fierce on both sides, but with the Eulmorian’s drowsy and fighting off sleep, and they were able to bowl them over for the most part. Once most of the guards thinned to the point that the rest of their own soldiers could handle them, leaving Lyna feeling confident that they could leave the matter to the others and they could move on.

“Come, we keep close to the wall!” Lyna commanded as she led her to the side of the abandoned fortress, leaping over several snoring figures.

She followed after her with Alphinaud and a couple other soldiers right behind them, leaving the rest to clear the way back for them should they need to make a quick escape. But no sooner did they come around a pillar where a few guards were just running through, and they happened to spot them.

“They’re here too?” a soldier cried, trying to rally the ones around him, “To arms! To arms!”

“Damn it,” Lyna yelled, “Let’s make this quick!”

So they leapt over the fallen stones and began another battle. Swords and spears clashed around her as she bore the blunt of the damage, but barreling her way through them in pairs. Soon enough, the soldiers were backing off slightly, terrified of how much damage she was taking on at once.

But when they tried to run at the other soldiers, another familiar head of white hair came charging out from the other side of the fortress to join the fighting.

“You certainly took your time,” Alisaie called at them, “Let’s cut a path through this rabble and keep moving!”

“Keep complaining and I’ll make sure to be late next time,” Claire yelled back, having her hands full with the half dozen soldiers that were still on her, and each one had the intent to kill.

“Your zeal is admirable, sister,” Alphinaud also shouted back at one point, drawing into position some distance behind her with his carbuncle at his side and focused on healing his allies, “but we were told to avoid enemy attention, not invite it!”

Claire knew he was right, but she couldn’t deny how good it felt to get some of her frustration out at this point. Still, the more guards they took out, the easier it should be to get this Minfilia out. They had to be close by at this point, and was even looking around to see if she could spot her. While she didn’t know exactly what this girl looked like, she figured that the first child they find with golden blond hair and bright blue eyes should be the right one.

“Eulmore may boast the worlds’ largest army,” Lyna said as she danced about the field with practiced elegance, and dealing all manner of damage to any foolish enough to come at her. While they all had swords and shields, they were only effective at close range… and Lyna had the advantage of being able to strike from a distance as she shouted, “But woman for woman, we are no less mighty!”

Claire knew there was a reason she liked Captain Lyna.

“Intruders! Stop them!”

That got their attention, and even more soldiers were rushing in to help. While they were more than a match for them, the problem was that the fighting was seriously slowing them down, which was probably the point. They were trying to slow them down just long enough to get the Oracle out of here by airship before they could reach her. But she also expected that there was more to it than that… judging from the amount of soldiers that were crawling out of the woodwork, they weren’t here for a simple escort.

Something that Alphinaud noticed as well as he yelled out, “This is token force, they were serious about invading!”

No sooner did he shout that did she see Alphinaud battling with a couple guards with Alisaie right at his back—both dressed identically. At a glance, one couldn’t tell them apart but for their weapons. But she knew them both so well as to be able to know who was who at this point and where she needed to stand. Yet it was several minutes before she realized that they weren’t getting anywhere, which was leaving her feeling frustrated and her anger growing stronger.

“We don’t seem to be getting anywhere,” Alphinaud yelled out when he realized the same thing.

“Claire, Lyna, go on ahead!” Alisaie shouted, “We’ll hold them here!”

“Understood, with me, Claire!” Lyna called back and she broke free from her fight, taking down one more soldier, before rushing after her. Eventually Lyna and Claire peeled off from the twins, leaving them to entertain a group of Eulmoran soldiers as they raced around the fortress, and up a flight of stairs, where they could see an airship in that same gaudy coloring as the rest of Eulmore.

When they reached the top, Claire had time to spot a child dressed in white tied up at the foot of the landing, about to be dragged onto the airship. She looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen at the oldest, but with her bright blond hair shining in the sunlight, it could be no other.

As soon as the two guards that were dragging her onboard spotted them, they dropped the girl before rushed to them. Claire raced ahead with Lyna right behind and they took the two down easily before dashing over to the girl.

“Quickly ─ free her!” Lyna shouted as she stood at the ready, acting the part as guard, and Claire skidded to a stop next to the child. The girl looked up with the most startling blue eyes that she had ever seen… that same blank shade of blue that the Minfilia she once knew had when they last parted ways.

Claire was actually stricken speechless for a moment as the girl stared back, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing either.

“I know you,” the girl whispered as she stared.

Claire blinked, remembered where they were, and gave her head a hard shake and pulled out her knife.

“Stay still,” she told her softly and the girl remained perfectly still as Claire cut through the thick ropes and freed her hands. The girl stared at her hands, trying to register that she was freed, before Claire helped her up and Lyna appeared at their side.

“Th-Thank you,” the girl, Minfilia, stammered looking both shaken and uncertain as she looked at them both with those rather unnerving eyes. “Are you...from the Crystarium?”

“Correct. We've come to rescue you,” Lyna confirmed as she reached for the belt around her waist and pulled a pair of daggers that she had been carrying with her and offered them to the girl.

When she looked from the daggers to Lyna, the captain reassured her, “Your weapons ─ made to the same specifications as Thancred's. Be ready to use them.”

Minfilia took them and mechanically belted them on with shaking hands, and nodded with a slight shake in her voice, “U-Understood. Please lead the way.”

She reminded Claire of a frightened puppy, very jumpy and following orders without a second thought. But now wasn’t the time to ask if she would be alright, they would have to get out of here first before they could get to any questions, though, she did have plenty she wanted to ask.

“Let’s rejoin the others and quit this place,” Lyna commanded, getting them all to follow after her and to the stairs.

“All this trouble because of me… I’m so sorry…” Minfilia whimpered as she followed behind Claire, who made a mental note to keep an eye on her since she had no idea how well the girl could fight.

“Save your apologies until after we’ve escaped,” Lyna snapped back, already racing down the stairs to join the rest of their soldiers. But it wasn’t until they reached solid ground did Claire realize that something was wrong. She could still hear traces of fighting echoing off in the distance, but there didn’t seem to be anyone around them… which was unnerving.

“It’s quiet… too quiet,” Lyna said, also having an uneasy feeling by how easy it seemed to be all of a sudden. That was when Minfilia gasped and pointed ahead of them where a figure dressed all in grey was waiting. And Claire realized who it was without Minfilia asking, “Is that… Ran’jit? This will not end well…”

Ran’jit was waiting for them, and he was confronting both Alphinaud and Alisaie, who were standing at the ready. They glanced back at them when they heard them approach, but it didn’t look like any blood was spilled… rather it looked like both sides were waiting to see who would make the first move.

Minfilia stayed very close to Claire’s side, almost hiding behind her as she stared at Ran’jit, and Claire realized that she was frightened of him.

She looked back to the old man, whose eyes narrowed when he saw Minfilia and her together.

“Brazen thieves,” Ran’jit snarled threateningly as Claire’s eyes widen on the—what she could only describe as a dragon—that hovered at Ran’jit’s side. it looked very similar to the dragons back on the Source, but at the same time she had never seen one quite like this one… it seemed… almost… like a puppet as it observed them with blank eyes.

But Ran’jit then shouted at her, “You will regret coming here!”

Ran’jit charged at them, looking first to Lyna, who was the commanding officer. But Claire wielded her greatsword and leapt ahead of them, and striking with the heavy blade. He saw that almost a second too late and moved back. She then held up the sword when he countered with a kick, and she could feel how the blow made the entire sword vibrate.

She saw how his brows furrowed at how she stopped his attack, and then swept low to throw out another kick. It came so fast, that she almost missed it and felt the wind rush past her ear as she ducked her head.

He was battling both her and Lyna, but when he spoke, it was to Minfilia.

“You will return to Eulmore,” he ordered.

As Claire spun around to avoid another kick, she saw the girl’s face turn even paler, if that was possible, and she said in a stammering voice, “N-No! I won't go back to that cell!” 

That was when she rushed in to help, with her daggers drawn. It seemed that Claire may have underestimated her, however, for she moved with a light grace that was the spitting image to how Thancred fought with the same weapons.

But Ran’jit easily dodge her attack, moving past Lyna’s spinning weapons, and even jumped up to avoid the fireball that Alisaie sent his way. All the while, he answered her as if merely discussing the matter at the dinner table, “It is for your own protection.” 

Claire had to really pay attention to where everyone was, especially when wielding a heavy sword about twice her size. But she couldn’t really give out orders while Ran’jit was moving so fast. She remembered the last time she was up against such a foe and she flinched at the reminder of how Zenos devastated the Reach when he came marching in.

No… she mustn’t remember that. It wasn’t going to help them. She can’t fail again.

“Pathetic,” Ran’jit sneered, and shifted ever so slightly as the dragon, who had been hovering at his side the entire time, finally flew upwards and opened its mouth as a rain of electricity rand down on Minfilia. Not enough to do any harm, but she recognized the sparking as the girl fell to her knees with a cry of pain. Ran’jit then seized the opportunity to make a pushing gesture with his hands and Claire felt as if a strong wind blew across the battleground. The others were able to dig their heels in, but Minfilia, who was unable to move, went flying backwards and rolled halfway across the courtyard.

“Are you all right?” Alisaie cried worriedly.

“I-I’m fine…” Minfilia whimpered, trying valiantly to get up, but was unable to do so thanks to the paralysis, “I just… can’t move…”

“Stay there while I tend to these vermin,” he commanded to an irritated father who was scolding his daughter for misbehaving and was now telling her friends off.

Something about the man just seemed to infuriate her and she lunged in with her blade. She could hear the others behind her shouting, but she fought harder, unable to hear what they were saying. His disinterest soon faded when he was now up against her directly and she was pushing him back, whereas he grew more and more irritated.

“You will do no such thing,” he warned as he made the same movements as he did before and the dragonlike creature followed the command. Seeing what was coming as soon as it launched itself into the air, Claire braced herself as the wave of aether struck at them all. She refused to move back farther than a few yalms, but she could see the others all flying backwards and landing hard on the ground.

Seeing her friends all down like that, caused another wave of fury and she could hear Fray’s voice in the back of her mind chuckling darkly.

No… she had enough to worry about than letting Fray distract her.

“And now it is just you and me,” Ran’jit stated as he turned to face her. She stood tall, and she could see the countless years of battle experience he had gone through in his long life, and she knew that this was not just any warrior. If anything, he stood as close as possible to not only her level… but possibly Zenos’s level as well.

The space between them seemed to charge with an electrical charge, and he seemed to realize that she was no ordinary soldier either.

She walked forward, her blade glinting in the light, reminding her that her deeds have already brought change to this dying world… that there was still hope and she wasn’t going to let the people down here. She remained calm, her mind remarkably clear as Ran’jit shifted his stance, and seemed to be wary this time as he looked at her.

And so their fight began again. Blow after blow they dealt and blocked, moving back and forth with each other like a dance that had been practiced countless times. Every time she swung an attack, he was able to block it… but she was able to do so in kind and block his blows even when they felt that they would break the sword. She would need a new one when this was over.

“You are made of sterner stuff than the rest,” he confessed after several minutes of them going back and forth, and he finally leapt back as he went to the draconic familiar at his side and called to it… where she could sense its attacks coming.

“But will it be enough...?” he asked.

“What are you…?” she began, but he already acting.

“Gukumatz, do my bidding!” he cried and she felt it… pure, raw aether exploded from the dragon and she could feel as energy washed over them and she took a step back, feeling as if she had been hit with one of Ramuh’s leven bolts. But that was not enough to get her to back off. She lunged forward, and she even saw Ran’jit’s eyes widen in shock and she left a graze in his arm as he moved to avoid the full attack.

“It seems you are no ordinary soldier,” he spoke, and she had a feeling that it was as good as a compliment as she was ever going to get out of him, but his grouchy and angry expression grew as he added, “You are persistent, that I will allow.” 

That was when the dragon creature flew about her head and Claire was forced to dodge both the General and his pet as she kept it up… but that seemed to be enough for Ran’jit to notice she was having trouble keeping her focus on both of them.

She had been through worse, she could survive this… but at that moment, Fray spoke in the back of her mind, breaking her concentration.

_‘You cannot see it, can you…?’_

The sudden voice startled her and she hesitated… which was all Ran’jit needed.

“I have your measure now. The game is up,” he said and held up his palms as the dragon struck at her from behind. She felt its long teeth in her shoulder and she let out a cry that was more of anger than one of pain, and Ran’jit rammed his palms right into her just as another flash of lightning was called in. Feeling blood drench her shoulder, she slashed at the dragon to get it off her, but was unable to block the lightning that came in afterwards.

She was hit hard and her legs crumpled from under her. She tried to breath, feeling as if her entire body was now stunned so that she couldn’t move. She tried to focus herself to get up, as Fray made a disappointed sound in the back of her mind.

“Well, at least she doesn’t seem to be scared of us,” she retorted and she saw his eyes flash violently at the mention of Minfilia’s refusal to return with him. And she paid dearly for her retort the second his eyes narrowed and he held up his hands once more.

“Know your folly,” he snarled and Clare braced herself as he made more threatening movements and she took the pain of his attack head-on. She felt as if her ribs were cracking under the strain, but she refused to back down even as the charge of electricity was shot through her.

She felt as if she had just had a building fall on her chest from the punch he gave her and if not for the armor of the Crystarium uniform, she may have been knocked out. Though that may have been preferable compared to seeing that old man standing over them with that calm demeanor.

The dark shadow in her mind pulsated at the sight and for a moment it felt like something was fighting to break free from her.

Not just out of pain, but anger… anger that he was standing in their way. Anger that he had hurt her friends, anger that they were planning to attack the kind people of the Crystarium, and anger at the thought that they were willing to destroy the very structure that she and an old friend explored together.

She breathed hard, feeling her heart race as she struggled with the weight of the darkness that seemed to have settled in the back of her head even as she heard Ran’jit speaking, though it was hallow, as if he spoke from a distance.

“You boy,” he said, and she realized he was speaking to Alphinaud, “You be a striking resemblance to the artist my master seeks.”

Alphinaud just glared at him, not confirming or denying his observation, but Ran’jit didn’t seem to be looking for one.

“By all means, keep your counsel,” Ran’jit said, “You will all have ample time to confess your crimes back in Eulmore.

But as he took a step towards them, another figure charged in from behind him. She didn’t see who it was right away, only that it was a figure all in white, and Ran’jit—who heard him come—spun about and stopped his attack with the tip of his toes.

Yet, it gave her the time to see who the attacker was and Claire felt her eyes widen in shock.

It was Thancred.

He looked very much like the last time she saw him—in fact, he looked more like the first time she ever saw him that day in the Waking Sands. Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago. His hair was cut short again and the tan that he had earned while living in the Forelands had faded to return to his more natural color. His clothes consisted of a white trench coat with black leather straps, and a glimmering blade with the handle of a gun, while the wrapping he kept covered over his eye having long since been discarded. But there was no mistaking who it was.

Thancred began some strange kind of dance around Ran’jit, both of them dealing blow and forced to block. Though, in Thancred’s case, Ran’jit was able to block his blows, and sent Thancred back towards them, before he dug his boots into the ground to skid to a stop.

“Thancred?” Minfilia whispered, gazing up with wide eyes.

“So! You are the wretch who stole her from us…” Ran’jit barked, looking from him to Minfilia and putting two and two together.

“And what if I am?” Thancred demanded as he charged in and attacked as Ran’jit caught the weapon with his bare hands and forced his back, knocking Thancred to the ground.

“Pathetic,” Ran’jit snapped, “Vermin such as you are not worthy of the Oracle.”

Claire, who had caught her breath, was getting ready to get back up when she saw Ran’jit coming closer. But before she could, she saw a blinding flash of light… and then everything was gone.

***Exarch***

The Exarch watched proudly as his people began to draw back, and the group of travelers from another world began to make their escape from the fortress.

He knew that with the army here, and especially if Minfilia was involved in this fight, Ran’jit would appear sooner or later. With their senses dulled by the powder in the air, he feared that they may be out of their league, especially since some of them didn’t know the extent of Ran’jit’s powers. Rather than take any risks, he gave Thancred the orders to watch and wait, and only jump in should they need the time to escape and he would teleport them to safety once he drew Ran’jit’s focus onto him.

Thancred waited long enough to make sure that Minfilia had caught up to them before they all ran together, calling out directions to head to the gap in the mountain.

It worked beautifully and he watched as Captain Lyna led the group as far from the fortress as she could go, before saluting them off when they ran towards the mountain pass that would take them to the next area, as well as to a waiting ally.

He beamed at that, before noticing that Ran’jit had raced along the broken bridge to get a grasp of his current location. Unfortunately, the others were far enough away from him yet for him to miss them and he looked ready to charge in after them.

Thankfully, he was ready for this as well.

“Break!” he yelled, stopping him in his tracks.

Ran’jit stopped as if a thousand pound of weight were suddenly holding him down, and he couldn’t move. He could feel his body struggling to keep the spell up—his magicks fading whenever he strayed too far away from the tower. But he did not dare let up his spell though, waiting until Claire and the others were out of sight.

“Fool!” Ran’jit yelled at him, turning his head to glare back, “You would see your city raised?!”

“I would sooner see it razed than conquered,” he answered back, having been wanting to say that to them for some time and took no small amount of satisfaction from seeing the furious look on Ran’jit’s face when he added, “Suffice it to say, we are ready to receive you.”

“What now, Exarch?” Ran’jit demanded, “Will you face me yourself?”

Of course not. He knew that in a straight on battle, Ran’jit would overpower him easily, and he could not risk dying here… not before his mission was complete. Besides, the device he had ran out of power and dropped, lifeless and useless as he watched it spark and die.

“I think not, General,” he answered, knowing that he had bout them enough time for the others to escape to their destination before Ran’jit would be able to muster up his army to follow.

And so he told him, “I’ve quite exhausted my tricks. If you mean to give chase, I will not stand in your way.”

He looked to the mountains and added, “But you would do well to tread warily. For your quarry goes to a place where even Eulmore dare not bar its steel…” He smiled and finished, “Il Mheg, the faerie kingdom.”

He couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Even Eulmore knew better than to go to such a dangerous location. The Fae Folk were all every powerful, and Ran’jit would be foolish indeed to go marching in on his own. Hopefully, the time that they would need to prepare to venture into Il Mheg would give them all enough time to slay the next Warden.

The Exarch watched them go, nothing more than tiny pricks in the distance, but he was smiling all the same. He eagerly awaited their triumphant return.

…

Meanwhile, right above them, sat a figure upon the crumbling stone, watched with mild interest at the scene playing out below him. He had not felt the tiniest bit of impulse to put a stop to what was happening, after all he did warn that fool of a General that a certain ‘someone’ may prove to be a thorn in his side. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t take her seriously.

He knew better though.

“To think that mountain of indolence still had the energy to unleash his hounds…” he sighed, “Even the most pointless of conflicts may alter a world’s course… and now the plan has gone awry.”

He watched the Exarch with interest, wondering, not for the first time either, who he was and what he was trying to do.

“But how…? How did the so-called Crystal Exarch bring the hero of the Source to the First?” he asked himself quietly. That was a marvel, in and of itself… for not even he and his brethren were able to do that with mortal flesh in tow. But that woman’s body was still her own, and she was not shackled by the same laws that most were in this world.

“As if I didn’t have enough on my hands already…” he sighed dramatically. He thought that he would be used to this by now, but it never got easier. Especially whenever _that_ soul was involved. It seemed that no matter what form it took, he could always see it was her. Which wasn’t such a surprise really, after all the history between the two of them, it was almost a surprise whenever that soul didn’t appear.

He had long since lost count of the countless reincarnations donning the mantle of ‘hero’ would appear before him. Each and every single one never exactly the same, never in the same exact form, but always he could recognize them.

A hero to the people… doing what they could to help… before their light was blown out. Each and every time their lives were cut tragically short… usually upon the battlefield, sometimes through sickness, many times through disaster… but always, always they fought and died. He didn’t see why this one would be any different.

But not before causing no small amount of trouble for them.

“Then again… with a soul such as that…” he added as he thought back to the many different forms that soul had taken before reaching this point and wondered if he had, at last, found a vessel worthy of being raised up as one of them?

“Mayhap there is another way. One which does not require bloodshed…” he whispered, his eyes upon the hair of the pink that he could see from here, and watched until she was out of his sights.

She will never change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (And so we not only recused Minfilia, but we are finally heading off to the land of the Fae Folk! I’ve been looking forward to doing that ever since I planned out the story and the chapters! So sorry for the long wait, but I had a few other projects I wanted to work on last month, but at last we are back! And with Christmas right around the corner, here is present to you all, the next chapter will be coming out on Christmas day where we finally step foot into Il Mheg and meet up with Urianger! Look forward to it! Oh, and if you are wondering about Claire’s name and what she told the Exarch, you’ll find out as we venture through Il Mheg! A little more background information on Claire at long last! See you all on Christmas day! And Happy Holidays to you all!)


	10. Unto the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So after a mad dash to escape, the merry band of misfits slow down to discuss where they go from here. But with them trapped in the land of the Fae Folk, it's clear where they must go from here. But don't be fooled by their cute appearances, the pixies are far from innocent. And they must try to win them over if they wish to be reunited with a friend and gain an audience with the Lightwarden.

***Ardbert***

Their escape was far from subtle.

But, it did the job and got them out of the ruins where all the fighting was taking place, and gave them a head start to escape up into the mountains. He followed silently behind them as they made for a pass that would take them to the northern reaches. But as he turned to look back, he saw the old man who led Vauthry’s army in the distance, standing up upon one of the ruin towers, and barking orders at his soldiers. He knew that there was going to be hell to pay for many of those soldiers later on when they wake up.

But soon the sounds of the battle were left behind them as they passed under the cover of the towering pines. It took him a moment to realize that he had seen these very trees before… many times… but the first time was a century ago when they were hardly more than saplings.

And as soon as the mist began to settle around them and the glare from the Light above suddenly reappearing directly above… he knew exactly where they were going.

“Not so long ago, here in the shadow of the northern ranges, lay the great Kingdom of Voeburt. A nation with a proud history—that the sin eaters cut short just like all the rest,” he said out loud to himself. There was no point since no one else could hear him.

Claire suddenly paused for a moment and he actually felt himself smirk… that was something that hadn’t happened in decades.

He almost forgot that there was someone who could hear him and when she looked back, he finished for her benefit, “Since that time, these lands have become a haven for fae folk. Dreamers frolicking amidst the ruins of a forgotten realm.”

“Claire?” one of the twins called after her, Alisaie, he guessed her name to be, “What is it?”

“I don’t think we need to worry about being followed,” the newcomer in white called, pulling the child who bore the same namesake as woman who had all but cursed him to wander like this all those years ago, right behind him. “Ran’jit and the others will need time to organize before they catch up and even then they will not give chase recklessly.”

“Right,” Claire said, but she looked directly into his eyes for a moment before she followed.

Curiously, he followed right behind her, feeling a sensation he hadn’t felt in countless years… a thrill of excitement.

***Claire***

The lands of Voeburt…?

That was what Ardbert had said… but this was a nation that no longer existed. Now it was home to the fae folk… but why would the army of Eulmore think twice about coming here? What was so special about these lands that they would make them hesitate in trying to rule over it? Considering that they had no problems about marching off to war with the Crystarium?

She felt that she was missing something important here. But the others seemed keen on moving forward and away from their attacker.

She still felt furious with herself for getting caught off guard like that. How could she be pushed onto the back foot like that? She had fought in countless battles before… that Ran’jit was strong but nowhere near like Zenos had been when he merged together with a primal!? What happened back there?

“Let’s keep pushing forward!” Thancred called, “I’ll feel better once we pass through the mountains! We can rest when we reach the edge of the forest and put a fair bit of distance between us and Ran’jit!”

“Who is that man anyway?” she asked as they climbed up the steep slope, momentarily forgetting about the annoying stab of pain in her shoulder.

“His name is Ran’jit, or General Ran’jit if you sever under him,” Thancred called back, “A skilled fighter and master tactician, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. They say he’s a descendant of the Eulmoreans who originally hailed from this Star’s version of Doma across the sea, but that’s pretty much all I know about him.”

Well, she remembered of the lands of Doma back home and she thought she felt something familiar in the way he was fighting. But still, what happened? Even if he was a master on the battlefield, she couldn’t help but feel severely disappointed in herself for letting him get the upper hand. She fought against Primals, Ascians, dragons, and so many others… so why did she falter?

Fray’s chuckle in the back of her mind drew her attention and she frowned at how it had distracted her on the battlefield earlier.

But she didn’t speak another word about it as she followed after the others through the thick mists as the smell of flowers reached her nose. In fact, the scent was so strong that she felt the need to cough from the overly sweet smell. They labored through and the smell of flowers and morning dew grew stronger, almost reminding her of the overly perfume air that hung around Eulmore, though it was not as overpowering as it had been at the Beehive and she felt her own sense of dread leave.

“Claire?” Alphinaud’s voice spoke up and she looked back to find that he and Alisaie were starting to fall a little behind, not used to the heavy armor that they were now wearing. Claire pointed it out to Thancred, who looked a little anxious about it, but he agreed to stop for a moment where the two of them could change back into their normal clothes and give them all time to catch their breath.

“You ok?” Alisaie asked Claire once she had discarded the armor and rushed back to Claire’s side, who wasn’t the least bit bothered by the Crystarium’s guard armor and decided to keep it on for the time being.

“Hmm?” she asked, distracted from her thoughts of that fight with Ran’jit. “Oh, yes, I’m fine.”

At least until Alisaie noticed the dark red that shone through the cape around her shoulders where that dragon-like creature bit her and she let out a loud hiss when Alisaie grabbed her hand to spin her around to look at it. At the sight of the blood and seeing Claire’s face screw up in pain, she turned and yelled at her brother to get out here and help.

“Claire tried to wave her hand at them, letting them know she was alright, but when they pulled back the armor to get a look at her shoulder, they could see the teeth marks that somehow bit clean through the armor and the burning from the lightning that struck from its jaw.

“You take care of any injuries, we’ll scout a little bit ahead,” Thancred told them and took Minfilia by the hand and dragged her a little ways ahead while the twins were all but fussing over Claire’s condition.

She tried to let them know that she was alive and in one piece, that this wound was nothing, but they didn’t seem to be able to hear her. Alphinaud came out from behind a tree, having roughly dressed so that his tunic was on backwards, and demanded to see the wound. Meanwhile, Alisaie was giving her a good scolding for not telling them about this earlier and that if she had been in pain, she should have said something.

“It’s really not that bad,” Claire reassured them, “The armor blocked the worst of it. I barely noticed it till now.”

Which was true. She had suffered far worse wounds in the past and her mind was so preoccupied she didn’t even realize that she was bleeding. Alphinaud pulled back the armor and immediately set about repairing the damage.

“Good, it doesn’t look like that thing was poisonous,” he said as he held his hand just above the punctured holes, “And it looks a lot worse than it is.”

She didn’t bother trying to tell them that she had just said that; knowing that they weren’t going to listen anyway.

“What of the others?” she asked instead, “Lyna and the rest…?”

“They were already calling for a retreat back to the Crystarium,” Alisaie reassured her, “I could see that most of our forces were heading back by the time we made a break for it. I don’t think we need to worry too much about it. I don’t think the Exarch will push the matter more than he has.”

“Then we should get going,” she began, about to get up, but both forced her to sit back down so that they could get that injury fixed.

“Don’t worry about us, you just focus on yourself for once,” Alisaie scolded as Alphinaud finished repairing the damage to her shoulder.

She couldn’t help but worry. First she was seeing the ghost of an old enemy following her around everywhere, and now she was starting to hear voices inside her own head. Was she starting to go crazy?

She looked up and over the twins heads to see Ardbert watching from the shadows of the trees, the glare from the harsh light over their heads causing him to look washed out and glowing with a sickly light.

She just looked on at him for a moment as he arched an eyebrow and jerked his head up the path that Thancred and the Minfilia girl took and she knew he was telling her to get moving.

“I’m fine now,” she stated, and she stood up, startling them both as she pulled her armor back on. “Really,” she countered when they stood up as well and made to argue, “We should keep moving. My shoulder’s fine now. Let’s catch up to the others.”

And she hurried up the trail as the two followed with noises of protest.

They caught up with Thancred soon enough, and they kept following them through the woods just as the mist was so thick around them that Claire was having trouble seeing more than a few yalms in front of her. But, at last, they came to a stop, with Thancred seemingly satisfied that they were far enough away from the danger that they could relax somewhat.

“We should be safe enough here,” he stated before turning back to look at them all and she was able to get a good look at him without the worry of being attacked. He was wearing his hair back in the original look she first met him in, and his shining weapon, which he referred to as a gunblade, seemed to glow under the unearthly light around them. He was dressed all in black with a white overcoat over the many black straps and buckles that were holding it together, and knee high boots that had seen no small amount of travel.

He looked over each of them, and his hardened expression melted away to reveal a much softer and fond look.

“It’s good to see you again, my friends,” he said, as if he had just run into them at a local pub and it was an unexpected visit, “I don’t know about you, but it feels like years since last we met. Five of them, in my case.”

Claire only smiled back and said, “Truly? Why it feels like only weeks since I last saw you.”

And for a moment she thought she could see a trace of that original flirty part of him that he first had when they went on their first mission to investigate Ifrit together.

She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had seen that look?

“Why, it only feels like one to me,” Alisaie added, “But long enough to warrant a more convivial reunion, either way.” Her face became more serious as she added, “What brought you to Laxan Loft?”

The carefree look faded as fast as it had come before he looked to the fifth member of their party and explained seriously, “The girl, Minfilia. She and I were traveling together, hunting sin eaters. But as we were nearing Lakeland, she abruptly ran off on her own. I found her too late to stop the Eulmorans from taking her prisoner. And as I was considering rescue options, I observed that the Crystarium was on the move.”

Claire turned her look to the girl, and was really able to get a good look at her for the first time. She was about twelve to thirteen years old with long blonde hair and glowing sapphire eyes just like the original Minfilia had when they parted ways for the last time. She was also dressed in a pure white dress with delicate lace around the collar and sleeves, a pair of combat boots, and a red ribbon tied in a single braid on the right side of her head. She was looking down at the ground the whole time that Thancred spoke, not saying a word, as he continued to explain.

“So I consulted the Exarch, who apprised me of the details of the operation—and issued me certain instructions,” Thancred finished up, “Should the situation take a turn for the worse, I was to see you all safely to Il Mheg. And here we are.”

Well, she could give it to the Exarch for thinking ahead. It was like he just knew everything that was going to happen, didn’t he? Like he had planned for this from the beginning. If she had stopped to really think about it, she may have felt that this seemed a bit too convenient. But Alphinaud was already speaking again and it cut her thoughts off.

“Urianger has called this place home for a while now,” Alphinaud stated solicitously, “Yet we have never called upon him, I am ashamed to say. ‘Twas only at the Crystarium that we met.”

“Hardly surprising,” Thancred answered with a shrug, “This is not the sort of place one visits on a whim.”

He looked up at the branches over their heads, and she looked up too with a sudden sense of unease. She couldn’t see anything through the thick fog, of course, yet she felt like they were being watched… and not just by one person, she could suddenly sense many eyes upon her.

“Happily, having trespassed on Urianger’s hospitably for a spell, Minfilia and I have an idea of how things work around here,” Thancred spoke up and she looked down at him as he added for her benefit, “Sooner or later, the Eulmorans will come after us. But before they do, the Exarch bids us accomplish two things. First, rendezvous with Urianger.”

He then turned down the road to where the mist seemed to be growing thicker with every second, and finished, “And second, eliminate the Lightwarden of this land.”

There was nothing but silence around them for a moment as they really let it sink in to what it was that they were going to be doing. It was one thing to defend a village that was attacked by an army of sin eaters, but another to go willingly hunting such powerful foes. And so far they knew next to nothing about this particular eater.

“So… Minfilia,” Alisaie suddenly stated in an awkward tone, getting their attention. Claire looked to see the girl flinched slightly at the sound of her name and was looking at Alisaie like a frightened rabbit confronted with a hungry predator as Alisaie asked, “What made you leave Thancred behind—if you don’t mind me asking?”

The girl was quiet for a moment, as if frightened by what they would say if she answered truthfully. But eventually, she looked up to Claire with a nervous glance.

“You,” she whispered, taking Claire by surprise, “The hero from another world.”

Claire stared at her.

Her? She left safety to try and find her? But why? She knew that she was supposing some sort of reincarnation of Minfilia, but this wasn’t the same friend she once knew. And no one other on the First other than the Exarch really knew that she and the others came from another world entirely. But regardless, they never even met… didn’t even know what the other looked like. So how could she have known that she was here and why come looking for her to begin with?

Still, as she looked at the girl’s face, she couldn’t help but feel this strange sense of… familiarity. Like they had met before…?

“I was asleep when I felt it,” the girl explained, “A presence. Someone I was meant to meet. They were close, and… and I knew I had to go to them. But with all the commotion in Lakeland, I was afraid that Thancred wouldn’t… let me…”

Her voice trailed off when Thancred spoke up in a scolding tone, “And would I have been wrong? Had I arrived a moment later, you would be back in your cell in Eulmore.” Now Claire had heard him angry before, but never like this. He sounded like a furious father who was telling his daughter off for running away without leaving a note.

“And now we have Ran’jit snapping at our heels!” he continued, “You really have outdone yourself this time.”

Claire shot him a surprised look, startled that he would tell her off like that. But Minfilia just lowered her head and Claire heard her murmur, “I’m sorry. Thank you for saving me.”

Thancred still looked furious, but Minfilia was now looking so sad that Claire felt her heart going out to her. She was about to speak up for her when…?

“Awwww, poor thing, being scolded so.”

They all jumped and stared around as they heard giggling all around them.

“Who said that?” Alisaie demanded, “Show yourselves!”

Only more giggling could be heard, yet no matter which way Claire turned, she couldn’t see anyone else around them.

“Come now, put away that frown and have some fun with us!”

It felt like a group of children were playing hide and seek, so proud of their hiding places as they continued to giggle and plead with them to come and play with them.

“Ugh, which way was it to Urianger’s?” Thancred asked Minfilia hurriedly.

The girl thought it over, but Claire was suddenly having a hard time trying to focus on what was going on as if the heavy fog around them was nestling inside her mind.

“We’ve been there so many times, but I’m not… I can’t…” Minfilia whimpered, “Why can’t I remember?”

As Claire looked around, she could see the others all looking around with confusion and slightly dazed expressions, as if they were suddenly feeling as foggy as she did. What was going on?

“Damn it all,” Thancred cursed, “We’re already caught in their spell!”

Spell? What spell?

But the answer suddenly became clear to her as she looked down the path to where she could hear the continuing echoes of giggling waiting for them. They wanted them to continue on… that was why the way forward was the only path she could see?

“What’s going on?” Claire asked them as Thancred ran an irritated hand through his short hair.

“Il Mheg is the faerie kingdom, and as one might expect, it is home to the fae folk,” Thancred explained, “The most prominent among them are the pixies, who have a penchant for making mischief. They use powerful illusions to play tricks on all who venture into their domain. By way of an example, they can make a familiar path seem wholly unfamiliar, or lead you to believe you’re somewhere you’re not. And we are now, I am sorry to say, entirely at their mercy.”

So what was it they were supposed to do now? If they were stuck listening to whatever the pixies said, then how were they ever going to find the Lightwarden?

“As it stands, we cannot hope to find the way to Urianger,” Thancred sighed, “For that, we must convince the pixies to lift the spell. Form what I could make of the voices, the creatures want to play with us. If that is the case, they should permit us to find their village—Lydha Lran.”

She didn’t like how uncertain he sounded. It seemed that these pixies were a lot more dangerous than she first thought. She was suddenly beginning to understand why Eulmore would have second thoughts of giving chase into lands infested with them.

“Come,” Thancred said, beckoning them to follow him, “I have a sneaking suspicion that this path will lead us directly into their midst.”

But just as they were about to step forward, he added to her, as if worried about forgetting, “Oh, and I should mention that Minfilia has been informed of our situation. Or the different worlds and our mission. You may consider her an ally.”

Claire looked to Minfilia, who bowed to them, and they set off together.

They were slowly leaving the smell of pine behind them as the scent of the flowers grew even stronger and overwhelmed everything. Though the light above them was bright and brought a slight twinkle to the fog, it was still too thick to see through. It was clear that this fog wasn’t natural, and as she stepped over the overgrown path of stone, she could see the faint images of houses and fences the whole way they walked.

She could also make out the shadowy images of creatures that were lurking just out of sight, hiding in the mists, but as Thancred explained, the fog wasn’t really here, their senses were just being clouded over by the pixies magicks just to confuse and disorientate them.

Once in a while, she saw a glimmer of something out of the corner of her eyes and knew that the pixies were watching their every move. They stepped forward slowly and cautiously, continuing to hear the giggling of the pixies who were enjoying themselves as they watched them stumble along. The greatest problem for her was that she was having a harder and harder time trying to focus on what was going on.

More than once, someone would fall over, having tripped over a stray log or the moss that covered the stepping stones. One point, Alphinaud fell and accidently knocked both Alisaie and Minfilia down with him as she and Thancred looked back. The sight was enough to cause rings of laughter from the invisible pixies, and Claire knew that they were just here as their entertainment.

“The sense of disorientation is quite overwhelming,” Alphinaud said as he gave his head a hard shake to try and clear it, “I cannot take a dozen steps without forgetting whence we came.”

“There’s not a soul in sight, yet I feel eyes all over us…” Alisaie whispered.

By the time that they finally found a large enough structure to hold onto a glowing aetheryte crystal, her senses were both on edge and dulled from the pixies spell and her muscles were all tensed up. She felt as if she had just drank a great deal and was now fighting off the hangover without remembering anything fun from the night before.

“Hmm… there was a plant which might help us…” Minfilia muttered softly to no one in particular, “If only I could remember what it looked like…”

When they arrived at the structure, the twins all but ambushed Claire, causing her to fall back onto the soft flowers before demanding that they finish treating her. Now she could have thrown them off her and insist that she was well, yet she knew she would be wasting her energy and merely obediently held up her hands in surrender.

They were both taken aback by her sudden cooperation in this matter, but they didn’t complain as they finished treated her wound until they were satisfied that it was completely cured up and well. She was glad to see the relieved expressions on their faces; but she could not relax. She felt as if every part of her was on edge… that her very senses were coiling up like a snake about to strike.

There was… there was something not right here.

And it wasn’t just the fog either.

She could almost feel it from inside her rather than her instincts trying to warn her. There was something there… something very… powerful… lurking in these lands and it knew that they were here.

Knew that she was here…?

The twins didn’t notice her slight shiver as Minfilia asked in worry when she saw Claire’s blood.

“It’s fine,” Claire insisted as she got up to her feet, secretly glad that they treated the wound now that the pain was gone. “But… what are we to do now?”

“That’s the question, now isn’t it?” Alphinaud asked with a frown. “It’s not like we can wait for Urianger to find us, now…?”

“Well, here we are,” Thancred called as he observed the land around them, satisfied that they weren’t followed, “Yet the pixies are nowhere to be seen. Knowing them, their games have already begun. In which case…”

They looked to him, who had taken on the role of leader for the time being, since he knew more of these lands than they did. He thought it all over for a moment before coming to a decision, “Claire—there is a variety of plant native to these parts with a distinctive furled tip. ‘Looking grass’ is its name—so called because it can be used to spy pixies, believe it or not. I’ll explain how I now all of this later, but first, I need you to help me find some.”

“Ok,” she nodded, trying to force herself to remember to keep an eye out for a curled tip plant around here.

Yet, before she set off to look, he took her arm and added in a serious voice, “Oh—if a voice calls to you, under no circumstances should you respond. You will only subject yourself to further mischief.”

So just keep quiet? Not a problem there since she normally hated talking anyway. She promised with a nod and headed off. It was very hard to tell where she was… she kept getting turned around and gotten lost before glancing back at the glimmering light of the aetheryte crystal that shone like a lighthouse on the dark ocean. She just had to remember to follow that if she got lost… which happened very easily now. She couldn’t take more than a few steps before forgetting which direction she came from and when she did remember that much, she forgot why she came this way to begin with. It was a vicious cycle as she continued to look through bushes and bunches of flowers before wondering why she was doing such a thing?

She knew the others were struggling to remember basic details as well and she would occasionally hear someone call out in fear, thinking that they had gotten lost before realizing that someone was only a feet yalms away from them.

Claire completely forgotten how to tell time as well, but after what felt like several hours, she was able to force herself to focus enough to keep her mind on what it was she was supposed to be looking for. When she began to look through a nearby scrub, the pixies seemed to realize that she was slowly fighting off their spells and she heard a voice ringing out in her ear, “Hee hee hee… Greetings, mortal! What is your name?”

She remained silent, only shrugged, hoping the pixie would get bored and leave her.

“Oh, you don’t have a name?” the adorable voice asked and she had a strange sensation of what felt like flower petals touching her face, “How very, very sad. I could have had sooo much fun with it, hee hee hee…”

Claire ignored that as she continued looking.

She looked through another nearby scrub but found nothing resembling looking grass when another voice called out, all but screaming in her ear, “What is it that you see, child? Perhaps I can help you find it.”

Again she remained silent as she turned and walked away.

“Hmph, such a rude child, and too clever by half! I shall seek my fun elsewhere!” the voice answered from the scrub.

She was starting to get the hang of this. But while most of the pixies seemed to give up the moment they realized she wasn’t going to answer, others seemed determined to get some kind of reaction out of her and see if they could break her silence.

By the time she finally found a scrub that had several blades of the curled-up grass, another voice spoke to her.

“Ooh, a visitor!” the playful voice cried, “Where are you from, pray tell?”

She did not answer, pretending she could not hear, as she picked several of the grasses.

“Hmmmm… perhaps this one’s hard of hearing… AHEM! WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?!” the playful voice shouted out, causing her head to feel like it was ringing.

Yet again she stayed quiet, just biting down the urge to answer with a rude remark.

“Ach! Stone-deaf! How boring! Still… picking plants at our village is a good as indulging in our hospitality,” the playful voice warned her, “And who are we to turn you away? Hee hee, stay awhile… stay forever!”

That was when her entire body felt extremely heavy. She staggered, almost falling over as sleep threatened to take her. Her limbs felt as if she were chained down by great weights and she almost passed out from where she stood. Through the haze, she felt the sensation of more of those flower-petal like touches all over her body… as if many of these tiny hands were attempting to hold her down.

She shook her head as she forced herself to get back up and she fought through the wave of weariness that almost took her. The only thought she had right then was to get to the aetheryte, though she couldn’t remember why it was so important all of a sudden.

She forced herself to walk with each step, fighting for every step she took. But as soon as she saw Thancred by the glowing crystal, his head in his hands as he seemed to be trying to fight the urge to fall asleep as well.

As soon as she saw him, she picked up her pace and hurried as fast as she could despite the heavy weights on her limbs. One by one, she could hear the disappointed sighs in her ears as she fought off the heavy spell and snapped out of it long enough to make it back to Thancred.

“I take it you met with some trouble,” he said knowingly, his normally sharp eyes slightly unfocused, “Apologies for subjecting you to that. Can I assume from your presence that you managed to find us some looking grass?”

She nodded and handed it over, her muscles now screaming out in protest for some reason.

“Yes, this is the stuff,” Thancred said after examining it. “Thus armed, we should be able to see through the pixies’ veil of invisibility. And seeing them is the first step to dealing with them. Come, let’s gather everyone and put Urianger’s little trick to good use.”

Finding the others was almost as difficult as finding the grass. Thancred kept his grip on her arm as she pulled her after him and called out loudly until he got the others attention. It took them all several minutes for them to stumble their way towards them, all of them looking just as sleepy as she felt. Alisaie was even slapping her own cheeks in an effort to keep herself awake, as they approached them.

They gathered around as Thancred held up the plant and began to look through the little curled loop at the other end as if it were a magnifying glass. She didn’t know what he could see with it, but he seemed to have found what he was looking for. He then spoke in another language, the same one that she once heard the Exarch speak in, but the meaning still rang true to her ears, as he said, {I’ve found you. The game is over.}

And with loud pops, all around them burst out tiny figures through brightly colored smoke. Claire stepped back in surprise as the tiny figures that were as green as spring leaves with delicate dragonfly wings as they looked on. They each had bright black eyes that gazed at them with bright curiosity and wide grins while their wild green hair floated about their tiny heads. There were so many that she was surprised she didn’t notice them before.

Thancred looked to one of them and crossed his arms as the pixie let out an annoyed huff.

“Nooo, we are found!” it grumbled in a high-pitched voice full of disappointment, “How did this mortal know our trick!?”

“Wait, I recognize their souls!” another one of them said, and was fluttering up to Minfilia, “These two have been here before!”

“Look, look—twins!” another called excitedly when she caught sight of Alphinaud and Alisaie, “How adorable!”

And then they began to fly about them happily, cooing for them to play with them.

“We have neither the time nor inclination to play,” Thancred told them seriously, “We have come to see Urianger.”

“Ohh yes, Urianger! The peculiar one!” the same pixie who spoke before said in understanding. “In return for a place in Il Mheg, he agreed to a riddle contest with us! For seven days and seven nights! Without any sleep ahahahahahaha!”

Well, that would have been a sight to see. She knew how fond of riddles that Urianger had been, but to go on for an entire week? She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or not at the thought.

“Ah, that was so much fun! We must do it again!” another of the pixies said eagerly.

“I’m sure he’d be delighted,” Thancred said with a roll of his eyes, “Now, if you’d be so kind as to lift your spell…”

But it didn’t seem that the pixies were too welcoming of his attitude, and they fluttered over to discuss if they should do what they want with each other.

“What now?” Alisaie asked them quietly.

“I don’t know,” he retorted with a shrug, “But this is their home, so we must indulge them.”

So they had no choice but to wait before their leader named Sul Uin said, “Right, we’ve made up our minds! We will lift our spell on one condition: that you first lend us a helping hand! Or two. Or three! Once you’ve helped solve all our troubles, we’ll let you see Urianger. Pixie’s honor!”

Thancred sighed dramatically before confessing to them, “Well, there you have it. Pixie chores. I suggest we split up.”

So they headed off to speak with the pixies and were given their chores. Claire was suddenly given a painful flashback of the moogles of the Churning Mists, and she was trying to figure out which was more challenging… to make a deal with the moogles or with the pixies? Then again, they had Estinien to frighten the moogles into at least behaving long enough to get what they wanted. The pixies didn’t seem to know anything like fear before.

But she gave her own cheeks a quick slap to wake herself up before she spoke with Sul Uin first who gave her a task to take some everbloom seeds and sow them all across the fields. After that, it was one chore after another, being sent all over to get these seemingly pointless tasks done. At one point she ventured down to the lake where she was attacked by some kind of blue frog creature that the pixies called a Fauth. She could only guess they were another type of fae folk, but she kept herself busy running here and there. Either running errands or bringing foods, she was soon able to make out a vague idea to where things were. But the fog was still clouding her thoughts and making it hard to think past her chores.

The scariest thing around here were the little hedges scattered all over… which were once people. She could see now why people didn’t venture onto these lands. With that ‘lovely’ thought in her head on what the pixies could do to her if she wasn’t careful, she continued on with the rest of her ‘chores’. Though she felt that she was just being dragged along on a leash for the most part, she was able to learn a little more of the lands that surrounded them and where the pixies came from.

“You’re done sowing the seeds?” Sul Uin asked when she came up to explain that the everbloom seeds were planted, “Thank you! This shall help Lydha Lran live up to its name—which means ‘flower house’, in case you weren’t aware. We weren’t always here, you know.”

“Really?” Claire asked, “Then where did you come from?”

“We used to live deep in a lush forest,” Sul Uin sighed lovingly, “It was beautiful beyond compare, but almost all of it was swallowed up by the light. For a while we roamed, but eventually we found a place that men had abandoned. Together with our fellow fae folk, we decided to make it our new home. The land of everlasting spring—this is our home, and it could be yours too. Forever and ever and ever…”

Like that wasn’t at all creepy.

Meanwhile, the other pixies were cooing over the rest of them. They especially loved to play with the younger ones long hair and took the time to pull on their long locks as they giggled. At one point, Alisaie grew so annoyed with them that she tried to knock them aside like they were large gnats—which only seemed to thrill them even more.

She had a couple landing on her shoulders as they began to ask questions, which she tried to ignore but finally gave in when they kept asking over and over what her name was.

“Oh? Your name is Fae? Then does that make you one of us?”

Claire explained that it sounded the same but it was spelled differently.

“But that still means you belong here with us!” the pixie told her lovingly as she tugged on one of her ears to get her to listen.

“Yes! Stay here and play with us!” another cooed with a kiss to her cheek, “Stay and play forever and ever and ever and ever!”

These pixies were scary.

It was with no small amount of relief when she found Thancred, who had just finished up collecting a bouquet of flowers for another pixie, and turned to look at her with barely concealed annoyance.

“How goes it, Claire?” he asked irritably, but still attempting to stay polite to her.

She shrugged and told him what she had seen and learned, though he didn’t seem that surprised.

“So, a mix of menial tasks and pranks,” he grumbled as he folded his arms. “Yes, that pretty much sums up my own experience. They have no troubles worthy of the name.”

This continued on until Minfilia, Alphinaud, and Alisaie managed to track them down, each having done a fair bit of their own ‘chores’ but it seemed that they weren’t getting anywhere. Claire was still having trouble trying to even remember how to tell time, but she knew that they couldn’t afford to spend too much more time on these pranks. They had to figure out a way to either win their cooperation or outwit them.

“How long are we supposed to keep at this?” Alisaie sighed, “They’re clearly playing with us.”

“Indeed,” Alphinaud agreed, “Whenever I inquire how much more there is to be done, the answer is ever the same: ‘a little’. I doubt they have any intention of releasing us in the near future.”

“Urianger once told me a story about the pixies,” Minfilia spoke up timidly, “They’re born from the souls of those who died as children, or so it’s believed. Though they don’t have memories of their precious lives, the desire to have fun remains, imprinted on their souls.”

So they were once people?

“And so they live only to play, keeping hapless mortals for their pleasure for years on end,” Minfilia finished, “Sometimes even until death…”

Claire looked at the giggling and laughing pixies about the village and wasn’t sure how she should feel. Were they born from the souls of those who died? That was both amazing and even more terrifying to her.

“Hmmm… in the past, when I sought to identify the true nature of ghosts, I came upon literature examining a similar subject,” Alphinaud said thoughtfully, “The soul was likened to a core that resides in the aether, and its presence is what differentiae us from such being as sprites and arcane entities. Upon death, said core ordinarily dissipates alongside the aether that composed the flesh. However, it may be held together and bound to the corporeal realm, either by the will of its owner or by means of certain arts. In time, the soul may regather aether unto itself to assume another form, or find newly emerged life in which to abide. The pixies may be one such instance of this.”

“If ghosts are merely souls without bodies, what does that make us?” Alisaie asked with a slightly playful grin, “I think you’ve become what you fear most, Brother dearest…”

She almost forgot about Alphinaud fear of ghosts and specters and she fought a slight giggle that wanted to escape from her. Even more so when she saw the cute blush that reached his ears. Oh, how long has it been since she had seen that?

“However the pixies may have come into being, if we leave them to judge when they are satisfied, they will never be satisfied,” Thancred stated, interrupting their thoughts. “Nay, we must negotiate new terms with the creatures… but where to begin? It seems to me we would need at least one among them to sympathize with us…”

He looked at them all and asked, “In the course of your chores, did any of you encounter a pixie who seemed even faintly amenable to reason?”

The others shook their heads, and it looked like they were back where they started… at least until a foggy memory finally came back to her.

“Feo Ul,” she said quietly.

When they looked at her, she quickly told them about the pixie she met before even coming to these lands.

“What? You knew a pixie from before?” Thancred demanded.

She nodded and explained how the Exarch introduced her to Feo Ul and how the pixie was so impressed with her being able to travel across the rift, and agreed to make a pact with her.

“Not only are you acquainted, but you’ve entered into a pact?” he demanded, sounding like he was close to either telling her off or laughing his head off, “You might have mentioned this sooner!”

“Sorry,” she told him apologetically, “My mind is foggy.”

Really, she was more surprised with herself for not remembering Feo Ul before. Though, she wasn’t sure how much the other pixies would be willing to listen to her even with a pixie on their side.

“At any rate, I dare to hope this will offer us a way out,” Thancred instructed, “Without further delay, then, summon this Feo Ul, if you please.”

She nodded and walked a few yalms away to call forth Feo Ul.

Though, in truth, she wasn’t entirely sure how this worked.

She stopped within sight of everyone, feeling their eyes on her, and feeling a little silly as she called, “Feo Ul!” 

For a moment nothing happened and she stood there feeling like she was being tricked again when she felt a light breeze brush across her cheek that had nothing to do with the wind when she heard a haughty voice in her ear, _"So! My sapling has finally remembered about her lovely branch! But with such a half-hearted call, she may as well lop me off and cast me aside! Hmph, I have no sapling!”_

Oh, she saw where this was going. Claire resisted the urge to sigh, and instead tilted her head back, and pleaded out, "Please, Feo Ul I need you!"

But that didn’t seem to be enough to get her attention.

_"Hmph, is that your idea of a fervent call? A sodden log could do it with more fire!"_

Ok, so she was playing hard to get. Thinking it over for a moment, she then called out as reverently as she could, “O loveliest of branches please grant me your succor?”

Silence.

And then…?

“Grr…unnnngh… You… you!”

And she appeared in a little ball of light. It had been awhile since she last saw her, but the little pixie looked on with hurt in her dark eyes, as if she had been stabbed in the heart that she had been forgotten.

"You're late! Late, late, late!" Feo Ul snapped at her angrily. “I’ve been waiting for you to summon me ever since you came here! Waiting and waiting and waiting!”

She fluttered closer and continued to scold her, “But my sapling didn’t so much as utter my name! Such a heartless thing she is! Cold and cruel and heartless!”

Claire shook her head, trying to apologize and explain how the mist seemed to affect her memory. But the pixie didn’t seem interested in excuses. For some reason, she heard Alisaie huff behind her, but she didn’t really hear what the two of them were saying until Alphinaud was crying out apologizes to his sister. She glanced back to see that she had grabbed him by his collar and looked ready to punch him as he tried to plead at whatever he said was only a joke.

Claire didn’t know what it was about, but she chose to ignore it as Feo Ul observed her with her anger fading as quickly as it had come.

“But just now, you called for me so earnestly, so fervently… I couldn’t possibly stay angry at you,” she cooed gently, “Very well! As your lovely branch, I will lend you my strength!”

Claire was taken aback by that, but she smiled back gratefully and the two of them headed back to the others. But Feo Ul didn’t even give the others a glance as she drifted off to where the other pixies were giggling and talking to each other.

“Well well well! If it isn’t Feo Ul, the {Madblood}!” Sul Uin said as she clearly recognized the other pixie, “It’s been too, too long!”

“Not long enough for you to think of any new games, though, apparently!” Feo Ul snapped back loudly, “If I were you, I’d be bored of myself! Now, let me make something clear: that mortal is mine! No matter what you do, she will never be yours. Never, never, ever!”

The others were shocked at this bit of information.

“Awee, not even a bit? But… what about the others?” the one named Ys lala asked hopefully, “Surely we can keep them?”

“No, no, no! You can’t keep them either!” Feo Ul snapped back angrily, “They’re for my amusement, and mine alone!” She then turned and pointed to Claire as carefully she warned the other pixies, “And if you lay so much as a finger on my sapling, I’ll scatter the contents of her bag all over your precious village!”

Really? Her things? Why?

But surprisingly, that seemed to be enough to get the others attention. They were looking on in horror, and Claire was, strangely, feeling somewhat offended by how they were disgusted by her equipment.

“There’ll be cold, hard metal! Furry, festering food! Stinky, sweaty smallclothes! And… and all manner of other terrible, unmentionable things!” Feo Ul threatened, though it was clear she was struggling to come up with anything else that the others would not like to see, “How would you like that, hmmm?”

One would think that such a threat wasn’t going to work, but to everyone’s statement, it did. They all seemed to droop, like flowers that hadn’t had any water all day, as disenchantment seemed to ring out from each and every single one of them.

“All right, all right…” Oul Sigun sighed in resignation, “But will you not at least let us play with the twins? Just while the others go and see Urianger?”

“Aye, aye, that’s all we ask!” Sul Uin added, “And we promise we’ll play nicely.”

That seemed the best they could get for now, and with nods from each twin, they all agreed.

“…It seems we won’t be joining you,” Alphinaud said with a shrug.

“Aye, hahah!” Ys lala laughed, pleased that they could all come to an understanding, “We’ll reveal the hidden {truth} to you at once!”

Like that, the three pixies flew up high in a dancing circle and when they were directly above them, the air exploded into a bright light. All at once, the fog around them lifted and finally they could see the land that they were in for the first time.

The Exarch had said to her once that he felt she would like the lands of Il Mheg… she could now see why. They were standing in a land that was surrounded on all sides by fields of wildflowers with a large lake as smooth as a mirror down the hills. There were also high mountains that stretched around them, with outcroppings of crystals that shone rainbows around them and tall trees of pines. She could see dancing pixies among abandoned houses that were half buried in flowers… but what really drew her attention was a majestic castle that shone like diamonds and stain glass upon an island in the middle of the lake. There were beautiful butterfly wings shining from the tallest spire that appeared to be made of pure light that continued to cast smaller rainbows across the water.

“So this is the true Il Mheg…” Alisaie whispered in awe as they stared on at the castle.

“It looks like…?” she whispered before her eyes widen in shock. The castle… these lands… they reminded her of… Ishgard? So Il Mheg, or perhaps the kingdom of Veoburt… was this world’s version of the Holy See? No wonder the Exarch thought she would like it.

“How are you feeling?” Thancred asked Minfilia, who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes and Claire felt the urge to do the same, her mind remarkably clear now.

“Better,” Minfilia answered in relief, “I think I remember the way now.”

That seemed to be enough for Thancred, who nodded, and looked up at the rest of them.

“Apologies for the delay,” he said, as if they were on a trip and had taken a slight detour to their destination, “Shall we go and see Urianger?”

Claire nodded before Feo Ul spoke again.

“Your lovely branch is useful, yes?” she asked and before Claire could reassure her, the little pixie continued in a more of a threatening shout, “so whenever you’re in trouble, you must remember to make use of me!”

Claire quickly nodded, promising to do just that before she gave a wave and disappeared.

“Feo Ul certainly has a way with the other pixies,” Minfilia said in an impressed voice as the others all chuckled.

“Send Urianger my regards… and tell him to live somewhere less annoying next time,” Alisaie sighed as the other pixies were looking at them expectantly.

“Will you be…?” Claire asked but they waved their hands at her, reassuring her they could handle it.

“Worry not, we shall be fine,” Alphinaud promised, his hand brushing a little against her own hands, “Go on and find Urianger.”

She smiled back, promising that they would be back as soon as possible, and they took off down the road, leaving the giggling pixies behind them.

“For Alphinaud and Alisaie’s sakes, let us be quick,” Thancred said as he took the lead, “It would be a shame to return only to find that they have been made to play one game too many.”

“Where is Urianger anyway?” she asked before he pointed up the hill where she could see the fainted tip of another building.

“Now the place we seek is the abandoned manor of a nobleman and scholar,” Thancred told her, “The Bookman’s Shelves, it’s called, after the fellow’s vast collection of tomes. An agreeable habitat for our friend, I’m sure you’ll agree.”

“I’m sure that he’s loving it,” Claire stated lightly and Thancred laughed.

“Oh, he’s doing very well here,” he promised, “At least, he was when last I saw him. You would never believe this, but our Urianger is quiet a mischievous soul.”

“Really?” Claire asked curiously and Thancred laughed.

“I don’t know how he did it, but he somehow convinced the pixies he hates it when they boil tea leaves and biscuits every day when he takes a break from studying,” Thancred laughed. “I guess you have to be a troublemaker to make it in these lands.”

Claire laughed with him as they continued down the road. As they walked, she was able to get a clear view of the lake and the glittering castle on top of the hill as they walked down the road. Flower petals floated upon the winds before landing in the mirror-smooth lake, where she was able to get a glimmer of glass windows. There were elegant buildings that stretched along the water’s edge almost completely sunk beneath the waves.

Ruins of what had once been a great kingdom.

A terrible sense of loss suddenly entered into her heart, though she knew not why it was causing this reaction of sorrow. She had been around plenty of ruins before in her life, and never did she feel such a strong since of sadness… not since… ah… not since she first laid eyes upon Zenith.

“And here we are at long last,” Thancred said, interrupting her thoughts, and caused her to look up to find themselves outside a fair-sized manor. Thancred then turned to both her and Minfilia and gave a mock bow as he said, “I give you Urianger’s humble abode. Come, let’s see if he’s home.”

“It’s been quite a while,” Minfilia stated, “I hope Urianger is well.”

She hoped so as well. She would hate to step inside only to find out that he was missing or had been turned into one of those hedge statues. She had noticed no small amount of them scattered here and there around the fields and it sent shivers down her spine.

Thancred walked right up to the door without even bother to knock and opened them up. Her first thoughts were of some sort of workshop or lab where one would find a peaceful place to experiment. The walls all around them were covered with shelves that groaned under the combined weight of countless books. In fact, there were so many books all around them that they couldn’t all fit on the shelves and were stacked around them on the floor and just about every surface that had free space. There were tables and crates set up with papers and tools, delicate instruments that looked like they were used to study the heavens, drying plants hung overhead which filled the entire space up with a slightly medicinal scent combined with the flowers. It was very messy, but a cozy kind of messy that made it feel as if this space had been lived in.

Thancred took one look around before he called out loudly, “Urianger! Are you in?”

For a moment there was nothing but silence. And then…?

“Unto a world weary of heroes, a hero wends her way…” said a familiar deep voice, and she looked up to see Urianger, dressed in long black robe decorated with multiple chains and charms, coming down a flight of stairs from the upper levels. “The Exarch did send word that thou wouldst seek me out, but ne’er did I imagine though wouldst arrive so soon…”

He reached the last step and smiled warmly at them all and she found herself smiling back, finding it a little strange being able to see his face for a change.

“Full glad am I to see thee once more, my friend, and none the worse for they travels,” he said fondly to her.

“It’s good to see you again,” she responded, relieved to see how well he looked. He certainly looked like he had gone through more than a few changes since she last saw him, she could see the muscle that was put onto his arms—though that may be because his arms had always been covered before with long sleeves—and he had what she recognized at once as an Astrologian’s star globe upon his back. She had learned the art of healing with the power of the stars while she had been in Ishgard, and she could recognize an Astrologian when she saw one. It was definitely a change, but one she felt suited him very well.

“Run along, Minfilia,” Thancred said suddenly to the child, who looked up in surprise, “We will met you outside.”

“But…” she began before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a white sack.

“Another one for you to imbue, if you’d be so kind,” he said as he held it out for her to take. She looked like she was about to say something, but after taking one look at his face, seemed to decide against it. She just took it with a silent nod and left, though she didn’t look the least bit happy about it.

They waited until she was gone before Urianger asked them, “I take it thou hast met with our other comrades already?”

Claire nodded and so she told him and Thancred everything that happened to them after their collapse. She informed them both that their bodies were being taken care of back in the Source, and of the battle at the borders with the Garleans. Of how they had reached a stalemate for the time being and the fighting had died out for the most part. She then explained of her own adventures here in Norvrandt since she first arrived, including meeting Vauthry, fighting the sin eaters, the attack at Holminster Switch, and the return of night in Lakeland after the death of one of the Lightwardens. She was just about to explain how they learned of Minfilia and were planning to rescue her when she saw the frown on Urianger’s face.

She paused there for a moment as she studied his concerned expression.

“And thou… thou were able to dispell the Light once the Lightwarden was defeated?” he asked slowly.

Claire nodded and tried to explain a little more of what happened, but found herself struggling to full detail the sensation.

Perhaps he sensed this and smiled as he reassured her, “Thou need not explain thy actions. Full well doth I know of the many miracles that hath performed. It is just a relief to mine own heart to see thee so well after such a trial.”

“Wish I could have been around to see it,” Thancred sighed, “It was a shock to look up only to see the night sky for the first time in five years. It was a sight to behold.”

Claire finished explaining the rest of the story, ending with how they managed to escape with Thancred’s help and have just now escaped the pixies on their way here. Well, most of them did.

At the mention of the twins, she could see the relief in Urianger’s eyes.

“Hmm,” he said after a moment of silence, “That Master Alphinaud and Mistress Alisaie now travel in thy company is of great comfort to me. As for the rest… it beginneth in earnest… the hunting of the Lightwardens, and perforce the war with Eulmore.”

His expression turned deadly serious as he said, “Hark thee, then, to my words, and through them behold the vision that I did glimpse—that of the Eighth Umbral Calamity.”

She had been dreading this moment. While she had heard the basic story from the Exarch, she was going to be forced to hear the whole thing from Urianger’s point of view. And knowing the man, he wasn’t going to skip out on the details for her sake.

She swallowed, which was very difficult in that moment since it felt like her throat was being constricted, as she forced herself to listen.

He let out a long-suffering sigh as he began to tell the story.

“As I drifted hither to the First, traversing the boundary ‘twist reality and potentiality, I did bear witness to events yet to come…” he explained, “There I saw the combined forces of Eorzea and the Far Easter offering fierce resistance to the legions of Garlemald. So fierce, in fact, that they did begin to push the enemy back. Ilm by painful ilm, at first, then yalm by yalm, and malm by malm in time. Yet the joy they felt was short-lived, for in so doing, they did force the Empire’s hand. Faced with defeat, the Garleans turned to a weapon most vile—Black Rose.”

She could see the image in her mind. She didn’t need him to describe the fighting there, since she had seen in before even arriving in this land. The fighting at the borders… their troops in the bright colors of each of the Grand Companies, followed by the proud knights of Ishgard, the brave fighters of the Ala Mhigan Resistance, and the shadowy forces of their Doman allies pushing the Garleans back…?

“Its potency defiled all reckoning,” Urianger went on to explain and she could picture what he was saying so clearly in her mind, “Once released, the gas took on a life of its own, wreaking untold carnage not only in Eorzea, but in the provinces of the Empire besides. From fighters upon the front lines to babes in their beds, none were spared. And as the causalities become too numerous to count, so did the fabric of civilization begin to unravel. Nor did the land itself escape unscathed. For spread from the site of its release, Black Rose brought death to the very soil.”

She could see it… the bodies of countless others scattered around her… people choking and gasping for air… people she knew and cared about all dying before her eyes… She didn’t want to hear anymore.

But the worst was yet to come.

“To survive amidst the chaos and upheaval, men came to live by the sword, the rule of law giving way inevitably, to the rule of might,” he went on, “Thus was the spark struck and the fire kindled, and swiftly did it spread, as a blaze in a field of straw, to engulf every corner of the world. Nations worthy of the name did then cease to exist. And those souls brave and true, who might have risen to restore order…”

He fell silent for an agonizing long time, and she realized that he was having trouble meeting her eyes when he finally finished, “…were no more. For the weapon spared not one. Not even thee.”

The silence was deafening in her ears.

“An endless ages of war, begotten by the blight of Black Rose…” he told her, “Such is the legacy of the Eighth Umbral Calamity which I did behold.”

She knew this much, but it didn’t make hearing the whole thing any easier. She felt sick to her stomach. In fact, she wanted to go and lie down and fight the wave of nausea that was rising up inside her. She forced herself to swallow the disgusting bile that was rising in the back of her throat as Thancred looked slightly green as well.

“No matter the cost, we must forestall this tragedy,” he stated firmly. Now she fully agreed with this… yet before she could lend her own support, she saw something flicker behind Urianger’s eyes and he shut his eyes as if something had hurt him.

But it passed as he went on, “To that end, I have labored during my sojourn in this world, discovering in so doing the answer to a pressing mystery. That of Black Rose’s inexplicable potency.”

What did he mean?

“Come,” he said and he led them to the wall where there was a chart hanging from it.

“Dost thou recognize yonder chart?” he asked her as she took a closer look at it. She recognized it at once, from years of practicing magic—especially with her knowledge of Black and White magic. And the certain elements they use.

“It’s a chart of the elements,” she answered.

“Indeed,” he smiled, as if a teacher would to a pupil who answered a question correctly. “’Tis a rendering of the elemental wheel, such as one might find in classrooms across the Source. As the chart maketh plain, our world is composed of six elements, in addition to which there exist two poles in fundamental opposition. Astral, the active; umbral, the passive. As a reflection of the Source, the First naturally compriseth the selfsame forces, yet curious, there is a notable divergence in their nomenclature. To be specific, the denizens of this world employ not the terms astral and umbral.”

So what did that mean? She was not a highly trained scholar, but she didn’t need one to know that whatever was happening here couldn’t’ be good news to them. And sure enough…?

Urianger eyes were very sympathetic as he explained, “Thus was I moved to inquire what names said forces had been assigned. A simple question which yielded a most unexpected answer… upon demanding the name of the pole aligned with activity and growth, I was told that as life’s myriad colors combine to produce black, the people of the First called it ‘Darkness’. As this did my mind begin to race. Yet ‘twas only when I asked what name had been given to the pole aligned with passivity that mine eyes were opened to the truth. Peace and tranquility being as purest white unmarred by color, I was told, it had been given the name of ‘Light’.”

Ok, so she thought she could follow along. She looked back to the chart and wondered. Though she wasn’t entirely sure she could grasp the full meaning of it… only that it felt that Light… was still and Darkness… was movement?

“That’s umbral light and astral darkness, yes?” Thancred asked, “I’m no aetherologist, but it strikes me that the nomenclature of the First is rooting the generation of the two forces, while our own appears to focus on their effects. Which makes one wonder… have we had it backwards all this time?”

“Tis indeed a compelling question, and one which beareth closer examination,” Urianger agreed, “Yet what knowledge we already possess sufficient to explain the chain of events. The phenomenon of aetheric thinning observed in the Source is the consequence of Light—the power of stasis—flowing in from the First to stifle the movement of aether within the land.”

That was when she remembered how both he and Y’shtola had noticed the strange event on the Source that something was happening to the aether. She had felt worry about it at the time, but now she was starting to realize what was happening. It was because the Source was still tied to the First, and the effects of this world was starting to effect the Source as well.

“And according to Master Alphinaud, Black Rose slayeth by halting the circulation of aether within living beings,” Urianger added, “Should such a weapon be unleashed even as the First were rejoined, replete as it is with Light…”

“…We would have a disaster of untold proportions on our hands,” Thancred summed up for them in one sentence, “A calamity.”

He ran a hand over his face before adding to her, “Well… at least we have a better grasp of what we’re facing. Our objective, however, remains unchanged. We are to eliminate the Lightwarden of Il Mheg.”

That was true. It looked like there was truly no other way around it. If they wanted to save this world, or whatever was left of it, they had to make sure that every last of the Lightwardens was slain. Sounded easy enough, though she better than anyone to think that it would be anything but simple.

“Speaking of which, were you able to ascertain its whereabouts?” Thancred asked Urianger, who nodded sagely back.

“Aye,” he confirmed, “Tis al but certainly ensconced within Lyhe Ghiah, the castle which standeth in the midst of the Lake. To enter said stronghold, we must needs turn to the pixies for aid. Fortunately, I have become quite adept at courting their cooperation.”

He meant that beautiful castle in the middle of the lake? Well, she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. Still, why hadn’t they see it yet? Or any other sin eaters for that matter? One would think that even the pixies would be anxious at the thought of such a powerful eater at the heart of their Kingdom of Rainbows?

But Urianger seemed ready to get going. In fact, he bowed to her and finished, “Henceforth shall I accompany you, and do all in my power to ensure that my vision doth not come to pass.”

She would like that and smiled as she told him, “Welcome aboard.”

“We will be much bolstered for Urianger’s company,” Thancred said in agreement with a clap on Urianger’s shoulder.

So they had a new member to their ragtag travelling party. What a relief to hear.

“My friend,” he said to her lightly as Thancred was checking his gunblade, readying himself for a fight, “Ere I speak of the task at hand, there is a question I would pose to thee. What thinkest though… of mine appearance?”

Claire blinked, a little taken aback that he would ask her what she thought of the change to his appearance. But she answered truthfully, “I really like the changes you’ve gone through since we last saw you. Tell me, did you take up astrology?”

“Indeed,” he said, and he seemed pleased that she knew all about astrology, “Though the night be lost, behind the shroud of blinding light, doubt not but that the stars shine still. I have chosen to avail myself of their guidance, that I might navigate the sea of uncertainty that stretcheth before us. For a blessing, my prior studies of astrology did provide me with adequate grounding in the art.”

Who would have thought that Urianger had the heart of a poet?

But Urianger suddenly noticed how Thancred watching them and he cleared his voice before he added, “But enough of myself. Let us now speak of our task. As I did mention, if we are to enter Lyhe Ghiah, we must needs gain the pixies’ cooperation.”

Oh, she hoped that he had a plan for that then. She wasn’t sure that Feo Ul could command too much from the pixies. It was one thing getting them to lift their spell and leave them alone, another to get them to unlock the doors to the castle where a sin eater was just waiting.

“This is a simple matter of presenting unto them a suitable gift,” Urianger promised and she noticed with some slight annoyance that he was smiling at the thought, as if he knew full well was going through her head at that moment. “I shall procure a selection of viands that shall please their palates. Thancred, pray assist me in this endeavor.”

What? It was that simple to get them to work with them? Hells, if she knew that, she probably could have cooked something up for them.

But Thancred had already agreed to go out and hunt for a verity of ingredients for them while Urianger asked of her, “Meanwhile, Claire, I bid thee obtain that which will please their eyes. In these parts, there abideth a vilekin known for its beauteous wings: the hawker. I shall lend thee a receptacle within which thou mayest capture a weakened specimen.”

Claire had seen a handful of them on their way here and knew that he was talking about those large insects that resembled dragonflies. She wasn’t sure why they would be interested in the wings, but she agreed and went out to hunt down a hawker. She found one barely off the front step off the manor, and hunted the thing down—taking care not to tear the wings.

Once it was dead, she pulled off the delicate wings and marched back to the house with them. But she couldn’t help but notice how the light twinkled off the tissue thin wings, an almost rainbow effect shone off the tips in a beautiful way.

Perhaps she was too quick in judging?

She arrived back at the manor in about fifteen minutes, where Urianger took the wings and began to mount them between a couple frames of glass. He was done in moments, and promised that all they had to do now was finish the rest of their gifts and they would head out. In the meantime, she was free to rest and relax for the moment.

Urianger put a kettle on as they waited for Thancred to return with some ingredients that would be used to make some sweets that the pixies were sure to love. It turned out that the Fae Folk all seemed to have a love for anything sweet, and he was confident that once they deliver their offerings, they will be willing to aid them in entering the castle.

Claire sat down at one of the clustered tables as he severed a few biscuits for her while the tea began to boil.

“Thancred said that you managed to convince the pixies you hate tea?” Claire asked him as she watched him pour the steaming liquid into a couple of cups.

“All that I had done was mention to the pixies that the tea brewed here was too bitter for my tastes,” he explained, but she could see the faint smile in his voice. As he set the cup down in front of her. “And I did prithee that they refrain from bothering me with these treats every few hours so as not to distract from mine own important work.”

Claire laughed. She couldn’t help it.

“I never knew you could be so devious,” she informed him. It was here that she realized that this may be the first time she had been left alone with Urianger. Sure, she had spent time with him before back in the Source, but they were almost always accompanied by another. And after moving to the Rising Stones and him remaining at the Waking Sands… she barely had reason to see him but in important situations.

“How have you been handling all this?” she asked him slowly as he took a steady sip of tea.

He seemed to take his time in answering as he sighed.

“In truth, mine research had not been going as well as I hath hoped,” he confessed carefully, and she noticed that he was now looking at anywhere but at her as he spoke. “I hath hoped to find some way in slaying the Lightwardens without overtaxing thyself and thine own abilities. But it seemth that nothing I found is enough to help.”

“Urianger,” she said, feeling touched at that, “Don’t feel bad. I’m sure that many have been searching for the same answer for decades. I can’t say I’m thrilled about this arrangement… but I don’t think we have time to look for another.”

He didn’t answer, he just kept his head down as he stared at the cup between his hands and a rather solemn expression on his face.

“Besides,” she added sadly, “I gave my word to the Exarch that I would help. And I don’t like going back on my promises.”

Again there was silence. Claire could tell that there was something weighing heavily upon Urianger’s mind and she added to him, “If you’re feeling like you rather not come with us…?”

“No, maketh no mistake, my friend,” he interrupted, “It is mine desire to accompany you in your goal to rid, not only the lands of Il Mheg, but all of Norvrandt of the constant Light from above. I just…?”

He trailed off as she waited.

When he next spoke, she noticed that he had changed the subject when he asked, “Hath thou seen the Exarch before coming here?”

“Hmm? Yes,” she reassured him, “He said to pass on his regards, by the way.”

“Ah, I knew thou he wouldst,” Urianger stated. “After leaving the Crystarium, I would hear from him from time to time. In fact, ‘twas him who first sent word that thou woudst seek me out. But ne’er did I imagine thou wouldst arrive so suddenly?”

“Sorry about that,” she told him, “That’s not a problem, is it?”

“Not at all,” he reassured her as he finally looked up at her with a faint smile. “But pray tell, have thou seen Y’shtola yet?”

“Y’shtola?” Claire repeated, “No, not yet anyway. I think the Exarch said she was in the forest region…?”

“The Ra’tika Greatwood,” he nodded, “I see. Well, it shall not be long before we are reunited with our last comrade.”

“Has she been well?” Claire asked, wanting to know more.

“From last I heard of our friend,” Urianger reassured her gently. “She has taken to this world and its many secrets and wonders like a fish doth take to water.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that,” Claire said. Well, hopefully, once they were done here in Il Mheg, they would be able to head to the Greatwood to meet up with Y’shtola. It would be nice to see her again after all this.

The minutes seemed to stretch on as they sat there quietly and enjoyed the tea and food that Urianger was setting out for her. But after a while, there was a hint of discomfort between them since neither of them seemed keen to talk. Eventually though, Urianger seemed to sense the concern that was coming from her and asked slowly, “Thou art troubled?”

“I was just thinking…” she said carefully, finding it hard to really talk about this.

“About…?” he pressed as she looked up at him.

“You spent a lot of time with the Exarch, haven’t you?” she asked, vaguely realizing that this was probably the longest conversation that the two of them probably ever had.

“A fair bit of time, though it hath been some time since last I had seen him with mine own eyes,” he confessed.

“Then what do you think of him?” she asked and she could have sworn she saw a flicker of worry across his face.

“What dost thou mean?” he asked as Claire finally took a sip of the tea, which warmed up her insides. Despite the beautiful flowers of this land, there was a hint of a chill in the air that she couldn’t quite shake off.

“I don’t know what it is about him…” she explained, “He has been so kind and helpful since I first arrived. But…?”

She paused there, not really sure of how to explain what it was that was troubling her about the Exarch.

“I feel that he knows more than what he says,” she tried to word out, but it didn’t seem to come out like she hoped.

“Thou find it hard to trust in him?” Urianger asked.

“Yes… no… I don’t know,” she sighed, suddenly feeling weary again as that slight headache was starting to return to her. She just took another sip of tea, draining the cup, as she rubbed her temples in an effort to relieve her of the stress that was building up. Urianger watched her movements, almost stiffly, but she didn’t notice as she tried to will herself into calming down.

“Would that I know the answers to give thee to cast aside any doubts thou may have,” Urianger finally commented gently. “But this I do believe. That the Exarch possess a great deal of wisdom and skill both. And is troubled by the plight of his people.”

Claire nodded there.

“I don’t doubt that,” she told him, “I do believe he wants to do whatever he can do to save the First. It’s just that… he just feels so… I feel as though I know him from…?”

But before she could finish trying to describe what was troubling her, Thancred had returned.

Urianger jumped slightly at the doors suddenly being kicked open, and a rather grumpy looking Thancred came in with an armful of flowers and fruits that he had gathered.

“There we go,” he said as he dumped them all on top of the table with them, with Claire having to move the plate of food out of harm’s way as the fruit rolled all over, “Got everything on your list. And let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. This better be worth it, Urianger.”

“Indeed, it is,” Urianger said as he got up. He gave Thancred another cup of tea as he set about to working on the finishing touches of the gifts. She and Thancred watched as he worked, waiting patiently and trusting that he knew what to do from here.

By the time that he was finished, he had three sets of bags of their offerings for the pixies. He was just double and even triple checking that they had everything they needed.

“Tis done. The pixies shall be well pleased with these gifts,” he said in satisfaction to her before his eyes widen slightly and he added, “All lest I forget…”

He went over to some behind them shelves and pulled something from a box. When he returned, he showed her what it was.

A bright white stone decorated with a golden type of metal…? Something that she recognized at once, though she had only seen it a few times before.

“Is that…?” she asked.

“White auracite,” he confirmed before the words were out of her mouth, “Newly forged for thy use. Our mission being to thwart a Rejoining, we will most assuredly cross paths with those who crave the contrary. Our eternal enemies. Thus did I choose to abide in this aether-rich land, the better to fashion a trap for the Ascians’ essence.”

Ah, she had not thought of that yet. Of course, the Ascians were trying to cause this world’s destruction and it was only going to be a matter of time before they realized what they were doing. Or at least, start to wonder why the Eight Umbral Calamity hadn’t happened as soon as they were expecting.

She wanted to ask a few more questions when the doors opened again, and Minfilia had returned.

“May I come in now?” she asked with a slight pout, like she had been told to go to her room and was wondering if her punishment was over yet.

“You may indeed—assuming you’ve finished,” Thancred instructed, sounding more like a parent with every word spoken.

Minfilia approached and handed over the same white pouch that Thancred had given her earlier.

“I did as you asked,” she declared as he took the sack from her. After looking through it for a moment, he seemed satisfied. And for the first time that she had seen, Thancred smiled at the young girl.

“That’s my girl,” he said to her and patted her gently on the head, “Thank you.”

Claire saw how Minfilia smiled happily at the simple gesture, and it seemed to her that Thancred hand seemed to linger there for a moment longer than necessary before he addressed Claire’s questioning look.

“I should probably explain,” he informed her as he tucked the sack to another pouch on his belt, “Though my body remained behind in the Source, its limitations saw fit to accompany me. Which is to say, I cannot manipulate aether. I took up the gunblade for tis defensive advantages, but on account of my little impairment, I cannot imbue the ammunition myself. Luckily for me, Minfilia has quite a talent for it.”

When he said that last part, Claire could have sworn he heard a hint of pride in his voice as the girl seemed to all but light up at the praise.

“Minfilia,” Urianger said suddenly, getting their attention, “Once we set forth, we are not like to return for some while. If thou wouldst choose tomes to take with thee, let it be now.”

“Really?” she asked in surprise and excitement, “May I?”

“Of course, my dear,” he reassured her with a kind smile, “Yet have care thou doest not add overmuch to thy burden, lest I incur Thancred’s ire.”

Minfilia nodded, a beaming grin on her face before she ran off to look at the books upstairs. Until then, Claire hadn’t been sure about the girl. While it was still strange for her to call her Minfilia, she couldn’t help but think of how cute the girl was. Yet when the three of them were alone again, she noticed how Urianger’s expression suddenly darkened to one of concern.

He was looking to Thancred as he asked, “Hast thou spoken to her of thine encounter with the Minfilia of eld?”

She was lost to that statement as she looked to one to the other, expecting an answer. But Thancred refused to meet their gaze as he seemed to be struggling with some inner struggle.

“Well,” he said slowly, “I suppose now is as good a time as any. As you know, I freed young Minfilia from captivity in Eulmore some three years past. Not long after, the two of us journeyed to the south of Amh Araeng. To the edge of the Empty, where the Flood was halted. ‘Twas there that she awakened. The Minfilia of old. My Minfilia…”

Claire stared at him, about to ask what he meant… when that familiar stabbing pain returned to her head. She shut her eyes tightly as the ringing began in her ears… and she was gone.

_*Memory*_

_It had only been a couple weeks since their escape from Eulmore but she was already having her hands full in keeping… Minfilia… safe. _

_She could still remember when she finally reached the small cell where the girl was. She had been expecting a dark cell… not the comfortable and fully furnished room. An appropriate place for the so-called king of Eulmore to keep the Oracle of Light as his prisoner and pet until she reached the end of her days._

_Inside that cell was a little girl, barely even ten summers old, looking through a large tome. The moment that the door opened, she gasped and stared at her with eyes of crystal._

_“You... You are?” _

_The sound of the girl’s voice brought back memories of a little girl she once knew as Ascilia. She stared at her for a long time before holding out her hand, smiling at her in the dark as she said, “Minfilia. It’s time to go.”_

_The moment she told her that they were leaving this room, she saw her smile in the dark and stood up, taking her hand as she was pulled outside the cell for the first time in years. The fight outside of Eulmore was intense, not willing to let go of its longtime prisoner. But after hours of brutal fighting, she managed to make it outside with the girl in tow. _

_They didn’t stop running… not once as they crossed over the fields of Kolushia, where the girl stared about in amazement, and he secured a large amaro for them, with the girl right behind him on the saddle and clung on in terror as they left the ground behind. _

_It was about a week of constant travelling, trying to keep ahead of Eulmore, and especially of Ran’jit, as they crossed over the length and breadth of Norvrandt. Minfilia, gods it still felt so strange to call her that, was staring around in wonder at all that was left of this dying world. Which had gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion though, so distracted by everything around her that she often missed when danger came flying in towards them._

_She then decided that she would teach her how to fight as well._

_As she explained that she wouldn’t always be around to help protect her and that it was good for her to learn at least how to defend herself should that ever happen. She struggled greatly at first, but she was small and light… perfect for using daggers. _

_The Exarch had been kind enough to give the girl a pair when they passed through the Crystarium during their travels, and in their free time… such as when they were settling down to rest, she would tell stories of the world she came from and of her friends. She was amazed to learn that she once knew the first Oracle… the original Minfilia. _

_She would sit and stare at her as she told all the stories she could tell… and the way her eyes lit up at the stories of the Warrior of Light…? _

_“Will I ever get the chance to meet her?” she once asked in awe when she fell silent._

_She didn’t answer right away as she gazed up at the sky that blazed down on them all._

_“She is coming here,” she said, wanting to believe it… but after being trapped here for the last couple years, she knew that things were really starting to grow desperate. She knew the Exarch was doing all he could to bring her here and that her own summoning here was by accident. But she still held onto hope that the spell will work in time. They just had to wait until then._

_Besides, it gave her time to prepare the girl when it came._

_But as they passed through the deserts of Amh Araeng, they were pursued by a couple spies from Eulmore and fled south to wait out the hunt. It was here that the girl slowly turned and began to climb up through the ruins. _

_Angrily, she ran after her, yelling out that these ruins weren’t safe and that she didn’t know how to fight just yet. But that was when she saw the light envelope the girl and when she finally turned around to speak… her voice…? She knew that voice anywhere._

_“M-Minfilia…?” she croaked out, hardly daring to believe it._

_She just smiled and whispered, “Thancred… it has been too long…”_

_It was strange hearing the voice of someone so dear to her coming out of this child, but the only thing she felt at that moment was joy. She wanted to run in and embrace her… to apologize for failing her again and again. _

_But then the smile faded and she suddenly was aware of what was going on._

_“The girl?” she asked, “Is she…?”_

_Minfilia shook her head and answered, “She is here… I am only… borrowing her body for the moment.”_

_She tilted her head up to look at the frozen wave of light that had turned to shining crystal and sighed._

_“It was here that I first stopped the Flood,” she whispered, but she could still hear every word she said. “And so… it is here that my connection is strongest… for so many years have I fought and struggled to keep this world alive. But it seems that the end may yet be in sight.”_

_“The end is in sight? What do you mean by that?” she cried out, not liking the way she said that._

_But Minfilia just smiled._

_“Gods… how long has it been since we last parted ways?” she asked with a fond chuckle. “You should know that it was that thought that kept me going through these many long years.” She looked long and hard… and whispered, “Oh, Thancred. How I have missed you and our friends…?”_

_“It’s alright,” she said quickly, her mind going a million miles per second. “Everything will be alright. I knew that you were still alive! I just knew it! Oh, wait till the others hear this! The Exarch is trying to bring the Warrior of Light here to help save this world and…?”_

_“She’s here…?” Minfilia asked, and for the first time, she seemed startled at that and looked around, as if expecting their mutual friend to appear._

_“Well, no, not yet,” she answered, And she quickly explained all about the Exarch at the Crystarium and how he had accidently summoned her here in Claire’s stead. But hadn’t given up hope in summoning her here all together._

_“He’s going to try the summoning again soon,” he said, “And he’s going to try his best to make sure that he brings her through this time. When that happens, I can bring her here and we can find a way to help you and…?”_

_But her voice died in her throat when Minfilia shook her head at the offer._

_“No, Thancred,” she said firmly._

_“No? What do you mean no?!” she demanded angrily, “Listen, it’ll be alright! You did your part and now we can do ours! We already have a plan being formed on how to save this world! Once we have the Warrior of Light here to help, then the battle will all but be won! You know how she is! She shows up, all hells breaks loose, and somehow we win! And when it’s over, we can bring you home! I know that everyone will be so happy to see you again. And _ _F’lhaminn? Gods, she as lovely as ever! She’ll be so happy to see you safe and…?”_

_But Minfilia was shaking her head again, and she could feel that she was missing something important here._

_“What is it? What’s wrong? Look, I know that it hasn’t been easy, and I’m sorry for keeping you waiting all this time, but it’ll be over soon now! And then…?” she began, “Why do you keep shaking your head?!”_

_“Because it’s too late for me, Thancred,” she answered softly. “I am not as I once was. There can be no going home for me. I’m sorry but…?”_

_“No!” she gasped out, now shaking from rage, “No! No I refuse to believe that! Not after all we’ve been through! You can’t just give up!”_

_“It is out of my hands now, Thancred,” she countered. “I didn’t full realize it at the time, but it was something that I had come to accept as the years went by. But I will never live to see home again.”_

_Minfilia turned her gaze upwards to stare at the bright sky and sighed again._

_“I no longer have the kind of strength to return,” she confessed, and she hugged herself as if she was feeling cold, “All the strength I had… I used in halting the Flood. Since then, I have been forced to use the vessels of young girls to continue on this battle. Only to fail again and again. I am no hero to this world despite the reverence they have shown me. I have held onto hope for so long that I would one day be allowed to return to you and the others… to my family back in the Source… in Eorzea… to the Rising Stones…?” _

_Her voice trailed off and she could hear the pain she was feeling. It all but shattered Thancred’s heart._

_“But I now know that there is no possible way home for me,” she sighed, “I will never live to make it back. I know that now. And it breaks me more than you can imagine.”_

_“What about Claire?” Thancred demanded and she saw how Minfilia flinched at the name of their old friend as if she had been struck, “You made her a promise didn’t you? For all the times that she left and returned to us in triumph?! Remember? You promised to return the favor and return? You mean to break that promise?!”_

_Minfilia just gazed on sadly and Thancred just wanted to tear out hair from desperation._

_“Tell me, tell me!” she shouted, “What must I do to bring you back?!”_

_Why wouldn’t she give a straight answer? Why not just tell her what is going on and how to help her? Whatever it was, she would do it! So long as it was for her, she would walk over every ilm of this whole world or what was left of it if it meant bringing her back. _

_But Minfilia in the borrowed body of the little girl just shook her head. _

_“My dearest Thancred…” she whispered, her head down, “As I am now, I am no different from an Ascian. This child is but a vessel. One of many I have used, that I might spread word of Her enduring blessing and preserve the flame of hope.”_

_She then hugged herself once more, as if trying to keep herself from breaking apart._

_“In my name, each has died never having lived her own life,” she whispered mournfully. “I have taken enough from these children. I will take no more.”_

_“But what of your suffering?” she demanded, stamping her foot, “Your sacrifice!? This isn’t fair! I will not stand for it—I cannot! There must be something we can do. Tell me!”_

_She didn’t like the idea of her using another’s body like that. But surely there had to be another way! She would bring her to the Exarch and keep her safe in the Crystarium until they could find a way to bring her home. Who knows? Maybe even bring the girl with them if they had to. She just… she needed… just something! If Minfilia could just give her a hint to what to do then…?_

_But Minfilia was speaking again, though nothing she said made it any easier to hear. _

_“Should the day come when this child grows weary of fighting, and wishes to cast it all aside…” she decided, “Then shall I take up her burden.”_

_And sacrifice the girl?_

_No, the Minfilia she knew would never do that, especially to a child._

_“But should she wish instead to become the master of her own destiny…” Minfilia then added carefully, “then shall I bequeath to her my all.”_

_But that would mean…?_

_“Imbued with the strength that I reserve for rebirth, she may come to wield my powers as her own,” Minfilia finished firmly, and there was no room here for a misunderstanding. She was fully aware of what would happen… that one day, either she or the child would disappear and there would be only one possessor of that body. _

_Her feelings were conflicting with each other. She didn’t want to accept this newest reincarnation of Minfilia, but he couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her either. But by protecting her, that meant that he would be giving up on…? _

_“And what of my wishes!?” she demanded in a scream, fighting the tears that wanted to fall, trying to remind Minfilia of all that she had worth living for back home in the Source, “What of F’lhaminn’s!? What of all the people who love and care for you and want nothing more than to see you again!?”_

_She saw the flicker of pain over what she said. But with a great effort she took a deep breath and looked straight ahead._

_“It is not their decision to make,” she answered back simply, her hand over her heart, “It is hers. This child’s. This Minfilia’s.”_

_She could think of no comeback as Minfilia turned and a little bit away from her, staring up at the building… the remains of what had once been a thriving city. Just a decaying marvel of what had once been. _

_“You have ever watched over me, Thancred,” she said slowly. _

_But that wasn’t right. _

_Sure, she would keep an eye out for her from time to time… she could remember each and every day she saw her… the day the goobbue ran through the streets of Ul’dah and killed her father in the streets… to the time she would watch her playing with her adopted mother as she taught her the skills she would need to survive… to as she grew older and got a job working as a miner and she would catch glimpses of her in the streets on her way home from a long day of work… to the many times she had gotten herself into trouble and she would step in to protect her no matter what sort of danger she got herself into. _

_But she could have done so much more. She realized that now._

_Minfilia then turned around with that achingly familiar smile._

_“Now I ask that you do the same for her,” she said and Thancred stared at her in shock at what was being asked, “Protect her. Teach her. Stand by her as you stood by me.” _

_Why would she trust her? After all the times she failed her and the others? Why trust in a worthless rouge like her?_

_But that look…? It was so familiar that she couldn’t find it in her to say no._

_“There is much and more she does not know,” Minfilia told her, “She needs a guide to show her the way of the world, or she will never find her own path.”_

_Thancred looked to the ground, knowing that there was nothing else she could say or do to sway her._

_“When the time comes, you will find me here,” Minfilia vowed, “Until that day…”_

_She closed her eyes and at once, fear gripped her._

_“Minfilia, wait!” she cried, terrified of losing her again. But it was too late. When next those crystal eyes opened, she was staring around in confusion and a hint of fear._

_“What… what happened?” she asked, her voice returned to the child-like innocence._

_Thancred didn’t answer her. _

_Couldn’t even look her in the eye._

_*End of memory*_

Claire’s heart was heavy as she returned, sucking in a lungful of air as she felt the pain still wracking through her soul. She was staring at Thancred as she could recall his feelings so perfectly…?

“…And then she was gone,” he said, neither he nor Urianger having noticed her lapse in the conversation. “Minfilia—the girl—claims to have no recollection of any of it. I’ve told her many things—where we came from, what we fight for. But of that day, I have not spoken.”

He was silent as she stared at him.

She knew better than anyone of the conflict that was in his heart. While he didn’t want anything to happen to this girl… he couldn’t just abandon their Minfilia either. So what were they to do? For no matter how this ended, they were sure to lose one more person before this fight with the sin eaters was over.

“How do you want this to end?” she asked him slowly, afraid of the answer.

But he didn’t even look at her. Didn’t so much as move, as if he had become a statue.

Claire looked up to Urianger, who had worry mirrored in his eyes. They both knew that Thancred was taking this hard and that his heart was completely torn in two. He didn’t have a say in this matter, this they all knew, but perhaps that was the hardest part for him. That this was a choice that he could not make?

“With the coming of another possessed of the blessing of Light, the First hath begun to rise up in defiance of its fate,” Urianger said, “The question remaineth, however… who shall take up the flame of hope which Minfilia hath borne for so long? Whether we will it or no, the choice must soon be made.”

But she was just a little girl? Sure, she knew a little how to fight and knew more about the world now than she did before. But how could they still expect her to make such a choice?

Before anything else could be said, they heard footsteps and they looked up to see that the girl had returned with a large tome in her arms.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” she apologized sweetly, “It was so hard to choose. In the end, I settled on just the one.”

“That is well,” Urianger told her kindly as he picked up the gifts they prepared for the pixies. “Now, if all is in order, let us set forth for Lydha Lran.”

They all were acting like nothing had happened, that they didn’t have a discussion of the girl’s possible future. But Claire could see the unease in Thancred’s face as they walked out the door.

“Will you be alright?” she asked him softly as they waited outside for Urianger to place the gifts and Minfilia’s book into a large bag.

Thancred didn’t look at her at first, but he sighed and nodded.

“Let us just move one,” he said firmly, “We have a lot of work to do and that Lightwarden isn’t going to slay itself.”

Yet when he finally looked to her, she could see the shadow of a smile on his face as he joked, “Though, that would make our job much easier, won’t it?”

Claire chuckled at that and nodded back as they set off once more.

They returned to Lydha Lran, where they found a rather haggard appeared set of twins waiting for them.

“When you have a moment, be sure to show your appreciation to the twins,” Thancred whispered, “They’ve endured a great deal on our behalf…”

“I dare not ask what happened in our absence…” Minfilia whispered softly and the two looked up in relief to see the rest of them finally returning.

Alphinaud all but flung himself into her arms.

“You couldn’t have returned at a better time,” he croaked out, sighing in exhaustion, “The pixies had just decided that it would be amusing to have Alisaie and I exchange outfits…”

“Ahaha, thank the gods you arrived when you did,” Alisaie laughed hysterically, looking ready to throw herself at them in a hung for sympathy, “Any later, and I don’t think I would’ve been able to live it down!”

“What happened?” Claire asked worriedly as Urianger smiled back warmly as he approahced the pixie named Sul Uin and had a quiet discussion.

“Don’t ask,” Alisaie countered before glaring at Urianger, as if this was somehow his fault, and demanded, “The next time we are asked to ‘entertain’ the pixies, I expect you to be on your knees and apologizing as a gesture of sympathy!”

But Urianger just chuckled as he reappeared.

“As much as I should like to savor the reunion with Master Alphinaud and Mistress Alisaie, it must wait,” Urianger said to Claire and Alisaie was grumbling irritably, “I have taken the liberty of presenting our gifts unto the pixies; let us see how well they are received.”

“We weren’t expecting you all back so soon,” Sul Uin said to them all eagerly, “We had scarily begun playing with the twins… that said, your gifts are truly wonderful! Let me tell you, the milk and honey and biscuits won’t last a day, and the wings are the loveliest we’ve ever seen! You’ve done us a great kindness, and its fae custom to return the gesture. If you desire anything of us, you need but name it!”

Claire took a deep breath, knowing that they were finally about to get to work. Still, everything she had just learned lingered in the back of her mind. Including the fate of Minfilia and the young girl with them who shared her name.

She wasn’t sure what the right choice was anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Wow, so we have almost reunited with everyone! Now that they have overcome the trouble with the pixies, they must next face the Fauth and their deadly dream-like world! I hope that everyone liked this chapter and the few spins I put on it. I apologize for any confusion during the memory scene, but I wasn’t sure if I should use Claire’s POV or not. Either way, I hope you like what I put in. The next chapter will be coming out on Christmas and it was one of the chapters I’ve really been looking forward too! Also, as a little spoiler for what’s coming, we learn not just the reason that Claire was given her name, but we also see a clue to what brought on that big argument with the twins! How will they react when the Fauth try to take their Warrior away from them? Find out next time! So many feels will be waiting for you then!)


	11. The Keys to the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to confront the Lightwarden of Il Mheg, they must first win four sacred relics to gain entrance into the castle, where both the Lightwarden and the former king Titania waits. But things are never that simple. The pixies have handed over their relic, but now they must go and speak with the Fuath, who are not going to let the chance to play with mortals go by. But at the end, will they keep their promise? Or will they try to claim something, or someone, else?

Claire knew from the beginning that this wasn't going to be an easy endeavor, but that still did nothing to prevent the feelings of absolute dread rising up inside her until it felt like bile at the back of her throat when they approached Sul Uin with their request once the gifts had been passed out. So it was with a slight bit of relief when Urianger stepped forward to speak to the small pixie, who turned their large dark eyes to him with a rather munificent expression

“So, what is it that you desire?” Sul Uin asked curiously, “Rusty old coins like you mortals are wont to collect, perhaps?”

Claire suspected that any who have come here in the past and wished to speak with the pixies must have asked something very similar. If only it were that easy.

“We are resolved to vanquish the Lightwarden of this land,” Urianger confessed in that grave tone of his that betrayed no hint of fooling around, “To that end, we desire entry to Lythe Ghiah.”

Whatever Sul Uin was expecting, it clearly wasn't that. Claire watched as their jaw fell open in shock and they actually fluttered slightly away from them as if afraid that they would catch whatever crazy had settled in their minds.

“What a strange thing to wish for!” the pixie gasped, “You might as well ask for your death!"

Claire had expected Sul Uin to refuse to help or even offer something else in return. Yet, to her surprise, they thought it over for a moment before nodding.

"But if that is what you want, who are we to argue?" they sighed, "Very well, I shall speak with the others.”

Well, that was a little easier than she had been almost expecting. But that didn't mean that she could relax by a long shot. Even if they didn't have a series of long and ridiculous tests waiting for them, as was wont to happen to her, she would still have to deal with a being that was at least on the same level as a primal. 

Sul Uin fluttered away from them, as she readied her mind for bad news and the others began to talk amongst themselves.

“You’ve clearly been busy, Urianger,” Alisaie acknowledged, “Would you be so kind as to tell us what we’ve missed?”

Urianger nodded and quietly explained all that he had learned of this land, including much of what he told her and Thancred about the aether of this world and how it could affect them and the Source should the Light take over. 

With his long explanations, Claire felt her mind drift as she somehow found her gaze drawn to the distance where she could see the castle in the distance. She wasn't sure what it was... but she suddenly felt this sensation of great unease. As if the eyes of the pixies were still on her... but this particular form was much more powerful... and much more dangerous. She stared back, feeling that she was gazing into the eyes of some powerful beast that was just lurking out of sight. 

Something was watching her from the castle... she didn't know how she knew, she could just sense it in the back of her mind. 

It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

“…So that was the purpose of the gifts,” Alphinaud said in understanding, knocking her out of her thoughts and broke whatever spell that seemed to have been cast over her.

“Is there anything you can tell us about this Lightwarden?” Alisaie asked wondrously. 

“Aye, my lady,” he answered gravely, “By circumstances most tragic, the Lightwarden of this land…”

“Is our king and ruler, Titania.”

They all looked up to see Sul Uin had returned.

“It was not always so, of course,” Sul Uin explained a little sadly, “Our king fought the first Lightwarden that threatened our home, you see. Fought it, and won. But all the horrible light that came out went and corrupted them, turning them into a new Lightwarden.”

That must have been how they discovered how the Lightwardens are able to return again and again. She felt her heart going out to this Titania, while that old familiar feeling of dread bloomed in her chest. Did this mean that she would have to slay yet another suffering soul?

Her thoughts suddenly turned back to Nidhogg and she had to fight the groan.

Doing something like that once before was hard enough, she had no wish to ever do so again.

She looked to the castle in the distant once more, suddenly suspecting whose eyes she could feel upon her at that moment.

“Now, they’re king only in name,” Sul Uin explained sadly, not noticing Claire's mood at all, “Naught remains of the wise and just ruler that used to be. We had no choice but to seal them in the castle. The magick for breaking the seal, we divided into four, and wove each into a different relic, to be kept apart until the time was right…”

Claire looked back in time for Sul Uin to pull something long and flowing seemingly out of nowhere; handing it out to her with reverence.

It was a beautiful dress of a light lilac color that reminded her a bit of an evening gown fit for royalty. It flowed over her hands so that it felt light and floaty, with a slight twinkle sewn into the fabric that gave it a slight kick in the light, and looked and felt as if it were made of the loveliest of flowers.

“And this dress is one of them,” Sul Uin explained, “It’s been in our safekeeping for years and years, but we’ve decided to entrust it to you.”

“Are you sure?” Alphinaud questioned uncertainly.

“Of course,” Sul Uin answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, “Custom demands it. Though you’re most certainly going to your deaths, we thought we should at least let you try. That way, we get to watch what happens!”

Claire rolled her eyes at that. The idea of their mad king escaping didn't seem to concern them, did it?

Still... this felt a bit too easy for her liking...?

Sul Uin looked back to Claire and added, as if in afterthought, “Of course, you can’t break the seal unless you have the other relics too."

Ah, there it was. She saw that coming a mile away. She could have sworn she saw a flicker of amusement in Sul Uin's face at the thought of them running around in a panic trying to find the other relics with a sin eater in front of them and the Eulmore army on their tail. 

"So where are the other relics?" Claire asked slowly, her hands gripping the gown a little tighter.

"The shell crown is with the Fauth, the stone scepter is with the Nu Mou, and the crystal shoes are with the amaro," Sul Uin said and Claire felt herself becoming more lost by the second. She had a vague idea to what these Fuath creatures were, but she had never heard of the Nu Mou before, though she suspected that they were another type of Fae Folk. And for the amaro? What did they mean by that? A flock of amaro that were turned wild or something? 

But Sul Uin was already waving them off as they chimed in, "Good luck finding them all.”

Claire looked to Urianger, wondering if any of this made sense to him, and she was glad to see that he was nodding back in understanding.

“The facts thus disclosed confirm mine own understanding,” he answered her questioning look, “Our quest lieth now before us. First, let us hie to the lake, there to claim the shell crown from the Fauth. If we call to them before the Untouchable Gate, they will answer.”

While they didn't have much to go on, they did have a plan, and so they followed Urianger across the fields of flowers and towards the water’s edge of what he called Longmirror Lake.

"Thou mayst not be aware of this," he explained, almost like how a tour guide would explain the history of some fascinating new land to a group of tourists, "But this lake was named when a long ago princess of Voeburt gazed into the lake and saw her own reflection staring back as if it were a hand mirror.

"I can see why," Minfilia said as she gazed out at the crystal clear water. "It seems so peaceful here...?"

"Do not be fooled by the calm and quiet," Urianger warned darkly, "For the only place here in Il Mheg that bringth more danger than the castle is upon the water's edge."

"Because of the Fuath?" Alisaie questioned calmly. "Just what are the Fuath, anyway?"

"Another type of Fae who hath made Il Mheg their home," Urianger calmly explained, "Both like and unlike the pixies... yet just as much, if not even more, dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Alphinaud questioned, now moving to stand on Urianger's other side, farther from the lake. "Such as how dangerous...?"

“I was taught never to talk to the Fauth under any circumstances…” Minfilia whispered suddenly, “Are you sure this is a good idea…?”

“During our sojourns in Il Mheg, we avoided the lake at all costs,” Thancred added with a nod, “Let that suffice to warn you of its dangers.”

Claire really didn't like where this was going. Yet, she hoped that they would be able to listen to reason once they explained the situation. Though, her gut was warning her that anything they try to do will be far from easy. She thought of the Fuath creature who attacked her before during her 'chores' and she had a bad suspicion that they will not be nearly as simple to deal with.

Urianger led them along the water's edge, where she was able to get another closer look at the surrounding mountains. It was here she realized for the first time that they appeared to be in the middle of a wide valley, surrounded by pine forests and tall cliffs, which seemed to keep the area seemingly isolated for the most part. 

It all felt so...?

"Is it just me, or does anyone feel a sense of familiar here?" Alphinaud asked suddenly, getting their attention as he stared up at the castle and the surrounding cliffs, his eyes lingering over the buildings that were almost completely submerged beneath the water... leaving only the tips of their roofs above. 

“What do you mean?” Minfilia asked in confusion, “I thought you said you had never been here before?”

“I haven’t. Though the architecture is vastly different... I cannot help but feel as if I've been here before," Alphinaud explained with a slight questioning look, a cute pout on his face, "Though I know I have never set foot here…?”

"Thou has a sharp eye, Master Alphinaud," Urianger complemented. "I suspected that thou would feel familiar with this land. No doubt, our friend here also feels the same way..."

He added this last part to Claire, who nodded to confirm that.

"It is hardly surprising," he went on, "For in this land, I believith was once the First's version of the Source's Ishgard."

"Ah, no wonder," Alphinaud said as he looked around with more interest. 

"Truly? I didn't really notice it with the lack of snow," Alisaie shrugged.

"Ishgard wasn't always a land of ice and frost," Thancred explained, "It was once covered with large grassy plains and pine trees. It didn't become what it is like today until after the Calamity."

"Ishgard...?" Minfilia questioned slightly.

"Oh, right," Alphinaud said with a glance back at her, "You don't know about Ishgard."

He then went into a long talk with her as he explained the lands to the north in the Source, and of the Dragonsong War and of the people there... and there seemed nothing he didn't want to talk about it as he told them all about their adventures there.

Claire was silent for the moment though as her eyes were drawn back to the castle and she thought more of the towering spires that seemed to pierce the very skies of Coerthas. 

She wondered how everyone was doing right now?

Though she knew that time here was moving at a much faster pace, she couldn't help but feel concern over the problems that were left behind. She was sure that Ser Aymeric was leading the Temple Knights at the borders with the rest of the Alliance, with Lucia surely at his side, and Artoirel doing what he can to honor his House and Ishgard. 

She knew that Lord Edmont must also be worried about all the fighting and of his eldest in possible danger. His other son would be safe, at least for the time being, with their position at Camp Dragonhead, and with Honoroit keeping Emmanellain focused and in line…?

Assuming that they prevent the Black Rose...?

_“For the weapon spared not one. Not even thee.”_

She shook her head, trying to clear those darker thoughts from her mind. Dwelling on something that may not even happen is not going to do her or anyone else any good. She wasn't going to let that happen if she could help it. She didn't want to see Eorzea becoming nothing but ruins where the spirits of the dead are forced to wander.

But her eyes flickered once more to the castle in the distance... so beautiful... but containing something so dangerous.

Titania was waiting from within that castle. She could just sense it.

Something stirred from within her... and it took her a moment for her to realize that it was from the same place where the Light had taken new root inside her body. 

"Claire?"

"Hmm?" she asked, returning to the conversation when she realized that everyone else was looking at her.

"I was just asking if you would like to tell Minfilia of our first time seeing Ishgard?" Alphinaud asked her and Minfilia's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she eagerly listened to such a place as if it were a fantastical tale from a storybook.

"Oh, yes..." she said, unknowingly brushing her hand over her bag where she could feel the dress she had tucked away inside as she talked about the city in the snow.

The group walked over the lands for a couple hours before they reached the eastern most reaches of the lake that they could go. They left the fields of flowers behind and the land stretched out mostly as grasslands, though no less pretty, especially with the towering flower-like trees that overshadowed parts of the road.

There were thick vines that were stretched out from these plants with dangling flowers from the vines... reminding Claire of party lights or decorations. Surely someone must have set them up like this? Something had to have tied those knots...?

Urianger then pointed to the distance where they saw what looked like a small curved archway that was waiting for them.

When they approached the elaborated gate at the water's edge, Claire's spirits sank when she noticed a large amount of leafmen waiting for them.

For a moment, she hoped that they were at the wrong gate. At least, until Urianger stopped.

“Through the gate lieth the domain of the Fauth,” Urianger pointed out onto the water through the gate where Claire could see drifting water lilies upon the unbroken surface. Looking so pretty and innocent...?

“What a lot of leafmen…” Alphinaud gulped in worry, clearly thinking the same thing she was.

“I was about to say the Fauth couldn’t be any more unreasonable than the pixies, but that’s just asking for trouble,” she heard Alisaie mutter to herself.

Claire was already on edge and didn't bother to point out that Alisaie had just stated that, which may just make their job a lot harder.

Urianger stepped up to the gate and called, seemingly to no one in particular, “Hearken to me, O spirits of the water. We are come with an entreaty.”

Nothing happened. Not even a tiny ripple in the water to show that anyone was listening. After about a minute of silence, Thancred stated slowly, “Not in a talkative mood, apparently."

“I’m not exactly sure how the gate works…” Alisaie stated with a frown, “But if the Fauth are water spirits, perhaps we should take our search into the lake.”

Well, that wouldn't be a problem for her or Alisaie thanks to the Kojin's blessing. But what of the others? Alphinaud had already visibly paled at the very suggestion of going into the water.

“O-Oh?” he asked jerkily, “I…I suppose a brief dip wouldn’t hurt…”

Claire couldn't help but smile slightly, finding it slightly endearing.

Alisaie, however, ignored him and looked around at the rest of them to figure out the best way to go about this.

“We all know Thancred swims like an eel, but what about you, Minfilia?” she asked the younger girl.

“I can swim well enough,” she promised sweetly, “Thancred taught me.”

“Excellent!” Alisaie said eagerly, before looking to Urianger and asked, “What about you, Urianger? I’m not sure I’ve ever asked.”

Urianger was almost comically silent for a very long time. His eyes were closed as if he were building up some kind of dramatic suspense before he cleared his throat.

“…Rather than swim, mayhap it would be more… expeditious to walk upon the surface by means of magic,” he offered.

Well that took everyone by surprise—well, everyone but Thancred who was laughing out good-naturedly at the hilarity of the situation.

But Alphinaud could not have looked more thrilled at this unexpected twist.

“You too, Urianger?” Alphinaud gasped in a mixture of relief and elation as Alisaie was shaking her head at this development. “That you should be a kindred spirit! Worry not, my friend. I know some helpful tricks, and I should be more than happy to share them with you. Together, we shall conquer the waves!”

Urianger was taken aback by Alphinaud's enthusiasm and Claire had to fight back the laugh that was threatening to spill from her lips. 

But it turned out that they weren't as alone as they thought; they did have an audience watching after all.

_“Well, well, aren’t we a lively lot!”_ gargled up a watery voice, immediately drawing their attention as it added, _“And you have an entreaty for us, you say? An entreaty from mortals—what a treat!”_

They looked around, but didn’t see anything. That was when she realized that it was coming straight from the water.

“Aye,” Urianger called in answer, “My comrades and I are on a quest to vanquish the Lightwarden. To that end, we would humbly beg the loan of the shell crown, which we are given to understand is in the safekeeping of your people.”

_“Oh?”_ the voice asked again and this time Claire saw a few bubbles upon the top of the water, _“Is that all? Of course, of course! You may have it! You shall have it!!”_

Really? That seemed unlikely to her. Very rarely did someone willingly give away something that they needed without a fight. What was the catch? 

She even felt her hand brush against her sword, readying for any form of treachery.

“Just like that?” Thancred called, just as suspicious as she felt, “What do you want from us?”

_“Ohoho, no need to be so suspicious!”_ the watery voice laughed, _“The crown simply doesn’t mean much to us, is all. As a matter of fact, nothing means much to us. For we Fauth, it’s over before it’s begun, and we couldn’t care less what becomes of the faerie king, nor the world for that matter.”_

It took them all a moment to fully grasp what they said. 

There was something very... dark about these creatures. Claire suddenly remembered what Minfilia said about how pixies were born from the souls of children... what could the Fuath have come from?

_“Having said that… we do so seldom have mortal visitors, and it would seem a shame not to make the most of you,”_ the voice added after a moment of suspense and Claire fought the urge to groan, seeing exactly where this was going.

_“Touch the Untouchable Gate, and come hither to our domain, Dohn Mheg,"_ the voice instructed, _"In your tongue, it means forbidden realm. Sounds forbidding, yes? And so it should, for we are one with the water, our home wrought of ripples and waves and currents. Find your way through. Give us thrilling sprot. And we will give you the crown!”_

And with those words, the bubbling water stopped and became still.

They all looked at each other as they grasped what they just were told. Out of all of them, only Urianger didn't look surprised by this outcome.

“Twas never like to be simple,” Urianger sighed as they tried to decide what to do from here, “Hard though it may seem to believe, the Fauth’s love of games surpasseth even that of the pixies. And in the name of their games, full many men have drowned. We must needs take all care if we are to avoid meeting a watery end.”

“So they desire sport,” Alphinaud said in a deadly serious voice, his gaze upon the water apprehensively, “It seems safe to say we must proceed fully prepared.”

“I’ll take sport over pixie chores,” Alisaie countered, sounding ready to take on an entire army of Fuath if she thought it would help. “Let’s give the Fauth what they want.”

Claire was now really wondering what the pixies put her through to bring this on. 

“When we sally forth, allow me to lead the van,” Thancred offered with a grin and punching his fists together, “Bearing the brunt is my specialty these days. While I was in imperial territory, I learned how to wield the gunblade, but I subsequently let my skills go to rust for want of the ability to replenish my own ammunition. When I decided to rescue Minfilia, however, I knew I needed a more defensively-minded style, so I placed a special order at the Crystalline Mean, and the rest is history.”

“I can fight too,” Minfilia told her earnestly, “I promise I won’t be a burden.”

After a few minutes discussion this, they would dive down together and face whatever the Fuath had prepared for them in two groups. Now Claire would be the one to lead the party, but they didn't want to send everyone in on just one wave. As Urianger pointed out, it was best to go in with one group and the others would bring up the rear... ensuring that no one would attack them from behind or to ensure a clear escape should something happen.

Now since Alphinaud and Urianger both were specializing in healing, they decided to split them up, and the same for Thancred and Claire for the time being. 

Thancred agreed to follow behind with Urianger and they would take care of any Fuath that tried to launch a surprise attack. Leaving Claire to lead the way in with the twins and Minfilia.

Minfilia was taken aback at this decision, and looked so startled when Thancred insisted that she go with them. 

"I won't be able to use any ammunition with you in their group," he said giving her a slight push in the back to follow after them, "But we'll be right behind you should anything happen."

She looked nervous and Claire couldn't help but notice how the girl's eyes flicked over to her in worry before she nodded to Thancred. 

Claire, who was checking the state of her sword—one that she had managed to repair some of the damage since the last battle that she was in—hopefully it should last long enough for her to find another replacement, and pretended not to notice the girl's apprehension. It was only natural that she would feel uncomfortable leaving Thancred's side and be running through a dangerous location with people she had just met.

"That's my girl," Thancred said as he patted her on the head and Claire noticed the smile on Minfilia’s face whenever he did that.

Before they entered through the portal, Thancred added to Claire, "I'll leave her in your capable hands. You look after everyone for me, won't you? Urianger and I will be right behind you.”

Claire nodded and stepped through the gate with Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Minfilia right behind her. Readying themselves for whatever the Fuath had planned for them.

Though, she doubted that anything she could have done could have prepared her for what was waiting for them. She wasn’t sure what they were expecting, but this was one show she did not imagine before.

As soon as she stepped through the gate, it felt like she had walked through a giant bubble and when it popped… she had to blink a few times to make sure that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. They had left behind the lake and fields to find themselves standing upon a hill with a night sky above them, with long hedges and gardens in full bloom. It was beautiful and vast, though there with spores and petals that twinkled about them. Many different glittering butterflies that glows with a soft light, and though there were no signs of the lake or anything else familiar, the scent of water and flowers filled her nose.

So this is the realm of the water spirits…? She had seen plenty of glamour’s before, but this one had to be the best one yet; if not the biggest one.

She could hear the others behind her gasp in awe as they looked around.

“That this should all be an illusion…” Alphinaud whispered with wide eyes.

“It’s like being in a dream…” Minfilia whispered agreed, staring this way and that as she tried to get a good view of everything around her.

“Yet the dangers of this dream are very real,” came Urianger’s grim warning, and Claire looked to see that the other two of their band had appeared behind them, “Be not distracted by its beauty.”

They both stood guard at the exit, while Claire went on ahead down the grassy slope, the other three directly behind them. She would have like the chance to explore this whole realm properly, but there was no chance of that happening. For no sooner did they begin to look around the corners of the hedges, did they find a Fuath waiting for them.

They were squat creatures with blue and slimy skin, enormous eyes that seemed to take up most of their faces, and tiny mouths curled into mischievous grins. They also had large feet with elongated toes and webbed, the same with their hands and long fingers that were all clenching small canes that were perfect for their size. It seemed that they decided to dress their best for this game of theirs as well, for they were all wearing perfectly tailored coats and vests and even matching top hats upon their rounds heads.

As soon as the Fuath saw her though, it leapt up excitedly while a few of the others giggled and ran on ahead of them, some even diving through the hedges to hide.

But there was still one waiting for them with some floating anemone, and began to chant, “What is love, water is life!” And suddenly water aether flowed out of him and to one of the anemone as he finished, “Drink up, ye parched souls!”

“Is that a Fuath?” Minfilia asked her with her head tilted slightly, “What’s it doing?”

“A Fuath!” Alisaie agreed before struggling to figure out to describe what it was doing, “And it’s… watering the plants?”

“Watering the plants?” Alphinaud repeated with a dark look in his eyes and shook his head, “Nay strengthening them.”

That was what it looked like to her. The water it was giving to the anemone was slowly causing it to grow larger and larger. They had to take down the Fuath first before they could focus on the anemone, in fear that it may cause them all to grow larger and stronger as well.

She leapt forward, her cracked greatsword ringing with an ominous tune as she brought it down. She didn’t want to risk killing the Fuath though, in case the others got upset and refused to give them the crown, but she was all for knocking them out. The others rushed in behind her, with Alphinaud focusing on healing the party, Alisaie at her side dealing out as much damage as they could while Minfilia dashed here and there dealing damage wherever she could.

Their progress was slow, but steady. Which was better than a lot of other parties that she had travelled with through the years. Everyone seemed to know exactly what to do and when to do it. Though she noticed that they all seemed to be forming around her, almost like they were hoping to shield her from the worst of the attacks that were coming their way.

While she appreciated the thought, in this case, she was the one to charge in and draw the enemy’s damage onto her.

They continued on down the path as more living plants tried to block them from going further, but they quickly wilted under the constant onslaught. Eventually, their path led them through a pathway with tall trees with curved trunks and hanging branches over them. As soon as they stepped up to it, flowers sprouted from the branches and flower petals began to fall.

“Oh, my!” Minfilia gasped, her eyes wide with wonder as the petals clung to her hair, “Did you see the flowers?”

“Such breathtaking scenery…” Alisaie added in equal amazement.

Well, they weren’t wrong. She had definitely been in worse places, and she found it hard not to pause slightly to admire their beauty before running right into some giant moths and killer butterflies.

After some time, they came to a gate that was made of thickly woven vines that was tightly shut, refusing to open, especially with more creatures standing in front of it, as well as the Fuath.

“They’ll be no wilted flowers on my watch!” it called and began to water the plants around him, and they had to weave their way around the attacks before forcing the gate open and turning around a corner to where they came to a shallow pond and a Fuath, the largest one yet and the color of bright green, was waiting for them.

He bowed low and introduced himself as Aenc Thon, before laughing out, “Ah, our guests have arrived!”

“Their leader, if I’m not mistaken,” Alphinaud said, “Ware its glamours.”

She nodded before they stepped into the bond and splashed their way over to him.

She pulled him away from the others and kept his focus while the others attacked from behind. Aenc Thon laughed as he hopped about them, throwing out water shots at them; proving that he was no push over. At one point, he transformed his cane into a hammer and smacked her with it, where it clanged against her sword with so much force that more spider-web cracks appeared throughout the weapon.

“It’s the Fuath way to give guests a smashing welcome!” he informed them before moving to the center of the pond and began to bathe in red aether—which caused the water around them to bubble up.

“Oh yes, we’ll smash you!” Aenc Thon warned, “To bits and pieces!”

“Geysers are going to erupt!” she warned to the others, moving to stand as far from the ones that were threatening to go off first, as she could get. The others scrambled to avoid the blast, though Minfilia wasn’t fast enough to avoid it and was sent flying upwards with a scream.

She came falling back down and landed hard in the muddy water, wheezing for air, before leaping back up. More geysers erupted, and though they weren’t as harmful as they could have been, if you got hit, you were sent flying upwards… which stunned one on their way back down.

Once the spell had worn off and Aenc Thon let the water flow back to normal, he came charging at them again, laughing all the way.

Thankfully, it looked like they had seen all of his tricks and so Claire could predict what he was going to do easily enough, and was able to shift between attacking and evading depending on the attacks that he used.

Finally, they weakened him to a point that he lost his control over the water—or decided that he simply had enough pain—and moved back, heading to the woven gate behind them.

“Bravo, bravo!” Aenc Thon called, “Very impressive!”

They were all rather taken back by his sudden departure, and it took a few seconds for them to realize that they were allowed to move on.

“We did it!” Minfilia said. “We won!”

“Yeah… for now,” Claire said, soaked to the bone and took off a piece of her armor, which was cracking from the impacts of the water, and moved on to follow through the gate. As soon as they stepped through though, everything changed… leaving the night behind them, they were suddenly standing upon what looked like the edge of a forest with a bright summer sun hanging over them in a clear blue sky. It truly was a beautiful sight to see and Claire savored the feeling of the warm sun on her skin as the others caught up.

“Look!” Minfilia gasped with a point passed the gate, “The landscape is changing!”

“More illusions?” Alisaie sighed, “You have to hand it to them…”

They went on where more creatures, including moving trees were waiting for them. Here it looked like they were running under the trunks and roots of trees at this point with more flowers decorating the landscape alongside a river.

They followed the trail that was set up before them, until it looked like it led them to a dead end… with only a deep gorge waiting for them.

That was when something large fell on top of them, followed by some very loud buzzing.

“Oh dear, I seem to have dropped a wasp nest! How very clumsy of me!” one of the Fuath laughed wildly from the branches directly above them, narrowly missing the rest of them when the wasp next broke open and furious wasps emerged.

“A wasp next? Really?” Alisaie groaned, her rapier already in her hands.

Not very original these Fuath, were they?

“They certainly have no shortage of ideas,” Alphinaud grunted as they fought against the wasps. Though when Alisaie moved in first, she was suddenly bombarded on all sides by deadly stingers, which caused Claire’s anger to flare up and she stood in front of her to take all the stingers at once.

Alisaie looked started at that, but quickly snapped out of it as she began to clean up.

The moment that the last wasp was swatted down, beside them a tree sprouted large leaves that acted like stepping stones or stairs across the gorge where they could climb up to the cliff. The leaves shook and felt like they were about to fall off at any moment, but they managed to scramble up them long enough to reach the road continuing on. Too bad for them that they were filled with even more creatures, including what looked like an overgrown bear that had flowers growing out of its head and moving mushrooms that dragged their spider-like bodies over the moment they sensed them there.

“My apologies, but accidents do happen!” the Dohnfast Fuath laughed around them and Claire no long felt sorry for beating them up. On the contrary, they looked like they enjoyed every punch and hit that they dished out.

“Come and play in my beautiful garden!” the Dohnfast Fuath continued to taunt them as it caused the moving trees around it to grow at a quick rate.

When it looked like they hit another dead end, more leaves sprouted from the tree and offered them a ramp to climb up. When they reached the top, they an enormous lake—larger than even Longmirror Lake—waiting for them, as well as a creature waiting in the clearing before them.

“What is it?” Claire asked, watching how the creature, which looked like a mixture between a dragon and a flowering tree, hissed furiously at them. Its skin looked to be as thick as a tree trunk, while branches and leaves were growing upon its back before revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Lovely, a leaf monster,” Alisaie sighed.

It didn’t look that dangerous compared to some of the other larger beasts they passed. It was tiny compared to what she was used to dealing with and it could only snap at her when they attacked. Yet, it managed to throw everyone off as it moved to the center of the clearing and roared out so that several sapling-like creatures fell from the trees overhead. They landed hard before blinking weary eyes at them before connecting to the leaf creature with beams of water aether and she could suddenly see where this was going—especially after seeing what the Fuath could do to normal plants.

She ran into one of the tethers, calling for the others to do the same thing. They did what they were told like they were trained for it, and soon all but one of the tethers had someone on it. And when the saplings faded, she could feel strength suddenly pounding in her body as she began to grow. Their foe grew as well, but it was only with a fragment of the normal strength it would have gotten had it gotten all five tethers.

The others also grew and Alisaie let out a wild laugh at what happened as she charged in and rammed her rapier into the beasts’ eye, causing it to roar in pain.

The move then caused roots to spring up around their feet and wrapped around their legs to prevent them from moving. She tried to pull herself free, but she might as well have been wearing shackles. Before they could do anymore damage, they first had to free themselves… which caused her heart to stop for a moment when she realized that Alphinaud was now being targeted by the leaf monster and he was still woven in with the roots.

She felt rage boiling inside her at the sight and jumped, doing a flip and slicing right through the vines and giving him time to roll to safety.

She made it clear that if it wanted to get to them, they would have to get through her first and foremost. The fighting went on and on before more saplings fell and tried to give more strength to the creature, and they would do their best to stand in the tether’s way before that could happen. At one point, it tried to trap them in roots while the saplings tried to power up the leaf monster at once. It was a narrow move for them since they first had to free their feet before they could continue denying their enemy the power boost.

They finally shattered through the defenses and struck the heart beneath the trunk-like skin—where the beast finally rolled over and laid still.

“Nothing to it,” Alisaie said eagerly, looking up and around before frowning when she realized that she didn’t know where to go from here.

Claire also looked around, wondering where they were to go from here… at least until she saw something glinting upon the water on the vast lake before them. She ran to the water’s edge, wondering if they were supposed to swim now, when something arose from the water.

A sparkling palace of aqua-colored stone appeared in the distance, shining from the illusion sun from directly above, and the gates opened wide as if the mouth of some giant creature waiting to swallow them whole.

“A palace of water,” Minfilia gasped, stepping up to stand with Claire, “It’s like something out of a faerie tale…”

“Except we’re the ones in the tale,” she countered, knowing that they were nearing the end at this point, “Be careful!”

Claire stepped out, ready to dive, but the moment her foot came into contact with the water she realized that it was solid. She stared down, testing the strange sensation of walking on water with a single foot, feeling like she was stepping on thin ice before bringing all of her weight to bear.

She heard gasps of shock from directly behind her, but she didn’t need any more conviction, and began to run across the water, heading straight to the palace in the distance.

She heard the splash of footfalls behind her as they all made a dash for the shining palace. They ran across this illusion lake until they reached the palace proper, where the front doors were waiting for them, wide open. They ran up the steps together and entered the entrance hall of the palace, where there was water everywhere.

It truly was like something out of a dream or a fairy tale… an enchanted castle, where there were pools of water and waterfalls falling from the walls. It felt like she was in a giant aquarium, with giant bubbles floating in the air about them with even more Fuath watching them. They were cheering them on, egging them to go on even further, as if they were watching a grand performance, instead of intruders inside their own home.

“Welcome!” called the Dhonfast Fauth, “Welcome to our humble palace.”

“Keep running! You’re almost there!” another shouted from their bubble of water and pointed to the only flight of stairs in front of them. There was hardly any floor below them, instead there was slick marble that seemed to be floating directly above the water while water pooled in and out.

Claire could feel the unsettling sensation of being watched clearer than ever at this point and knew that there must be dozens, if not hundreds of eyes watching them all perform like trained pets.

But as they ran up the stairs, they found it… sitting up upon a pedestal was a glittery crown encased in an orb of water.

“The crown!” Minfilia gasped in excitement, “We found it!”

No, this was way too obvious. Still, she didn’t see where else they were supposed to go from here, and suspected that they set this up so that it would be impossible for them to go any further unless they walked into it.

So, gritting her teeth, she marched up to it and plunged her hand straight into the water… only for it to vanish and several graceful forms of Undine, she those she had seen stalking about the edge of Longmirror Lake outside.

“Aww, it’s a fake! You’ll just have to keep going!” the Fuath taunted as the Undine sprang from the water at their feet and glided over to attack them.

Thankfully, they weren’t that tough to kill and they watched them burst like balloons and turn into foam and water.

“This way,” Claire said, though she felt the disapproving looks shot her way from the twins at how she chose to handle that. But she was much keener than she was prepared to admit that she wanted to get out as soon as possible, and she knew that there would be time to explain her actions later.

Which turned out to be the right decision for as soon as the Undine fell, a watery pathway opened up to the next floor where they found themselves face to face with several more of their ‘hosts’. There were Fuath and large, horse-like, Kelpies stalking the halls waiting for them as they raced through—though they were more interested in seeing what they were capable of rather than trying to stop them.

“Not that way!” Claire shouted with Alphinaud and Minfilia were hesitating on which path to take now when they came to a fork that had two other hallways to choose from.

“How do you know where to go?!” Alisaie panted as they ran passed many other halls and walkways.

“I can tell where they are gathering!” she called back as she stuck her sword, where the cracks were now crossing over each other and she could feel the blade starting to become brittle with every stroke. She could feel true concern that her sword was going to completely shatter at this rate.

But she did speak the truth on knowing where they needed to be. Claire could tell that this palace was even larger than they first thought, but she could already sense a powerful force of aether somewhere above them and knew where they needed to go. Either it was from the Echo or years of experience of dangerous situations, but she had learned to be able to sense where the strongest foes were hiding out within a certain location. In this one’s case, the master of the castle was waiting for them and she was making sure to take the shortest route to get to it.

They came to another platform where enormous water spirits that resembled enormous blue bombs, and several more Undine were waiting for them. After their untimely deaths, yet another water way opened up for them, which led to another platform… which led to one after that. But they were getting close, she could tell that they were pulling out all the stops now, and they had to focus on the final boss that was standing between them and the crown.

“More!” the Fuath, who were watching from the floating water spheres, cheered out wildly, waving their hats and canes around, “We want to see more!”

Their last few foes fell, and they carved their way upwards to the final level, which led to a vast all around them. It was just as elegant and graceful as the rest of the palace, resembling a sort of throne room, and Claire could not find any doors or paths they could take.

But there, at the top of the hall stood a pedestal, and there floating within another container of light and water… was the glowing crown.

But, like she thought, someone was waiting for them.

It was the same chieftain from before, Aenc Thon, and he was waiting for them with a flash of excitement in his face before leaping up to transform. Suddenly he was a giant, standing right over them, dressed in the finest clothes of a gentlemen including a perfectly tailored tailcoat suit, feathered top hat, and his can had transformed into the bow for what looked like a violin attached to the cape around his shoulders.

His face, however remained very much the same, though much smaller for the large body that it was perched on top of. He ran the bow over the strings, releasing a loud noise before pointing it at them like a sword.

“That’s a nice illusion,” Alisaie called, waving her own rapier around, “But you can’t fool us.”

“This time we’ll really have the crown!” Minfilia promised.

But Aenc Thon just laughed as they ran for them.

“Time for a musical interlude!” he cried and began to play his instrument, barely noticing the attack going on around his legs. Claire could sense something coming and ordered the others to tur their back on him. She was glad to see that they obeyed without question and she turned her back in time to avoid the transformation spell. She had seen that one too many times before and had no desire to turn into a frog, or who knows what else could have come from that spell.

They began to dance about him, swaying this way and that, where their foe seemed to want to take his time enjoying the battle rather than just finishing them off. She wasn’t sure if that was a refreshing change from the long list of foes that usually wanted to try and eat her or not.

“O sweet melody, take phantasmic form!” he cried suddenly, leaping to the middle of the room and suddenly she felt as if a great wind came from the crown behind her and she was sent flying backwards with the others. They landed just inside the doorway and when she looked up, she saw that the floor between them and Aenc Thon had vanished. Instead, there was now a deep pit between them as Aenc Thon began to play once more, and the only thing that connected them from one side to the other was a glowing and narrow pathway woven from light that stretched this way and that, forming a crooked walkway.

“Is this an illusion too!?” Alphinaud gasped as he got up and they ran to the edge of the walkway. It was certainly narrow, barely large enough for someone to stand on it with both feet.

“W-We’re supposed to cross this?” Minfilia stuttered fretfully, looking petrified as they looked down where the pit was so deep that it was too dark to tell if there was even a bottom.

“Oh come now!” Alisaie called as she broke into a sprint the whole way without stopping, despite Alphinaud and Claire calling out for her to be careful, “We know this is an illusion!”

She didn’t stop until she reached the opposite side, and leapt through the barrier to continue fighting Aenc Thon. Claire moved next with Alphinaud and finally Minfilia right behind her. The trickiest part of moving were the corners. One false move, and she could end up falling right through… and though she knew that it was an illusion, she rather not test it and see what happened right now.

She had already moved to the first turn when Minfilia stepped up and she could hear the girl gulping to herself, holding her arms out to balance herself, and say, “Slowly now… One step at a time…”

Alphinaud was moving a little faster, and he also was holding his arms out to hold his balance, and he was watching his feet moving cautiously. Claire had just made it to the opposite side and began to join Alisaie in dealing damage when Alphinaud saw the two of them there and it lit a fire in him.

“I’m not afraid… I’m not afraid…” he chanted and ran the rest of the way, his carbuncle right behind him and he leapt to the other side rather clumsily, but still made it in time to help them deal enough damage to knock Aenc Thon around and interrupt his spell.

The spell faded and the pit vanished, leaving Minfilia, who had just about reached the other end, looking around with a bewildered expression.

“You mastered the melody!” Aenc Thon laughed as he fell to his knees in pain, “Bravo!”

Minfilia had her daggers back in hand and dashed in to make up for lost time and they began to really wear him down. Just as it looked like they were gaining the upper hand, Aenc Thon leapt back to the center of the room and was playing another song.

“For you, I will play a song… of terror!”

To say that this fight just got ugly would have been an understatement.

She had no idea what was coming, only that there was a flash and they were all blinded by light. She closed her eyes tightly, the brightest actually painful and she was actually afraid she would go blind from the flash. When it died down, she forced her eyes open a crack to see what was going on. She saw spots first when she opened them… only for her mouth to drop at the sight.

Aenc Thon had taken on a new form, and it was not an improvement. This time it was a slathering grotesque form, slimy and fat, swollen like something that had died a week ago—and smelled like it as well—with four large tentacles attacked at the bottom where feet would usually be. It looked like someone had taken clay and carved jagged mouths with sharp teeth one on top of each other, with gorilla thick arms at the top and wriggling head at the top. But perhaps the worst part was the belly, where she could see an enormous mouth and tongue rolling out as it slavered over the ground.

“Ahh! It’s hideous!” Minfilia screamed out in terror, actually dropping her daggers in shock.

“A voidsent?” Alphinaud asked, and his hands were trembling at the sight of the new form, “Or yet another illusion?”

Alisaie just looked green in the face as she gasped, “Makes me feel dirty just to look at it!”

As for Claire? They just brought back painful memories of Eureka.

“Just stay away from its mouths and tentacles!” she called as they began to fight the shade of fear. Not that it made it easy, for its tentacles was thrashing about at her. At one point it opened its wide mouth and a corrosive bile burst forth, forcing her to move to the side as the bile was spit up onto the floor and vanished moments later.

When that didn’t work, it raised up its four tentacles and slam them down in a line attack all around them. She could feel the beating from its tentacles and wondered how an illusion could possibly hurt when it wasn’t real. Feeling that she was fighting off a concussion from the impact, she watched as Aenc Thon turned back into the previous form—possibly using up too much strength while in that disgusting form.

“Give me a crescendo!” he cried, “Give me a fortissimo!”

In the span of a heartbeat, she wished she had her harp here just to taunt him.

But there didn’t seem to be a problem now. It was when it tried to transform again when it realized that the damage was too great and that it turned itself into a toad, completely at their mercy. By the time that he reverted back when the transformation was over, the shape was too much for him to hold and the final blow had been dealt… with half of Claire’s sword breaking off in the wild slash. But the final act of the sword had been enough.

Aenc Thon fell back and burst into water, seeping onto the floor and disappearing… but also leaving behind something else…? Something long and sharp upon the ground where it had fallen?

Claire was panting hard as she shift the sword, or what was left of it onto her back and watched on. She didn’t say anything, just watched with a grim expression, feeling as if her heart had grown so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Claire didn’t say anything. She just watched on, feeling her heart grow heavy.

“Phew, we did it…” Alphinaud panted.

“Is… Is it over?” Minfilia gasped, her daggers still drawn.

“I daresay they’ve had their fill of sport.”

Exhausted, Claire glanced back in time to see that both Urianger and Thancred had finally caught up to them—probably worried over how long they were taking and decided to rush in and see if they could help. And aside from a cut on Thancred’s face, they both looked to be in good health. Urianger was glancing around curiously at the throne room and she heard him whisper, “Their mastery over glamour’s is truly astounding.”

“Time to collect our prize,” Alisaie agreed as they readied to take the crown as Claire looked to where Aenc Thon had fallen… and she stared at what the object was. It was a beautiful blade that had graceful vines woven in the metal and flowers blooming out of it and was as beautiful as it was sharp. Despite feeling that this was all part of a trap, she knew she needed a replacement now and picked up the sword, examining it as the others looked ready to make a retreat as soon as they grabbed the crown.

Claire was breathing hard as she wiped her sweaty bangs from her eyes. As far as she could see, there was nowhere else to go from here and they had found the crown. At least, she hoped it was the real thing this time.

But now what were they to do? Surely the Fuath had their fill of fun by now?

She couldn’t see anything no matter where she looked, but she knew that they were still watching her, she could feel their eyes upon her.

“Hah hah! Well fought, well fought!” an amused Fauth called, startling her. That was when she saw where the feeling of being watched was coming from.

The water.

She could see pairs of glowing yellow eyes looking at them from just below the surface of the water that surrounded them. And as she looked more closely, she could see even more pairs of eyes appearing in the pool around them and then there were cheers ringing out like an audience to a grand event.

There were so many eyes and cheers going on, she couldn’t tell how many they were up against. Yet, it didn’t seem like they were interested in fighting this time.

“Bah, you do not hold back!”

They all turned around to see the same Fuath from before standing in the doorway. Rather than take on his taller and more elegant form, he had returned to his more frog-like, round form, complete with his top hat, suit, and cane. The leader of the Fuath’s large eyes were gazing at her with great eagerness as he cried out, “But I would have it no other way! Seldom have I enjoyed such sport!”

Well, at least he didn’t seem too upset about getting beaten. She supposed that was a good thing.

“We have satisfied thy demands,” Urianger asked firmly, “Wilt thou now satisfy ours?”

“Of course! Of course…” Aenc Thon agreed, pointing toward the back of the room where the crown continued to float in its sphere of water and light. “There it is, the relic you seek! Yours for the taking. Have care you do not break it, though, yes?”

Alisaie and Alphinaud shared a nod and stepped forward to take the crown, already up the stairs and ready to grab their prize.

They were all so focused on the crown though, that no one noticed the way that Aenc Thon was still staring at Claire.

“Ah, but you, my friend…” he suddenly said, causing Claire to glance back as he tilted his head, still watching her almost unnervingly as he finished, “you are mighty indeed… and pleasing to the eye besides!”

Claire arched an eyebrow at his words, finding it very strange that he would say something like that. She did not think that she was a Fuath’s type. But at those words, almost as if on command, the other Fuath from the waters began to call out in agreement.

“More! I want to see more of her!”

“Yes, yes! I could watch her forever!”

Claire didn’t like where this was going, and turning to apologize, and explain that she didn’t have time right now to continue ‘playing’ with them. But what she heard next when she turned to face Aenc Thon made her blood freeze.

“Why don’t we just make her one of us?”

One of… them?

What did that mean?

“Yes! One of us!”

And then, before anyone could say anything, all the Fuath were chanting around them in variations with no rhyme or reason: “One of us! One of us! One of us!”

Now she could feel anxiety growing from her whole group, in fact, Thancred was already moving to stand a little closer to her, his hand going to his gunblade, while the twins halted on the top step of the alter with genuine concern. Urianger’s eyes were narrowed, and he also began to move, even Minfilia was looking around fearfully and looked like she was wondering if she should draw her daggers or not.

But Aenc Thon slowly cracked a smile that she did not like in the least, and even less so when he laughed out loud.

“Wahaha! What a fine idea! Why ever didn’t I think of that!?” he asked before pointing his curved cane directly at her as he demanded, “You may have the crown… but in exchange, we will have you!”

She felt like she was watching everything at the end of a long tunnel. She could vaguely make out the sounds of the others calling out her name and running towards her, but it was too late. Without warning, the water around the edges of the room erupted like geysers and flowed up tall and over their heads like a tidal wave…?

And the last thing she saw was the water rushing up to find her… and then blackness.

***Alphinaud***

He had always hated water ever since he was young. He wasn't sure what it was about it, but the mere thought of having his head submerged caused him to tremble with fear. 

He tried to ask his grandfather, who was attempting to teach him to swim, why his sister wasn't afraid of the water and took to it like a fish while he sank like a stone.

"Everyone is afraid of something," Grandfather told him kindly as he held him close and patted him on the back as he coughed up the water he accidently inhaled. "Don't worry. All fears can be overcome if you are brave enough to face it head on."

Strange that memory would come back to him now.

Or mayhap not so strange when he felt a punch to his gut and he started coughing violently. 

He wheezed and rolled over from his back onto his stomach as he coughed and tried to breathe.

"There you are," Alisaie's voice snapped in his ear while he took several steadying breaths.

"A-Alisaie? Where... where are we?" he panted, looking around before realizing he recognized it as the edge of the lake where they first entered Dohn Mheg.

He sat up and brushed his mess of white hair out of his face before staggering to his feet.

"Are you ok?" Alisaie asked in concern after he finished coughing up the last bit of water from his lungs.

"Y-Yeah," he stammered. He was in one piece. Soaked to the bone and water-logged, but otherwise alive and well. "What happened?"

"Those damn Fuath!" Alisaie growled, as she pulled him up with her. "They tried to kill us!"

"Whilest it would not be a surprise if they had tried, I do not believeth that was their intent."

They looked up to see Thancred was pulling Urianger and Minfilia up onto shore with him. Minfilia was coughing violently beside him and Urianger was wheezing desperately from next to them.

The two of them dashed forward with worry, but there was no cause for alarm. Thancred had pulled through with little problem, and once the other two coughed up the water, they were both getting to their feet.

"I'm sorry," Minfilia whimpered, "When that flood came and I... I just panicked...?"

"Don't fret too much about it," Thancred assured her. "It was enough to turn everyone around. You will need to learn to stay calm when something like that happens though."

She nodded, gulping hard before Thancred looked to Urianger, who was now doubled over and wheezing as Alphinaud tended to their wounds. 

"At any rate, you did far better than this sorry excuse for an adventurer," Thancred said, poking him with a bare foot since he took off his boots to empty them of the lake water, "I swear, hauling him out of the water was like heaving out a statue or something."

"Mine apologies," Urianger gasped, forcing himself to stand up straight again, and it struck him even more than ever just how tall he was compared to the rest of them, "In truth, I fear that we should've expected some form of treachery. But...?"

"Don't blame yourself," Thancred said as he shook out his boots. "Just promise that you'll do something about your lack of coordination in the water? You are about as buoyant in the water as a brick."

Alphinaud actually laughed in sympathy when he saw the red stain his old friend's cheeks."

"So what now?" Alisaie stated, looking around with a frown, and though it didn't look it, he knew enough to know that when she was quiet like this did she become truly angry. He could recognize that she was now silently fuming with rage at what happened.

"All that time and fighting... and for what? It was a trick from the beginning?" Alisaie asked before she yelled out over the water such curse words that he suspected she might have learned from Lyse.

"Now what do we do?" Alisaie demanded, "I don't know about you, but I'm all keen to head right back in there and just grab each and every Fuath and...?"

"Hold your chocobos, we barely survived the last time we went in there!" Thancred called, grabbing her and pulling her back before she could go marching off into the water again.

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Alisaie demanded furiously before Minfilia raised her head and Alphinaud saw her eyes widen slightly.

"Wait," Minfilia said, pointing off to the side, "What's that?"

Alphinaud looked around to see what she was talking about and saw something lying upon the shore next to them. It was golden and laced with pearls that shown little rainbows in the light, all beautifully woven by the metal into a flower shape... unmistakably...?

"It's the crown!" Alisaie gasped in relief as she stepped over to scoop it up and examine it before looking at it suspiciously. "It is the real one, isn't it?"

"Aye, I do believe that the Fuath have honored their end of the deal after all," Urianger nodded as he took one look at it. "The aether flowing from the crown... there is no mistaken it. This is one of the relics we doth need."

"Thank goodness," Alphinaud sighed in relief. "That's one less thing to worry about. I guess the Fuath decided to honor their word after all... after... after...?"

But then he realized that someone was missing. He looked about wonderingly before remembering what the Fuath had said mere moments ago...

_"You may have the crown. But in exchange... we will have you!"_

"Claire...?" he whispered, feeling as if his entire body was frozen in ice.

At the sound of her name, everyone seemed to have turned to stone when they realized that there were only five of them here and also began to search about them. 

"Claire?"

"Claire!"

"CLAIRE!"

“Where is she?" Alphinaud cried looking about wildly, as his heart began to hammer in his chest. His breathing became ragged, and panic began to twist its way through his mind. Despite his inability to swim, his immediate thoughts were to return to the water.

“Those damn…” Alisaie gasped, tucking the crown into her belt at her side. "Alright! I’m going in! I can breathe! So can she! With luck she'll be able to escape the Fuath and I'll meet her underwater!"

"I'll look too, though I can't stay underwater nearly that long," Thancred volunteered before looking to the rest of them and ordered, "The rest of you look along the shores here! Maybe she already managed to escape and washed up somewhere else."

He grabbed Minfilia by the arm and pulled her along after him in a hurry, and she obeyed without complaint as they ran along the shore, looking up and down. 

Alphinaud knew that he should move along the southern part of the bank, but he just couldn't bear the thought of her being trapped underwater. Despite the reminder that she can breathe, who knows what else the Fuath were capable of?

"Mistress Alisaie!" 

Urianger's cry was enough to snap him out of his panicked state, for the moment anyway, when he saw the two all but wrestling with each other. 

"Please I do beg of thee to wait!" Urianger shouted, holding onto her. "We knowst not what the Fuath can do to thee!"

"You think I give a damn?" Alisaie demanded a she tried to fight free. "Let go of me Urianger! I need to go and look for her! We can't just abandon her!"

"Never once was that mine suggestion!" he tried to say, though he was sounding out of breath as he all but pushed her back and away from the water. "All that I ask of thee is to please think before...?"

"She could be in trouble!" Alisaie shouted.

"Alisaie," Alphinaud tried to say, but she rounded on him now.

"Why? This is all our fault anyway!" Alisaie all but screamed out, "We were leading her into danger once again and now look?! It's always the same with us! We ask this of her! Again and again and again! We're the ones who pushed her to be the hero of this world and now we might end up losing her! And because of what? OF SOME STUPID FROG CREATURES WHO ARE TOO SCARED TO COME OUT OF THE WATER!"

"We'll find her if we just stop freaking out!" he yelled back, taking several deep breaths.

"Oh, what do you care?" Alisaie snapped back harshly, causing him to stare at her. 

"Of course I care about her!" he yelled back, "The only reason I'm still here right now and losing my mind with worry is because I'm terrified that something has happened to her!"

Alisaie scoffed at that.

"That's not what you said last time!" she yelled.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, anger now leaking in where fear had been before.

"What you said when you wrote that letter!" she screamed.

Alphinaud stared at her and even Alisaie seemed stunned by her own daring.

It had only been a few moon since they had their fight that day he went to visit her while she was still the guard at the Inn.

Urianger, who was looking from one, to the other, suddenly coughed and quickly stood, merely suggesting that the two of them calm down so that they could find Claire. She wouldn't like it if she knew that they were fighting.

"Fine," Alisaie snapped as she headed towards the water.

"Alisaie..." Alphinaud began, not wanting to let this go, but he could see the way that her eyes well up with furious tears as she rounded on him.

“If you’re so in love with her why didn’t you tell her the truth about what was in that letter you wrote?”

Alphinaud barely glanced up at her, his movements stiff as a board.

“Maybe you’re afraid that she won’t love you anymore?” Alisaie asked him. She saw how his hands tightened, trembling slightly, but she turned and left, not wanting to give it any more words.

"Alisaie!" he called and she paused for a moment, not looking back at him as he turned to face her fully. He didn't know what he was going to say until that moment, but suddenly the words came to him without his bidding.

“You and Claire will always be first,” he promised, “Followed by the rest of the world. That, I promise.”

She didn't move for a moment, perhaps too taken aback by his words. Yet he saw her trembling.

"Words are cheap," she said stubbornly before she bolted straight for the water and dove without another word.

Leaving him alone on the shore, feeling as if his heart was being torn in too. 

Urianger reached over to place a consoling hand on his shoulder, but Alphinaud pushed him off as he shouted that he would be back once he found something.

He headed down the bank, trying to find something, any kind of a clue to where she might be. But all the while he thought of the bitter fight that they had before. That conversation echoed in his head and felt like someone took a sledgehammer to his skull. Her words had cut him deeper than a knife and just to recall it was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach.

He paused there for a moment to reach inside his jacket and pulled out the notebook—only to realize that was soaked through.

He shook it out to save what was left of it, when that accursed letter fell out. 

When Alisaie first read that letter... it led to one of the worst fights they ever had. 

He grabbed hold of the paper, miraculously still mostly dry despite the water and was torn between confessing what was in it to tearing it in half and throwing it to the Fuath to do what they wanted with it.

He compromised by stuffing it back into the notebook and shoved it away and out of his sights.

_"If you don't feel that way anymore, why don't you just get rid of that letter?"_

That voice in his head, which sounded suspiciously like his sister, replied coldly and he shook his head violently.

Now is not the time to be thinking about that! He had to find her! If anything were to happen to her, he could never forgive himself.

"No," he whispered, "I don't care what happens to me. I"M NOT GONNA SEE HER DIE!"

Little did he know, his sister was thinking the exact same way as she plowed through the water, looking through every weed and behind every boulder she could find.

***Claire***

_*Dream*_

_A small cottage stood upon the edge of a field where wildflowers were freshly blooming. The window was cracked open slightly and the air carried with it the smell of rain from the storm the night before, and the sun warmed everything that it touched on this slightly chilly day while its sunbeams revealed tiny specks of dust._

_In a small bed underneath the window was a woman, in a pale blue gown, sitting up with her back against the headboard. She was a pretty woman, with long hair of the brightest shade of pink that fell in gentle curls down her back and curled about her heart-shaped face and framed rather delicate features. There was sweat clinging to her brow and her breathing was heavy as she held a swaddled babe in her arms, who cooed up at her mother. _

_The woman only smiled warmly down at the baby and gently stroked the newborns check with a loving finger. The baby’s tears soon dried up the moment she was placed in her mother's arms and she was starting to doze off when she felt the warm sunbeams hit her tiny face... the soft breeze lightly brushing the tiny tuff of pink hair, identical to the woman who held her. But the blurry eyes that opened were a vivid green while the eyes of the mother were of the warmest brown; which were currently filling up with tears as she looked down at her baby with a relieved smile._

_"She's safe," the mother sighted as she held the child close to her heart. "You had me worried there for a while, young lady."_

_The birth had been a long and difficult one, having taken almost all night. When the child had finally been brought into the world, at first they feared the worse when no cries escaped the infant’s lips. But the second she felt the morning sun warm her skin from the open window did she begin to stir. After a time, the child began to cry and was then wrapped in a tight bundle before she was finally passed off to her exhausted mother. _

_But though mother was happy and satisfied with the outcome, the two healers that were tending her were looking at her with expressions of deepest concern. Despite their obvious worry, the mother didn't pay any attention to them as she cooed over her new daughter, not even noticing the blood that was splattered upon the sheets._

_"She'll need a name," she said softly as she gently rocked the child despite the fact her arms were beginning to tremble from the slight weight and her pallor was growing paler by the second._

_"What did you have in mind?" one of the healers asked, gently dabbing at her brow with a cool cloth._

_"I gave it a lot of thought," she whispered, "She'll have her father's name. I used to call him a trouble-making fairy." She smiled at the happy memories of her daughter's father before adding, "He would be here one moment but then gone the next... like a fairy causing trouble. But he would whisk me off on a grand adventure of his. I started calling him a fairy so often that he adopted the term into his own name. Faye..."_

_"So that is the child's name?"_

_She nodded. "Her surname anyway... her first name will be something equally special to me." She smiled sadly as she stopped rocking the child and began to breathe a little harder. "It had to be something good... something special... and I thought of it the moment I heard her cry."_

_She placed her face close to her daughters as tears fell silently despite the joyous smile._

_"It's an unusual name, but from where I come from... it's a name that means... light. Because I just know that is what she will be. My little light in the darkness. Isn't that right… Claire?"_

_She looked back into the child's face one last time, her father's eyes looking back as the mother struggled to breath._

_"Claire Faye... I'm so happy to finally meet you..." she whispered and that was when the healer finally stepped in when the mother's arms gave out and threated to drop the baby. The healer pulled the child away quickly as the second healer flew to the mother's side and began to cry out for her to stay with them. But the mother's eyes closed, tears still glistening upon long lashes as the baby began to cry loudly... as if sensing her mother take her last few breaths._

_*End of Dream*_

Mother…?

Mother… why…?

Where was she?

_Listen..._

Listen to who?

_Listen… _

I'm listening... what do you want?

_Listen to our voice… listen to our heartbeat… listen…_

“Who… what are you?”

But the voice who answered back wasn't the one she was expecting.

_“Wake up! Wake up, damn you!”_

Claire could hear someone screaming in her ear now and she slowly came back to reality.

She could feel the pressure all around her as she drifted—feeling strangely weightless. Slowly, she opened her eyes, only to taken completely aback by the water that surrounded her. She almost panicked for a moment before she took a breath and remembered that she could still breathe. 

The moment she realized this, she relaxed and slowly looked up to try and get her bearings.

Where was she? A lake?

Wait…? Why would she be here…?

She was surrounded by tall weeds and stone that was covered in green algae—while rays of light from the surface shone about in surprisingly gentle beams while the shadows cast from the submerged stairs above her head blocked out the worst of the glare that was still shining from above.

That's right, she remembered now.

The Fuath... they swept her up in the water... tried to drown her.

Never before had she been so thankful to take that extra time out in the Far East to meet the Kojin.

Once the full realization of what happed to her finished registering in her mind, she became aware that she wasn't alone.

Floating directly above her… the water not effecting him in the slightest… was Ardbert.

She had seen the worry melt away to be replace with amazement and then relief as he actually cracked a smile.

“Oh, you’re alive! Thank the gods,” he gasped, “I don’t know where you learned to breathe underwater, but it’s lucky you can.”

She was still a bit stunned, and so she wasn't able to answer right away as she took another look around, worry in her heart for the rest of her friends. Alisaie would be alright, and Thancred could usually pull himself out of dangerous situations... but Alphinaud, Minfilia, and Urianger...?

Slowly, she kicked out and swam a few yalms to join Ardbert at eye level—feeling bruised and beaten all over from where she had been pulled underwater. She felt as if she had just been run over by an adamantoise and knew she would be feeling this in the morning.

Ardbert was still staring at her and she asked, "Were you… worried?"

Her voice echoed slightly and it seemed to linger for a long time. His face seemed to glow a little more brightly and she realized that he was blushing.

“I’m sure you had your reasons, but the first rule of dealing with the Fauth… is do not deal with the Fauth,” he told her, refusing to answer the question.

It would have been helpful if he mentioned that before.

“It’s said that they are born from the souls of the drowned,” he went on, “Were it not for your little trick, you’d have joined them.”

Born from the souls of the drowned? Now it all made sense. The thought made her feel cold all of a sudden despite the water being surprisingly warm.

"My friends...?" she asked him, hoping that he could tell her more of what happened since she couldn't recall anything after being hit by that torrent of water.

He looked up to the surface of the water right above their heads and answered, “Your friends are safely back on dry land, in case you were wondering. They’ll be searching for you, I expect.”

She sighed in relief, glad to have one less thing to worry about. Now that that concern was taken care of, her eyes were suddenly drawn to the ruins that were scattered about her. She had seen the very tips of what had looked to be buildings protruding from the lake, but she hadn't been able to get the full view of it until now. Most of them were still in good shape, despite being sunk for who knows how many years. She could see the graceful arches and different variety of buildings... it looked like an entire town had been submerged.

She could see the hallow bones of what must have been a beautiful cathedral, though it's stain glassed window were nothing more than dark pieces of glass on the lake bottom now, and it cast shadows on the gilded spires and elegant roofs of the houses that were gathered around it. She could see that they were all packed together, reminding her of how people would huddle around a campfire to stay warm during a cold night.

Ardbert was now looking where she was, seeing what drew her attention.

“That’s the royal capital of the Kingdom of Voeburt down there,” he explained softly, “Its seen better days.”

"It must have been a beautiful city," she said. 

Ardbert was quiet for a moment before he told her, “They were a stubborn lot, the Voeburtites. Set in their ways. But once you got to know them, you couldn’t find a more welcoming people. It always froze over in winter, being up in the mountains. So we’d pull up our chairs round the fire and trade tales over steaming bowls of lamb stew, while the street lamps burned hot and bright outside.”

His description, if anything, made it all the worst.

It was so sad seeing it. Seeing what had once been a grand city now abandoned with only the fish to go in and out of the empty buildings...? She could see the traces of broken pots and barrels, glass from the windows that had been shattered from the water pressure, old furniture, jewelry, even a few personal effects that had been worn down by waves and time...?

This had been home to so many people.

Mothers and wives, husbands and fathers, countless children and pets running through the streets as they did their shopping or played games. She could see it so clearly right before her eyes... she could imagine people walking through these very same streets, stopping for a moment to speak to a friend or neighbor before continuing on their way. 

She could picture a few adults scolding some kids for playing in the street where people walked through. Celebrations and holidays being held where there would be music and laughter bouncing off the walls...? And from the look in Ardbert's eyes... travelers from different lands first coming to this place with friends.

He sighed, his face torn with misery as he shut his eyes.

“All dead and buried now,” he finished with a bitter taste, “Them and anyone else who might remember." He paused there for only a moment before asking, "Everything we did… everything we gave… what was it for?”

How could she answer him? No answer she could possibly give would take away the pain he was in. For she knew he was right. Voeburt was gone and even if they save the First, they would never be able to bring it back to the way it once was. Though she knew he wasn’t looking for her to answer them... for he wasn't asking her that question.

They remained like that for a few minutes as the drifted among the ruins of a dead city. 

Finally, he looked to her and said, “I wond—I hope you’ll have a better answer than this when all’s said and done."

She hoped so as well. 

She looked back to the remains of a city that was both unfamiliar and familiar to her. 

"I took it all for granted," she whispered softly to herself, "I thought I had nothing left to loose but my life."

She closed her eyes, feeling sorrow rising up inside her, as well as a sudden rush of homesickness, when she thought of Ishgard.

Everything he said brought pain to her heart as she thought of all that was waiting at home. She could so easily picture the city and its people while the knights patrolled the city—finally knowing a time of peace with the end of the war. She thought of Ser Aymeric and all of his hopes of building Ishgard into a place where both man and dragon could create and live together... only to suddenly imagine the flames and bodies littering the ground.

She thought of Lord Edmont, Artoirel, Emmanellain and Honoroit… all killed in the fighting with the shield of House Fortemps lying among the ruins.

No... she didn't want to see that. She had seen the ruins of Voeburt here and she never wanted to see this fate to anyone else she cared about. Not just to Ishgard, but all the rest of the Source. Not to Limsa, Gridania, Ul’dah, Ala Mhigo, Doma…? All of them were so precious to her and she could not bear to see this ever happen again.

She wasn’t ready to call it just a memory. Not yet.

She opened her eyes and refused to let that future come to past. She wasn’t going to see it reduce to ruin like what happened here.

She looked back to find that Ardbert was gone, but she could find her way to the surface on her own. 

Ignoring the aches and pains, even letting a part of her metal armor fall off to make it easier to move... when she realized that she still held onto both swords… her broken one and the one she found from within the palace… perhaps a piece of forgotten Voeburtite history? She took a glance at her broken greatsword and let it go... knowing that it would one day become a forgotten piece of a nation she would never be able to see with her own eyes.

But at least... she still had a small piece of Voeburt that would live on with her. That would have to be enough for now.

She didn't stop until the moment she felt her head break through the surface and she breathed in the fresh, chill air.

She made for the piece of shore that was closest to her, and was slightly taken aback to find that Ardbert was standing there waiting for her… as if wanting to make sure that she made it back in one piece.

"Your friends are waiting for you," he said, jerking his head down a little further south from their position, and she nodded in gratitude as her feet soon found ground and was able to stand. 

Her body felt unusually heavy the more that she stepped out of the water and wondered just how long she had been out and cast adrift.

"You’ve been gone for quite a while," Ardbert said, surprising her by answering her unspoken question.

"Your friends have been in a right state," he shrugged as he turned his gaze back to the castle, and she followed his gaze. “It’d probably be for the best that you go and see them before they really start to lose it.”

She knew that, but she could not find it in her to move just yet, she just observed him for a moment as he never took his eyes off the castle.

"I've been in that castle once before," he told her suddenly, "But that was back when it went by a different name. Before it became part of Il Mheg... back when I was still a traveler of Norvrandt and nothing more. I came here with my friends because this was once Branden's home and there was a… problem that he wanted to see through.”

"Branden?" Claire repeated before the image of the Galdjent Paladin came to her mind and his sorrowful expression when he said that he had died once before and wasn’t afraid to die again. She then added slowly, "Oh, wait. You mean the knight. He went by the name Blanhaerz... at least, that was the name I think he used...?"

"You have a good memory," Ardbert said lightly. "Yes, that was him. But before that, before he was even one of our travelling party, he was once a knight here of Voeburt. He was charged to protect the princess who once lived in that castle, but was disgraced by betrayal and a single mistake before he was cast out.”

He frowned and folded his arms.

“He was one of the first people I met after I first took to the road,” he told her, “After Branden was disgraced he decided to leave Voeburt. It was right after that where I met him and after seeing how good he was with that sword, I invited him to join us. He felt… that I had a lot of potential, but needed a guiding hand. We had all been travelling around together for some time before coming here."

He smiled again as the memories came back to him.

"We built up quite a name for ourselves during that time," he went on, "Mostly because he was the one charging in ahead and protecting the rest of us. Especially since I was still a beginner for the most part. He told me that he never planned to come back to these lands... at least until we got a request from the princess herself."

He fell silent and Claire could tell right away that something happened here, but she didn't dare ask what. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Still she wanted to say something, anything, to take his mind off the turmoil inside his head, but nothing would come to mind...

But his smile soon faded to be replaced by the usual gloom and doom.

“I used to think that there was no one that wasn’t worth saving,” he sighed, “But now…? Would it have been better to just allow them to fade? Rather than just have them continue to live and die in suffering?"

“Do you truly believe that?” she asked, “I know that it’s a long shot, but we can still bring it back. I can’t believe that this world has been broken so completely that we can’t find a way to save it.”

“Even if we do return the night, what then?” he asked with a shrug, “This continent is all that’s left. The rest of the world is gone. We will run out of resources sooner or later. Which will be just another slower more painful death. It will take a lot longer, but what is the alternative? No matter how you try to think about it, I can’t see this ending well.”

“Maybe someday we can bring back the rest of the world too,” Claire said as she thought of the Burn and wanted to believe that it will one day bring life back to it.

"Well, if you do, that truly would be a miracle," Ardbert said in barely more than a whisper as she turned her eyes back to him. He was looking at her directly in the eyes this time.

"I don't want this," he confessed to her, "I never wanted this. Who would want to see their world and everything they ever knew and loved fade away into the light? If we had known back then what our choices would do...?" 

She saw how his teeth were grinding together in frustration.

“I want... another chance. Another chance to make it right,” he confessed to her. “I want to believe that… that perhaps there was a reason that I still linger here in my own personal hell… but after all this… I’m not sure I can.”

The truth was she couldn't promise anything, and he knew that. Nor could she even reassure him that everything will be alright.

“I know that it may seem impossible, but what’s the alternative?” she asked him.

He looked sadly at her and she could see the pain in his face. Suddenly, he reached out, as if about to touch her, but then he froze, as if remembering that it wouldn’t matter since he couldn't touch anything anyway, and pulled back.

But she could see it all clearly in his eyes. He wanted to believe, he truly did… but was afraid to do so again.

Not that she could blame him.

But instead of speaking, he just pointed over her head and knew that he was telling her to find her friends and get moving. 

He wished to be alone with his thoughts now.

She left him after that, pulling herself out of the water, getting used to the new sword that hung on her back, and trooped through the flowers to find her friends.

It didn't take long for her to find them.

She spotted the dark dressed form of Urianger first, on his knees, and was tending to a tired-looking Alisaie, who was panting hard. She approached as she heard them talking urgently with each other.

“I’m...” Alisaie huffed in irritation, trying to push Urianger's healing hand off her, “I’m going back in.”

Urianger, however, was shaking his head and seemed to be trying, in vain, to convince her to remain where she was.

“Nay, my lady," he pleaded, "Exhausted as thou art, thou wouldst only endanger thyself. I prithee, rest a moment.”

She was just in shouting range, but was finding it difficult to drawn breath when Alphinaud, Minfilia, and Thancred all came running in from along the coast to meet them from their obvious surveys of the shoreline.

“There was nothing where we looked,” Thancred said, concern beginning to edge his voice. When she looked up, the two of them made eye contact, and she gave him a small smile and waved. They all saw her and they bolted over to check on her. Alphinaud and Urianger were eager to put their healing skills to use, but she reassured them that she was alright. She told them about how she was swept up under the water and woke up deep in the lake before finding her way back here.

They just stared at her for a moment, as if unsure of what to say.

“Dear gods…” Alphinaud said, and she could see him trembling—revealing how worried he had been, “Were it not for Soroban’s blessing… but I need not labor the point. I am glad to see you safe and well, my friend.”

The only one here who wasn't looking happy or relieved though was Alisaie. Claire noticed that the girl was looking down at the ground with a scowl.

She could see just how upset she was by all this.

“Have you any idea how worried we were!? To wash up on the shore, only to find you weren’t with us?” Alisaie all but snarled, refusing to look at her.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Claire said, and for a moment the others were looking at Alisaie with genuine fear... as if they were expecting her to explode.

But Alisaie seemed to take a steadying breath before looking up at her. Her expression was unreadable.

“Oh, but I’m forgetting -” she said before reaching for the crown that was still hooked onto her belt and held it out for her. “Here’s your crown, Your Majesty! The Fuath kept that part of the bargain, at least!”

Claire took the crown from her and looked at the slightly damp thing with wonder, knowing that it would match perfectly with the gown. Suddenly anxious, she checked her bag and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding when she saw that it was still safe and sound. She tucked the crown in the folds of the gown as Thancred spoke up.

“While there were certain twists and turns,” Thancred said cautiously, eyeing the back of Alisaie’s head, “our work here is done, with everyone none the worse for wetness.”

All in all, it looked like it ended on a good note.

They were all alive and well, having escaped from a watery grave… and they have two of the four relics they need to face the Lightwarden.

One would have thought that this would end on a good note. At least…?

“Oh! Thank goodness you’re still here!”

Everyone looked up at once to see Sul Uin come zipping over from across the flower fields, a look of genuine worry upon their face as they hovered off the ground.

“Sul Uin!” Alphinaud asked in worry and with no small amount of suspicion, “Is something amiss?”

“A great big mob of mortals is marching to Il Mheg!” the pixie cried out, “Mortals with ugly weapons and uglier faces! They wouldn’t happen to be your friends, would they?”

Claire felt the high from their victory fade as she realized who this ‘mob of mortals’ could only be.

“Rather the reverse, I fear,” Thancred said, and his brow was knotted in anxiety, “The Eulmoran Army, at a guess.”

“Meaning… we can play with them?” Sul Uin asked, their eyes lighting up with eagerness.

“As much as you like,” Alphinaud agreed, “But just to be sure, I will return with you to confirm their identities. If they are who we suspect, we will require your aid.”

“If Alphinaud is coming, then Alisaie will be too, yes?” Sul Uin questioned as if the idea was obvious. “Can’t have one without the other, you know!”

The others actually laughed at the affronted look on Alisaie’s face, but she sighed and slumped forward.

“All right,” she sighed, “Just remember, we’re not your playmates this time.”

Alphinaud looked back to Claire, his eyes full of regret as he told her, “I’m afraid we must leave the rest of the relic hunt in your hands.”

Now Claire knew that both of them could take care of themselves, but that didn’t mean she didn’t worry about them. But she trusted them both not to do anything foolish while away. Nor did she want them to worry about her. So instead of giving them reason to feel concern, she actually gave them a playful smile as she promised them, “Don’t worry, I’ve done this sort of thing before.”

At once, she saw his worry fade away and he beamed back.

“Indeed you have!” he told her, “Very well, then. See you afterwards, my friend!”

He stepped up to give her a quick hug, but she could have sworn that she felt him shake slightly when he wrapped his arms around her. Alisaie also stepped up for a hug, but her embrace was more forceful than it needed to be…?

They both had been worried sick and she felt her insides squirm with guilt.

Claire wanted to say something to them both, but they had run off after Sul Uin, not giving them a glance back. Now Claire was left with Minfilia, Thancred, and Urianger… with two relics and no idea where to go to from here.

“I thought that they wouldn’t chase us this far,” Claire asked, trying to break the uneasy silence around them.

“It was only going to be a matter of time,” Thancred sighed. “Ran’jit is not someone who gives up easily.”

“Should we be worried?” she asked and Thancred thought it over.

“If it’s a small army, I do think that the pixies would scare them off before getting too far,” he said, “Though the Fae Folk have little concern for what happens to the world, they won’t just roll over and let anyone walk over them. That will buy us some time… I guess it all depends on how big an army they’re bringing and how determined Ran’jit’s feeling today.”

“Without a king to lead them, I fear that the Fae will not be so inclined to fight,” Urianger said gravely. “We should move on to the next relic before we find ourselves facing a battle upon both fronts.”

And they both nodded in full agreement.

“If it is indeed the Eulmoran Army, we may soon have to contend with Ran’jit again… which may prove problematic, even for you,” Thancred said to her.

Though he was the one who was speaking, she couldn’t help but notice the guilty look on Minfilia’s face, and heard her whisper mournfully, “If only I hadn’t been caught…?”

***Exarch***

They were doing well so far. Already they had taken their first step and were on their way to confronting Titania. All he had to do was wait to see how it next unfolded.

The Exarch had been overseeing the injuries that the Crystarium's guard had sustained during their fight with the Eulmore forces. He had been preparing for the worst... but once they fell back, Ran'jit had ordered everyone—after he slapped each one awake—to head north to the mountains. It seems that his priorities were recapturing the young Oracle, rather than waste his time and efforts on the Crystarium.

Ran'jit was a strong foe, and the Exarch hated the idea of having to fight with him... a tiny part of his mind wishing that they might be able to win him over and gain his cooperation in fighting the sin eaters... but he wasn't that naive. He knew the man had once been a proud and fearless solider, fighting against the eaters, but somewhere along the way, the constant fighting and struggles seemed to have grown too much for him. Especially after the deaths of the previous Oracles...?

Once he was sure his people were well taken care of, the Exarch had been checking the mirror, trying to see how well the others were getting along. He was pleased to see that they had met up with Urianger and were taking the steps needed to confront the former Fae King. They already received two of the needed relics though retrieving the second was by no means an easy feat.

But he had watched them move through the dream world of Dohn Mheg, and he could not help but feel like he had witnessed part of a living storybook. Watching a tale unfolding of a brave knight making her way through a magical forest and then through an enchanted castle for a crown…?

He had spent years readying both this world and himself for her arrive, but when it came to seeing her in her element—he was at a loss of what to say. Most who go charging in would do so with their shields at the ready, but she moved as if she had no fear.

She all but threw herself across the fighting, drawing all the focus onto her when they realized that she was the most dangerous force there… as they should. She continued on forward, only killing those when she had no choice, and protecting her friends with almost a single-mindedness… a heart overflowing with love and protectiveness both for her comrades.

It was here that he was reminded once more of her great and terrible destiny… to die defending those in need.

He knew that it was still possible for that fate to come to pass. And it was all that he could do not to want to lock her up in the tower until the danger was over… but he knew that if she were given a choice, she would willing die over and over again for the sake of others. Even when she knew that there was no hope for victory.

He shook his head, watching on with no small amount of worry within his heart.

No. That was a future that no one wanted to see.

There was still time to turn it around.

They could still prevent it.

Until then, he would try to shield her from the truth as best as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Aww, that was so sweet. I had been looking forward to doing this chapter since I first started mostly because I loved the scene so much. In fact, I love all the scenes with the WOL and Ardbert bonding. So when those scenes come around, you can bet that they will be getting a little extra love and attention. And it was also a lot of fun trying to decide what the others would have said or done when they woke up to see that they were missing Claire. What else did we learn…? Oh, a glimpse of the argument and yes… the fight between the twins started up because of what was written in that letter. What does it say? You’ll have to wait and find out. I won’t be revealing the truth of what’s in that letter for a while, at least not until we reach the end of the story. Just know that what is in it could end up making or breaking up the two lovebirds. Yeah, no pressure there. Also, I hope that everyone loved what I came up with about Claire’s origins. I had thought long and hard about what I wanted to see for Claire’s past and I came up with several different ideas. Like she came from a highborn family and she ran away to protect her family for some reason, that she came from two loving parents and had a lot of siblings… but this idea was what really struck me for her. In a later chapter, when they leave Il Mheg, she’ll discuss a little more with her past with Ardbert, possibly when they return to the Crystarium. Let us just say that it fit the most with her personality and character. I put as much feeling into this chapter as I could because this will be the last chapter for the year. Don’t worry though, the next one will be coming out after the New Year and when it does, I’m thinking of some Warrior of Darkness and Minfilia bonding now! Until then, I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year! Enjoy your present from me to all of you and thank you for all the support!)


	12. Memento of a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nu Mou are certainly man's best friend, wanting to aid in whatever way they can, but the amaro's concern is truly because they care for our safety. Titania is powerful, and so defeating her won't be easy, this everyone knows all too well. But confront her, we must, if she is ever to know peace. But before they can get that far, they must first win over the remaining two relics. And perhaps a little bonding with little Mini-filia. Though should it be a surprise she gets along so well with her namesake's old friend?

Minfilia could only feel guilt taking root in her heart and spread like a weed through her entire body as she watched the twins run off after the pixies to see how they could help slowing down their pursers.

She knew better than anyone how strong Ran’jit was, and he wasn’t the type who would ever give up. She was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to hold him back for long—especially if he had the whole army backing him. It had taken them years to be able to hunt her and Thancred down, and that was only because they didn’t stay in the same play for too long.

She looked to the others, trying not to let the worry show, or tell them how scared she was. The last thing that they needed was to worry about her.

Urianger turned back to the rest of them and said hurriedly, “With our enemies fast approaching, time is of the essence. We must needs accomplish our mission with all possible haste. Of the two remaining bearers of the relics, the Nu Mou are the nearer. We shall seek them out next.”

She had heard him tell her about the Nu Mou during her previous visits to Il Mheg, but she had never had the chance to met them in person. She only knew what Urianger had told her about them, how that—unlike their Fae cousins—they lived here in these lands since long before the Flood.

This he explained to Claire when she asked about them.

“Among the fae folk, they bear the distinctive of having abided in these lands since before the Flood,” he explained to Claire’s question. “They are also the friendliest to men, and have served me faithfully whensoever I have called upon them. Indeed, they are the source of much of the knowledge I have acquired in my time here. The path leadeth past my dwellings. Let us away.”

She nodded and followed after him as he led the way back to the road, heading up north and passed the manor. Urianger and Claire gradually fell behind them as he began to point out the trail that they were on and telling her about some of the history that he knew of this land when it was still part of the nation of Veobert. Thancred took the lead with her following close behind, leaving the two to talk.

“Gods, I love the man like a brother, but he does love to talk,” Thancred stated and she couldn’t help but giggle.

He gave her a slight smile and said, “He must be over the moon having someone listen to his lectures again. Back in the Source, whenever he wanted to discuss something, he loved running it by her. Because she’s too polite to try and leave in the middle of him explaining why it would work.”

“She seems really nice,” Minfilia told him. “She’s just like how you talked about her. But…?”

He turned his head to look at her, but she shook her head.

“Never mind,” she said suddenly, fearing that she could take away any good mood that Thancred was in right now. “Just that, I find it hard to believe she’s finally here.”

“Yeah, just like old times,” Thancred said with a light chuckle and she forced a smile.

They made it without running into anything more dangerous than some wild fungi that had somehow learned to walk. But as they came to the entrance of a cave, where Thancred pointed out to her, they realized that neither Claire nor Urianger were right behind them.

“That’s strange,” Thancred said, looking around. “It’s not like they could get have gotten lost? There’s only one path.”

“Should we go and look for them?” Minfilia asked in worry.

“If they can’t handle walking up a slope to find us, then I would start to worry,” he said, but she could see the slight frown of concern.

Minfilia stood there at his side as they waited, and she did her best not to think overmuch on what could be taking them so long. Most of the thoughts leading back to Ran’jit catching up to them. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it and instead thought more of the history of this land. Urianger told her that where the lake had been was once a valley, where once thrived the city of Voeburt. But when came the Flood, the settlement was drowned and that was when the Fuath moved in, followed by the rest of the Fae Folk.

They were following a trial where shepherds once tended their flocks.

“There she is,” Thancred’s voice spoke up and she looked up to find Claire finally coming towards them, a slight grumpy expression on her usual stoic features.

“I assumed you were right behind us,” Thancred commented as she approached, “What took you so long?”

“Some trouble making pixies who thought that it would be fun to teleport us down the path every few steps we took,” Claire shrugged.

“I see…” he sighed sympathetically, “Yes, I’d say that’s a valid excuse for lateness. You are hereby forgiven.” Claire rolled her eyes at that, but there was a smirk on her mouth and Thancred grinned half-heartedly back at that before jerking his thumb at the cave entrance.

“In other good news, the Nu Mou village lies just through here,” he said, “We’ll enter as soon as Urianger deigns to join us.”

She nodded and they waited, Urianger joining them soon enough, who apologized for lagging behind—having a slightly harder time getting passed the pixies than Claire did.

“I swear, I don’t know how you managed to live among the pixies here for so long and not be driven mad by them,” Thancred told him as they ducked down through the narrow passageway.

“One must have the patience to learn how they think,” he answered back lightly, “The pixies have likewise mindsets of children. One must learn to understand the heart of a child, and one can learn ways of living amongst them.”

“I never took you for someone who was good with kids, Urianger,” Thancred commented, “Your seriousness has always chased the ladies away. Is there something you aren’t telling us?”

Minfilia couldn’t hide the laugh at the splutter of indignation from Urianger, demanding to know what Thancred was implying.

That was when they came onto the village that Urianger told them about and her eyes widen with awe at the sight. It felt like she had suddenly shrunk down to tiny size and was in the middle of a colony of mushrooms. There were brightly colored fungi lit by lanterns and gentle lights while the strong smell of herbs, and what smelled suspiciously like wet dog, reached her nose.

She looked about with bright curiosity, only to see a strange creature walk by them.

It had rather canine features with an elongated face and a long, fluffy tail while its ears were long and thick with a hole in the end that was decorated with earrings. It had a generally aged look, with white hair on its fur and tails mixed in with the sandy brown color and stood so that it was just slightly shorter than she was.

Suddenly it looked up and spotted them. They tried to bid greeting, but as soon as the Nu Mou saw them, it out a loud cry.

“Ah! Ahhh! Mortals! Mortals are here! Lots of them!” it cried and then ran off into the village.

Oh, no… they didn’t mean to scare the poor thing.

“I thought you said the Nu Mou were men’s best friends,” Thancred said accusingly to Urianger, “The poor thing was beside itself with fear.”

“Twas beside itself, perhaps… but not with fear,” he answered with a shrug.

Now Minfilia was confused. She wanted to ask what he meant, but that was when they heard another voice call out, “This is unacceptable! Unacceptable, I tell you!”

The Nu Mou was back, but this time with another, who was slightly taller and was looking at them with eagerness.

“To have so many mortals appear at once…” and that was when she saw two of them return. “It’s more excitement than we can bear!”

Minfilia was stunned to say the least. She had thought for sure that they were going to be turned away when the Nu Mou first ran off, but they were all actually wagging their tails to meet them. They were actually quite cute.

She looked up to the others, and was relieved to see that both Thancred and Claire were looking just as taken aback as she felt. Urianger, however, was smiling.

“Greetings, Elder Wyd Aeenc, Tyr Nee,” he said warmly, “It hath been awhile. Pray forgive my brevity, but time is against us. We are come to borrow the stone scepter of the Nu Mou.”

“Well, someone isn’t wasting time,” she heard Thancred mutter and the jaws of the Nu Mou fell open in shock.

“Th-The stone scepter?!” Wyd Aenc gasped, shaking his furry arms at the mere suggestion, “Then… you mean to lift the seal over Lyhe Ghiah!? That is unacceptable! Unacceptable, I tell you! If the king is set free, none here will be safe! Unlike our fae cousins, we Nu Mou have called this land our home since time immemorial. Leaving is unthinkable! Thus did full many of us lay down our lives to seal away our king when they were corrupted by light! If we do as you ask, our sacrifice would have been in vain!”

The Nu Mou were sounding more high-pitched with every second and were close to screaming out in terror. Claire stepped forward, trying to calm them down, and merely reassured them, “No one will come to harm.”

Wyd Aenc took a few deep breaths. Though he didn’t look the least bit convinced, it did succeed in calming his nerves so that when he next spoke, it was in a more controlled tone as he scolded them, “Easily said for one who hasn’t experienced the king’s wrath!”

“Honored Elder, pray believe me when I say that this woman is possessed not only of the strength required to vanquish the king, but of something still more valuable: a means to resist the resultant corruption,” Urianger went on loudly, over Wyd Aenc’s refusals, “Indeed, she hath already laid low the Lightwarden of Lakeland, all without succumbing to the influence of its light.”

That had certainly got their attention and their fear melted away to more of a shocked silence and were listening more closely as Urianger confessed, “She is yet a stranger to this land, ‘tis true, but she harbor ether the selfsame desire to see the sin eaters eliminated as we do. Wilt thou not lend us thy hand, that we might see thy beloved home resorted to its former glory?”

Wyd Aenc still didn’t look completely convinced, but he didn’t refuse them outright this time. Instead, he carefully thought his words over.

“Hmmm… you have always done right by us, Urianger,” he said slowly, “If you have placed your faith in this woman, then so shall we. As you say, we want nothing more than to be rid of the sin eaters. Be that as it may, this is not a decision to be made lightly. We require time to deliberate. A turn of the moon, perhaps…”

An entire moon? But they couldn’t afford to wait that long?! She looked up desperately at the others, hoping that they would be able to say or do something to convince him otherwise.

“We don’t have a turn of the moon,” Thancred hissed in Urianger’s ear, “Unless we want to debate this with the Eulmoran Army.”

But it didn’t seem like Wyd Aenc were willing to compromise at the moment either. So what were they to do?

Urianger was silent before he turned to the elder and said sharply, “Elder… given all that is at stake, I cannot well expect thee to simply roll over, and acquiesce to our request. But even now, a powerful foe draweth near, and I fear I must beseech thee to hasten they deliberations, that thou mightest fetch us the scepter while there is yet time to use it.”

“R-Roll over!? F-Fetch? Ahhh! Ahhhhhh!” the second Nu Mou cried out in shock, and Minfilia was now terrified that he might have messed things up for them by insulting them. At least, until…?

“You know full well that naught gives us greater pleasure than to render aid to men!” Wyd Aenc growled out indignantly, “You know full well, yet you speak the words of power regardless? It’s unfair! Unfair, I tell you!” He sighed and added, “In happier times, it was our honor to assist mortals in need and receive rewards befitting our deeds. Since the Kingdom of Voeburt fell, however, we’ve been starved of man’s patronage. After so many years of deprivation, it is… difficult to ignore such an earnest entreaty.”

So he really did want to help them, but didn’t want to help them? She wasn’t sure she understood.

Wyd Aenc gave it a little more thought before finally deciding, “Very well, Urianger. I promise to give you as swift an answer as I may. In return, I ask that you and yours remain here the while, and bestow upon us your patronage. Is this arrangement agreeable?”

She supposed it was too much to hope for that he would just give them the relic, but judging from the other’s expressions, they looked relieved to just hear that they hadn’t been turned away completely. They all silently discussing it with their expressions alone. But in the end, they agreed to their terms and nodded before they were allowed into the village.

“Anything we should know about the Nu Mou?” Claire asked quietly as they walked inside, following after the elder.

“Though the Nu Mou may appear placid and amicable, be fairly warned that they live by uncompromising codes,” Urianger warned her, “Codes such as that which sayeth the payment must precisely befit the service. Be it an item or a task, have care thou givest neither more nor less than what is requested.”

“Well enough to be served,” Thancred said from behind them, “The question is whether we can provide a fitting reward.”

And so their task of winning over the Nu Mou began. She began to look around, with a stern warning from Thancred not to stray from the village without telling one of them about it, and began to ask around to see what she could do to offer services. The Nu Mou were excited over the idea of being able to speak with her, but she had very little to offer them in return when they asked what type of service she would like.

“What do I need to help with? Hmmm?” she asked, trying to think it all over.

“Yes, child,” the Nu Mou nodded, “You see, for there to be honor in a task, we must receive precisely what it is worth. Too little means you belittle our ability, too much means you question our integrity.”

“Oh, ah… ok,” she said.

But it was very difficult. She didn’t wish to accidently offend anyone. So, most of the tasks she was given were fairly simple, but the Nu Mou seemed satisfied. She was sent mostly on deliveries and gathering materials to bring back to them, which brought no small amount of excitement to them. She had just finished up her task of clearing out some rotten mushrooms when she happen to spy Claire hard at work. She stopped dead in her tracks, near the entrance, and moved to hide behind another mushroom to watch her from a distance; but Claire didn’t even look up at her as she cleared away some red plants that were mixed in with the mushrooms at her feet.

Hard to believe such a strong warrior was willing to do such minimal tasks like this like it wasn’t a problem.

Minfilia watched her continue to pluck the spores from the ground and put them into a basket as she struggled to find the words she wanted to say.

She had been waiting for her to show up for years now, ever since she first learned of her from Thancred. But now that she was here, Minfilia wasn’t sure where to go. What was she supposed to do? There had to be a reason. But try as she could, she just could not find an answer to what it was that she was supposed to do. She didn’t know how, but she just knew that she was supposed to meet with her! That was why she left Thancred’s side to try and find her the moment she first saw the night sky.

She shook her head, feeling angry and frustrated as she looked back from her hiding place to watch her again… only for her eyes to widen in shock when she saw that she was gone.

Where did…?

When did…?

“Is something wrong?”

Minfilia let out a gasp and jumped so much that her feet left the ground for a moment. She spun around to find that Claire was right behind her and looking at her with a polite curiosity.

“I-I wasn’t spying on you or anything,” she said stupidly before Claire arched an eyebrow. Minfilia gulped and added, “I’ve just finished my task, and…” She realized that she was just making it worse and excused herself, “I… I should go and report back.”

And she hurried off, feeling Claire’s piercing eyes upon her as she all but sprinted away, hating herself all the more.

How could she ever expect to help anyone if she couldn’t even figure out what it was she was supposed to do?

***Later***

Minfilia was too embarrassed to even glance in Claire’s direction for the next hour or so. Instead, she hung back and spoke with the Nu Mou, who were more than eager to speak to her. It wasn’t until when she felt her stomach rumble for food, when she smelled something mouth-watering, and went in search of it.

She found out that it was Claire who was making that scent as she stirred a bubbling pot. Minfilia watched her from behind one of the mushroom houses, watching as she added a mixture of herbs and spices from around the village and the wilds.

She was just thinking about what she could say to her when Claire called, “You can come out.”

Minfilia jumped for a second time, trying to move behind the mushroom so that she couldn’t be seen.

“There’s no need to hide,” Claire said, her quiet voice still reaching her ears, and still as calm and mild as it usually was. “Come on out. I can show you what I’m making.”

Slowly, very slowly, Minfilia poked her head out from behind the mushroom to see that she was looking directly at her with a faint smile. She held up her hand and gestured for Minfilia to come and sit by the fire with her.

Minfilia gulped, feeling incredibly nervous for some reason, as she stepped out and approached the small cooking pot. She sat down beside her on the ground as she watched her calmly add a little of this and that to whatever it was she was making.

This was a very strange feeling.

Urianger was always very kind to her, and he loved having someone listen when he gave a lecture about this or that. She loved spending time with him, yet there was still a slight awkwardness there that she couldn’t quite put a name on it.

And Thancred…?

Well, she tried not to think too much about that.

But with her… it was a nice feeling. It felt like she had known her for a long time, despite only just meeting her. Now Minfilia knew all about her thanks to the stories that Thancred told, and she also knew that she and the original Minfilia were good friends and so she reasoned that it must be the answer… at least part of it. There were times that Minfilia had flashes of feelings and memories that didn’t belong to her.

She was sometimes had those visions.

Like on that day Nabaath Areng where she slipped out of consciousness. She could vaguely recall having a dream… a dream of standing in a stone room, surrounded by familiar and friendly faces—faces that she both knew and loved. But the only face she truly recognized was Thancred’s… looking younger and happier than she had ever seen before.

But Claire was there in the memories too… this warrior of warriors.

Hope incarnate… that was what _she_ had called her. And she suspected the feeling she felt at this moment was the same feeling that the original Minfilia felt whenever she was around. It was soothing… comforting… like she had a strong wall standing between her and something dangerous… something to lean against and support. She liked that feeling of safety… though she couldn’t help but feel concern that Claire found this encounter strange as well.

It even took Urianger a while to get used to calling her by that same name… and Thancred… she knows that he wasn’t happy about this situation at all.

She wondered if she must miss the real Minfilia… well, of course she would. She would probably be more useful than she was being right now.

But Claire didn’t act like she wasn’t wanted being around. She was very patient with her… and she could recall how she always rushed to defend her while they ran through Dohn Mheg… protecting her… though it could be that she was just protecting the twins and she just got mixed up in it.

They sat there in silence as she watched her add a few other spices to the pot. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Was she mad at her now for some reason? She remembered Thancred telling her that Claire was never one for small talk, but this silence was starting to get to her.

Finally, when she felt she couldn’t take it anymore she asked with a slight stutter, “W-What are you making?”

“Hmmm?” Claire asked absent-mindedly, adding some peeled mushrooms to the broth, “Oh, just a Mushroom Saute. I learned a few new recipes since coming to this world and I felt that we all needed some food after everything that happened today.”

She paused for a moment, as if thinking it all before chuckling softly, “It must be the middle of the night right now, and I think that everyone’s getting tired. Not that we can tell with all that Light in the sky, but…?”

“How can you tell?” Minfilia asked hurriedly, “Is this some kind of power that the Warrior of Darkness has…?”

Claire laughed out, and it was such a pleasing sound as she flashed her a shy smile.

“Not at all,” she said, “Just that it was the middle of the afternoon when we rescued you in Lakeland before coming straight here. So it must be very late right now… possibly nearing morning. We’ll have to rest before facing Titania, but otherwise…?”

This sounded so logical, Minfilia felt foolish for asking. But Claire didn’t seem to mind as she continued working.

“With all the mushrooms around here, I was able to find plenty of ingredients,” she said, “It’s not much, but I think that we all need something to eat. Stir this for me while I finish?”

“Wow, I can’t remember the last time I had something that smelled so good?” Minfilia asked as she took the wooden spoon from her and began to stir the brew around. She could see it bubbling and the smell… oh, it smelled wonderful!

She was suddenly aware that Claire was looking at her and she looked up in confusion.

“What have you been living off then?” she asked.

“Oh, ah… um…” she said, before falling silent. Thancred was able to cook as well, but only minor things. They usually gathered roots and berries for their meals—though sometimes Thancred will catch a wild boar or something and they would cook it over a fire. Whenever they passed through a village or town, which was very rare since they didn’t want to take the chance of them being recognized, they would grab something at a local tavern or even in the marketplace. But really, the last time she had a really good home cooked meal was when she was locked up in her cell in Eulmore.

She mumbled this to Claire, who was looking irritated for a moment. At first, she was afraid that she may have accidently offended her, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

“I would have thought Thancred would have taught you something about cooking. Well, I guess I’ll have to teach you,” she said and Minfilia looked up, startled at that.

“N-No! That’s alright! You don’t have too…”

“If I don’t, then who will?” she said, looking up. “I’m not that scary to spend some time alone with, am I?”

“N-N-Not at all!” Minfilia stuttered, feeling more stupid by the moment, “I just… I don’t think that you need to worry yourself with me and…?”

But Claire just held up a knife for her to take and began to show her how to chop vegetables without cutting her fingers off.

She confessed that this recipe may be a bit big for a beginner, but she would only be assisting her in making it after all. And so an assistant culinarian would have to do before she would teach her some lower level recipes.

And before Minfilia knew it, she was chopping up mushrooms and olives right next to her and adding careful measurements to the brew. Apparently, the best kind of recipes are those that are not only simple with a short amount of ingredients, but there is a massive difference if you go out and hunt for the ingredients yourself.

“I had a friend back in the Source who didn’t believe me about that,” she chuckled, “Because I went and go the materials I needed to not only make a sandwich, but also made the bread for it. He changed his mind when he tasted it.”

“He liked it?” she asked.

“He couldn’t scarf it down fast enough,” she answered and they were both chuckling at that as she told her all about that day. When she asked her about this ‘expedition’ that she was on with her friend, she confessed that it was to explore the Crystal Tower and her eyes widened as she thought about that tower of crystal.

“The same one that is from your world? Is it not?” she questioned and Claire nodded.

“Though the tower here was pulled from a different time,” she informed her, “Still, it’s a little comforting to see something so familiar. I never thought I would be able to step inside it again.”

“And your friend? Is he still in the Source as well?” she asked curiously and she saw how Claire seemed to pause there for a moment. Did she say something wrong? Did something happen to her friend.

“Ah… yes,” was all she said, “Though, last I saw him, he was taking a long nap.”

A nap? That seemed a strange thing to say.

But Claire had already moved on from that topic when she held out her hand to prevent her from adding too many mushroom into the broth. Her hands were quick and nimble when it came to using her daggers, at least that was what Thancred told her, but using a kitchen knife…? She felt so clumsy and her cuts were jagged at best.

“I’ll be able to show you more if we’re going to be spending time on the road together,” she promised her, “After all, if I leave it up to Thancred, I don’t think either of you are going to be eating right. One of you needs to learn.”

“Where did you learn?” Minfilia asked curiously, wondering when a famous hero would find the time to learn to cook of all things? Claire was busy cutting up a few pieces of meat to add in for a little more flavor and ‘texture’ she called them, and explained about the Culinarian Guild in Limsa Lominsa.

“I suppose you can think of it as the Sources’s version of Eulmore.

“Thancred told me about that place too,” she told her, remembering all the stories that Thancred told her about the city. “He said that Eulmore was both like and unlike it.”

“That sounds about right,” Claire agreed, adding more salt to the meat before dropping it into the pot. “I was struck by how… familiar it felt. But it couldn’t be more different from Limsa. Though, it seems to have just as dark an underbelly as it.”

Thancred had used that term too.

_“The shadows in Limsa’s underbelly were full of cutthroats, rogues, and curs.”_

Eulmore had its fair share, but in a very different way, though no less dangerous. She wasn’t entirely sure she understood what they met by that, but she didn’t feel courageous enough to ask. Instead, she asked more about the Culinarian Guild and why she joined it.

“I’m an overachiever?” Claire shrugged, “This was when I was first starting off as an adventurer and I needed to know a lot to take care of myself. It wouldn’t do to go hungry on the road.”

“I guess not,” Minfilia smiled at that, actually finding herself enjoying the sounds of the stew bubbling and the wonderful aroma coming from the food. “Oh, I think it’s done!”

She reached for the handle of the pot, reaching for it even before Claire noticed what was going on and called out for her to stop. But it was too late, and she took hold of the handle… only to realize how hot it truly was. She let out a cry and jerked her hand away from it, which caused it to fall over.

She watched as if in slow motion as she caused the entire cookpot to tip over and it hit the ground with a loud bang as it hit the stones that surrounded the firepit, causing it to bounce slightly, and spill the contents. She watched with wide eyes as all the food spilled out onto the ground… completely useless and wasted.

She just stood there, frozen in horror at what she had done.

Why? What had she been thinking? Why did she just reach for it when she knew that it was bound to be hot? Why did she just ruin their dinner? Why couldn’t she do anything right…? Why couldn’t… why couldn’t she be more like…?

“Are you burned…?”

It took her a moment to realize that Claire was speaking to her. She didn’t notice anything until she felt someone take her hand and she felt a hiss escape her lips when a searing pain finally registered with her.

Claire had reached and took hold of her wrist and was looking at the shiny red burn that was across her palm.

“I’m so sorry!” Minfilia cried, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes, “I—I didn’t mean to… I just reached in… I didn’t think… I’m sorry…?”

Claire didn’t answer any of her stuttering apologies as she examined her hand before she held up her own hand.

Minfilia closed her eyes, waiting to be told off for her mistake. But instead, she felt a gentle hand pat her on the top of her head and she cracked an eye open to see that—to her amazement—she didn’t look angry or upset at all. Instead, she brushed her fingers over Minfilia’s burn… causing it to heal over and the pain faded as she healed it with a gentle healing magic. Minfilia stared at her healed hand before glancing up at Claire in confusion.

Wasn’t she going to yell at her?

She didn’t look happy about their dinner on the ground… but the worst one could describe her expression was… exasperated? But she shushed her, merely telling her to clean up the mess and they would start over.

“We have plenty of ingredients,” she reassured her as she picked up the knife and began to chop some more herbs, cutting them up to almost dust size so that they could go into the pot, “And this way, I can show you from the beginning how to make it. But don’t take it off the fire without asking me first. Or at least, cover your hands so that this doesn’t happen again.”

“You… aren’t mad…?” Minfilia whimpered.

“It was an accident,” she said reassuringly, “You didn’t mean it. But hurry and clean this up and I will start over. Alright?”

Minfilia could only stare at her, not really sure what to say for a moment before realizing that she was just sitting there and quickly gathered up the fallen pot.

She wasn’t angry? Not even a little? Thancred said that she had to be the most patient person he ever met, but still…?

She returned a few minutes later with a clean pot full of fresh water from the river outside, and Claire showed her how to set it up over the fire like how she had it… but made a point to tell her that to never take it off the fire until it cooled down. Instead, to just take a large spoon and ladle it into bowls and pass them out. That way the fire would keep the stew hot and they didn’t need to worry about spilling anything.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again, watching her shave some fresh salt off a salt rock to add to the water—because adding a little salt to the pot can help it boil faster—and she was chopping up some new vegetables.

“Just be more careful in the future,” she repeated to her kindly.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Minfilia murmured again.

“And you don’t have to keep apologize for everything,” Claire sighed, and for the first time she sounded annoyed, “You said it already and I accept it. Let us move on. Though next lesson will be something simple and without heat.”

“A dessert?” she asked, unable to stop herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she had something sweet, and she blushed a deep red at such a question, but Claire only chuckled and patted her head once more.

“How about some maple sugar then…?” she asked and Minfilia’s eyes widen in amazement, “That goes into a lot of desserts?”

After another hour, with Minfilia dutifully watching Claire work, and making careful notes, the stew was ready. Urianger and Thancred both came over when they caught a whiff of the food, and were more than happy to tuck in… as well as with more than a few Nu Mou, who were eager to each try a sample as well.

They even thanked Minfilia for helping to make it, though she only shook her head and said that she had only followed orders. But Claire just shushed her and told her that she had helped to make it, and now she knew the recipe to make it herself next time.

After dinner, Claire was nice enough to show her a simple recipe that made maple sugar… which they made into syrup for her to snack on later. Though it was small and most probably wouldn’t look twice at the cup of syrup Minfilia had made all by herself and it was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. She couldn’t wait for more lessons.

***Later***

After dinner, she was beginning to feel warm and tired, but she didn’t want to sleep yet. So, Minfilia set about looking for more tasks that the Nu Mou were willing to trade with.

It was here she found Claire, once again, and she was speaking to a rather sad looking Nu Mou, who’s name she overheard to be Wyd Lad. He couldn’t have looked more startled to see Claire approach him, asking if there was anything he needed help with.

“What? You… you would be my patron?” Wyd Lad asked her as if he couldn't believe that she would even approach him. “But… I can’t do anything for you. The lawless ones took my invisible ink, and without it I can’t make my arcane wares.”

Lawless ones? Who were they? She saw how Claire looked at him in confusion and Wyd Lad explained, “Who are the lawless ones? They’re Nu Mou like us, except they’ve turned their backs on our values. Curs without honor, they are. They refuse to work, instead spending all their time cavorting and making a nuisance of themselves."

So there were other Nu Mou who were resorted to stealing to survive? She heard about these 'beast tribes' in the Source and how there were various tribes where they had those who were amenable to reason, but there were always those who chose to turn against mankind and wanted nothing to do with anyone. Thancred once explained that most of the time it turned out that these beastmen were all tempered by a god, and thus lost all sense of free will. They live only to serve their gods. 

Right now though, she couldn't blame the Nu Mou for going rogue like that. They must have been desperate to resort to such tactics since they no longer could have mortals as patrons.

It was pretty sad when she thought about it.

Well, Wyd Lad didn't seem to think so anyway.

"It was when I was outside for a walk that they set upon me and robbed me of my possessions, the ink included," he said mournfully, "I was too weak to resist them…"

He sighed, sounding so sad that Minfilia felt as guilty as if she had been the one who stole his ink.

Wyd Lad then began to look Claire up and down with a sudden critical eye.

"But you, mortal—you look quite strong," he commented, "Do you think you could take my ink back from those villains? If you do this, I will consider it your patronage. And by way of my services, I will make you something very special!”

Claire didn't even have to think about it for her to nod in agreement. That was when Minfilia took a deep breath and gathered her courage to approach. She came over to the pair of them, feeling incredibly nervous as she spoke up to get their attention.

“E-Excuse me, Claire, but I couldn’t help overhearing,” she stammered, her hands twisting the hem of her dress as the older woman glanced at her, “If you mean to undertake this task, will you let me accompany you?” 

Claire seemed surprised by the request and Minfilia added quickly, explaining before she could say no, “I would learn from you… and help in what little way I can.”

Now, she had been expecting for Claire to say no right away, to tell her that it was too dangerous or that she didn't need a child to follow her around. 

But after a brief moment of thought, she agreed.

"You are welcome to join,” she said kindly. 

Minfilia felt a surge of happiness flowing through her, so happy at not being treated like she was a burden or annoying tag-a-long.

But then she looked over her shoulder and saw Thancred, who was looking up from his conversation with one of the other Nu Mou, and she saw his eyes narrow suspiciously, as if he knew she was planning something.

For a moment, her happiness felt like it was being sucked away when she saw Thancred's sharp eyes upon her. It looked like he was about to say something until he noticed Claire joining her. When he saw her there, any disapproval he had seemed to have died out and he went back to speaking with the Nu Mou. 

It seemed that so long as she had someone go with her, he was content to letting her out of his sights. 

She sighed in relief at that, not wishing to give Thancred any cause for concern.

“Thank you so much,” she said happily to Claire, who nodded back.

“The lawless ones make their lair to the south, inside a cave called Father Collard’s Chambers,” Wyd Lad instructed, “They took many vials of ink, and I would be grateful if you could bring as many back as possible.”

"Let's go," Minfilia said and she ran off towards the entrance to the cave, eager to head out.

Thancred had often said that there was much that she could learn from Claire, and to take the time to do so, but not to be a bother or pester her too much. He had said that she will have a lot on her plate and it was there job to make it as easy for her as possible.

But she found it very hard to feel worried as they crossed over the green hills and pine trees. All around her there were beasts that were stalking the wilds, and she was getting ready to have to fight before Claire pulled her alongside her. The way they went was a little out of their way, but it prevented them from getting close enough to the beasts to attack them.

“I don’t mind fighting if the situation calls for it, but I don’t make a habit of killing creatures for no reason,” she said. “Just keep your distance of them and they usually are content to leave you be. It saves you a lot of time and energy.”

“Ok,” Minfilia said, secretly glad that she said something. She had gotten pretty good at killing lesser sin eaters, but going out and killing something that still was a living breathing creature that wasn’t corrupted by the Light still was very difficult for her.

She was happy leaving the creatures be as she followed after her new friend.

She looked around with bright interest, her eyes sparkling at all the new sights, so different than the pictures she imagined from her books.

“Do you know where this cave is?” Claire asked her calmly.

“Yes, or well, I have an idea,” Minfilia said, “I’ve been to Il Mheg before, but never this far north. But I think I have an idea to where the cave is. I’m pretty sure I can lead us there.”

She then turned and led the way, finding it so strange that she was taking charge of this and doing the leading for a change. She had planned on just following after Claire and watching her; never once expecting her to turn the tables and wait for her to do the leading.

So, it was a decent degree of nerves that she stepped up and made to lead the way.

“Or…?” she added with a slight glance back, “If you feel like you could lead us there faster…?”

“No, you go on, I’ll watch your back, so just focus on facing forward,” Claire answered back, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Lead on.”

Minfilia gulped, taking a few steps forward, feeling very out of comfort making the decisions for a change. But she walked across the hills, doing her best to avoid the monsters that lurked around her, and aside from one or two beasts that attacked them, they managed to make it to the side of the mountain where there was a cave waiting for them.

Minfilia had dashed on ahead and poked her head around the entrance, avoiding the porxies that were drifting about the entrance. When Claire caught up, she turned to her.

“Father Collard’s Chambers is through here,” she explained, trying to remember everything Thancred taught her about sneaking about without being seen, “I peered inside, and sure enough, it was milling with Nu Mou. They looked none too friendly.”

“So what do you wish to do?” Claire asked her and Minfilia gulped down again at the question. Well, she came this far, so she gave it some thought.

“If Thancred were here, he’d tell me to go about it quietly and quickly,” she said after a moment, “Let us split up. I’ll find all the ink I can and then come back outside. See you shortly, Claire.”

She knew it wasn’t much of a plan, but Claire seemed to agree with it, and she sighed in relief at the reassurance that she made the right choice. So, she pulled out her daggers and caused herself to disappear from sight as she snuck in.

Claire needed no such tricks though, and boldly walked right on inside.

Minfilia wasn’t sure to be in awe, or terrified at that, but she decided to focus on her task now. Claire could handle herself, she would just have to keep up and hope she didn’t slow them down.

She began to sneak around the Nu Mou, who were soon catching wind that someone was lurking about their village. At first, she was afraid that she had been caught—at least, until they ran off in another direction when they heard that the mortal was stealing their stolen goods.

Minfilia couldn’t hide the snort of laughter as she went about to gather as many bottles as she could. She got a fair amount, and tucked them into her pockets, leaving only when she couldn’t carry out anymore. But from the cries of the Lawless Ones, it seemed that this thief was making off with all their supplies of ink and causing panic.

If Claire’s plan was to make enough trouble that they wouldn’t notice a second thief, then it was working. They weren’t even aware that of another presence making off with a fair amount of ink. When Minfilia felt that she was pushing it, she made a quick escape to the exit and reappeared back outside and away from the musky smell of the mushrooms.

She ventured a little bit away from the cave, just out of sight should someone come out and look around, but close enough for Claire to find her when she got out.

She wasn’t what Minfilia had expected. She was calm and stoic, like she always pictured she was, but at the same time she was patient and kind… with a slight mischievous streak in her.

But the way she fought back through Dohn Mheg? She was no stranger to battle, that was crystal clear to even her own inexperienced eyes. Then again, the way that Thancred talked about her… it was clear in his voice that he held so much regard for the Warrior of Light. She always knew that he was protective over his friends and allies, but he always held the Warrior of Light in nothing but the highest esteem.

When she once asked him why that was, he merely told her that he owed her his life and changed the subject.

The thing with Thancred was that he did love talking about his friends and his past, but only if the subject was one that he liked. She felt that there was more to the story than he let on about Claire saving him, but she didn’t question it. After all, owing someone your life should be enough to earn one’s respect, shouldn’t it?

So she just waited for Claire to join her, taking the time to really admire the beauty of the valley and the lake around her.

But her eyes kept going back to the castle.

She wasn’t sure how she knew it, but she could just feel it like a whisper in the back of her mind… just the tiniest caress of a hand across her heart… and looking at the castle felt like she was looking at the cage with a powerful monster lurking inside it.

She almost didn’t notice the rustle of the grass behind her and turned at once, actually fearing for an attack for a moment.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she said warmly as Claire approached and set the crate of ink down at their feet, “There you are. Those Nu Mou were rather frightening. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Claire stood up tall and looked on at her kindly as she said with a smile, “I’m glad you’re safe too.”

Minfilia felt herself blushing at that.

“I haven't seen much actual combat, so I was a little nervous, but I'm happy I could help,” she said a little embarrassed, knowing that she barely could call herself a fighter since she had such little experience outside of the few sin eaters that Thancred wounded enough to give her the chance to kill them. During her first time in actual combat, despite all the practice that Thancred had given her, she felt that she was expected to perform a dance she never done before and was expected to play along.

“The Minfilias before me battled sin eaters as part of the Eulmoran Army,” she tried to excuse herself, “But that had all changed by the time I was found. They held me captive so that I wouldn't follow in the others' footsteps.”

She looked to the ground and added, “I'd still be in my cell now had Thancred not spirited me away. When he found me, I knew nothing of the world. I didn't know how to live, let alone fight.”

She didn’t say anything, merely looking on with a strange look in her eyes that Minfilia wasn’t sure what the name was.

But now that she said it out loud, she found herself burning with a desire to say some of what was on her mind and went on, frowning at herself as she began to pull at the hem of her dress once more, starting to tear it, “Thancred once told me that if the efforts to summon you failed, it would fall to me to face the Lightwardens. I realized then that it was the only reason he kept me close ─ as a contingency. The truth is, he can't stand to be around me.”

Still, whenever that Minfilia was brought up, he would usually mumble something vague and then refused to speak anymore until the subject was changed. But there was no hiding the look upon face and eyes gave him away each and every time. She felt more of that guilt rising up inside her at the thought. She had seen the way his face would change whenever she asked him about his Minfilia, the one from his world, the one who was truly special to him. The coldness in his eyes grew warm and gentle as he silently recalled the woman he once knew.

And she knew that it was because of her… she was keeping the person he cared about most away. It was almost like he became two different people whenever she was brought up. And even more so those few times the Echo had shown her his memories… his feelings… how he felt about his friends… how much he missed them… missed _her_…?

And before she could stop herself, some of her own self-loathing broke free as she cried out tearfully, “Because I'm not her. I'm not his Minfilia.”

She was breathing hard as Claire stared back at her.

“What could make you believe something like that?” she asked her with concern.

Minfilia turned away, feeling that she had crossed some sort of line, but was unable to stop herself as she explained, wanting to tell someone what happened, and she didn’t know who else she could say this too.

“Once, we journeyed to Nabaath Areng together,” she told her, “To the place where the Oracle appeared and stayed the Flood. As we drew near, I felt as though… I was fading away… I shut my eyes and covered my ears, and then… and then… I’m not sure what happened after that. I have a vague feeling that I said something to him. Only it wasn’t me at all. It was her. Afterwards, Thancred didn’t say a word. Only kept to himself and brooded. There’s nothing I can do for him. Nothing I can offer but my presence—though it only reminds him of his loss.”

She truly couldn’t remember what was said that day. But she had an idea. She felt something warm brush against her that day, as if she was pulled into the arms of someone who truly cared about her. Holding her in a tight embrace and she felt safe, truly safe, in that moment. She loved that feeling… of being held and comforted as all her pain was swept away… she could vaguely recall the feeling of her mouth moving, but she wasn’t sure what words were coming out.

Just before she awoke from that gentle dream though, she heard a voice whispering to her: _‘Find her…’ _

The moment she heard that voice, the image of a woman entered her mind’s eye… a warrior whom was once a dear friend and confidant. She was coming here to this world… one day soon… she didn’t know when, but she would be here soon enough. And when she did, she had to set out to find her.

She didn’t understand what was going on, only that when she opened her eyes, the warmth was gone and she was standing in the middle of the ruins with Thancred staring at her, as white as his coat, and staring at her as if she had become a ghost.

It was after that he would turn away from her, as if was too difficult to even look her in the face.

But that feeling never left. That feeling was so clear, he could still remember it even to this day, though that was almost three years ago now.

She knew that it had been the Oracle, the original Minfilia who spoke to her that day, who had also said something to Thancred when she borrowed her body to speak with him. All she could really recall was that image in her mind of that warrior that she was destined to meet. Yet now that she found herself face to face with her, she wasn’t sure what it was she was supposed to do. It was important, that much she knew, that she meet her. But why? Why did Minfilia want her to meet her?

This Minfilia bit her lower lip before turning to Claire and finishing mournfully, “She should be the one to live on. That’s why I tried to find you—because I knew that was what she wanted.”

She looked down, feeling lower than she ever at how useless she felt.

“But now that you’re here… I’m not entirely sure what it was that she intended me to do,” she finished, almost crying from how sorry she was. She just felt like she was letting her new friend down terribly—though she had no clue to why.

She then asked, desperately, hoping that if she just said it all out loud then the answer would come to her, “Was I meant to tell you something? Or bring you to someone? Or somewhere? I can feel the answer at the edge of my mind, just out of reach─”

Tears were now burning at her eyes and she looked down, feeling so humiliated. She shouldn’t have said anything at all. She shouldn’t have spoken out like that… this was her problem to figure out. She should have tried…?

“Minfilia.”

Slowly, she looked up, sniffling slightly as Claire reached over and gently wiped the tear from her cheeks.

“I don’t know what she would have wanted,” she told her softly, “But I do know that she wouldn’t want you to feel like this. If there was something like that, if you feel that strongly about it, then it must not be the right time. Just be patient and you will figure it out later.”

But how was she supposed to know when the time was ‘right’? Would she even recognize it? It wasn’t like they had a lot of time to sit and think about it. The Warrior of Darkness was here, in the flesh, and they were on a mission to restore the night! What if this feeling was a clue to how help with that mission? They needed to know! Not only that, Ran’jit was on their trail! It was only going to be a matter of time before he caught up to them! She didn’t know what to do, she wasn’t ready for this; she was just…?

But before she could figure out just what she was, she heard it. It was a terrible sound began to sound around them. A horrible, acrimonious noise that sounded like a wailing plea that pierced her very brain and made her ears feel that they were shriveling up in agony.

An overwhelming sensation of paralyzing terror washed over her as she grabbed her head, crying out in pain and fear.

“Ahhh! What… what is that?!”

Claire was holding onto her head too, and she knew that this was no vision of the Echo. So then, what was it?

Everything then went dark.

She was surrounded by darkness. There was nothing here but this lonely darkness that pressed in on her on all sides as if she were drowning.

That was when she appeared… the image of a pretty woman in a long, flowing dress floating there in front of her.

_“Why?” _the woman asked sadly,_ “Why did you imprison us? Such boredom… such tedium have we suffered. It is unfair! Unfair!”_

She then disappeared. Minfilia looked around, trying to find her and then she flashed before her, now so close that she was almost nose to nose. She wanted to scream, but the woman’s form vanished a second later.

When she blinked again, she appeared for a third time. Not as close as before… not as far away… but still within arm’s length. The woman raised her head, her hand gripping a flowering scepter in her hands as she spoke again.

_“Come,” _she purred,_ “Come and play with us…”_

She then cackled as she reached out, trying to grab her. And it was gone.

Her eyes snapped open and suddenly she found herself back out in the fresh air, outside upon the ledge that overlooked the castle. She stared up at it, realizing who that woman was… the only person she could be.

“It came from the castle,” Minfilia whispered, still shaking in fear, but tried to hide it as she turned back to Claire and pulled out the bottles from her pockets and held them out to her, “This is everything I have. Please see it delivered to the Nu Mou. I will bear word to Thancred and the others.”

She was close enough to the cave that she didn’t need to be escorted back. She could see it from here, and though she came dangerously close to some of the moving fungi, who snapped at her heels as she charged past, she bolted straight inside the cave to find the others.

But it turned out that they were already aware of what happened.

Urianger and Thancred were waiting for her with identical pale faces, having seen the same vision of the woman and told her that it was Titania who was clawing at the bars of her prison.

The Nu Mou were especially shook up by this, fearful that their wayward king would break free of the bounds that held her there one day.

“Ordinarily, when a living being turns into a sin eater, it loses everything about its mind that defined it,” one of them said fretfully, “However, the king has retained some of their instincts. This manifests in the desire to play and be free. So strong is that desire, it often leaks through the seal to invade our consciousness.”

But this time was different.

Titania could sense the relics were close and that someone was here who carried light within them. That was the feeling that she picked up from the vision that she had. Titania could sense that possible freedom was close at hand and was impatiently waiting for them to come to her.

She gulped, shivering as if cold, and hugged herself tightly, wishing that warm feeling of someone’s arms holding her, protecting her, were here right now.

***Later***

They were still waiting for the Nu Mou to finish deciding about what to do about the stone scepter—though the vision that they had shaken all of them to the core. They were running out of time, and Thancred was in a mind that they split up for the time being… that he would go on ahead with her and Claire to gather the last relic while Urianger waited for the Nu Mou to finish deciding and catch up to them.

Urianger didn’t like the idea of them going off without him though since he was the only one of them who knew where the last relic was, and he felt it best that they stay behind, at least a little longer. He was certain that the Nu Mou would lend them the scepter, it was all about patience now. Rather than the two of them aruge the pros and cons, they decided to ask for another opinion to break the tie, and they went to see if they could find Claire. They eventually found her off to the side of the village, where she had finished her tasks with the Nu Mou and was now resting her back up against one of the mushroom houses when they tracked her down.

Either she was sleeping or resting, she wasn’t sure, but the other two decided that it best they leave her be for the time being for she would need to conserve her strength for later on. Thancred then told her that he and Urianger would go and speak with the Nu Mou again, hopeful that they could speed things along. She was free to do what she wanted in the village, though he did stress that she was not to try and make sure that Claire her catch up on her sleep, since who knows when they would get another chance like this.

Minfilia promised as they went off, but as she sat down, she couldn’t help but feel lonely. Back in Eulmore, she would be left alone for hours and hours… sometimes days with only someone to bring her food, and she hated that feeling. She would pass the time reading books… which Ran’jit would bring for her… but she wasn’t allowed to go outside or even leave the cell to explore the city no matter how many times she begged.

Ran’jit always said that it was far too dangerous for her. That being locked up here was the safest place for her and that it was for her own good. At the time, she believed him.

The world was a scary place… full of sin eaters and monsters.

She had thought that everyone had lived that way and only strong people like Ran’jit could come and go as they wished. So she would just sit there in the dark… trying not to cry no matter how lonely she got.

But then Thancred appeared, and when he told her it was time to go, she grabbed hold of it with both hands… wanting to see the outside world at least once.

Since then, she was rarely alone. She liked that feeling of being outside in the fresh air… seeing new places and people… even if it was in a world like this. Yes, there had been plenty of times she had gone to sleep tired and hungry… wishing for the food and warmth she had known before… before remembering the dark loneliness of her cell waiting for her back in Eulmore.

Well, surely she could survive a few hours on her own?

So she reached into her bag and pulled out the tome that she borrowed from Urianger’s library and began to look through it. She remembered how this one had caught her eye when she first visited him. He had been going through tome after tome, and he confessed to her that the Exarch was kind enough to send him books from the Cabinet of Curiosity. But this particular one had still caught his attention and didn’t have time to return it to the Exarch yet.

It was mostly stories and rumors that spoke of the coming of the Warrior of Darkness.

It spoke of how, a figure cloaked in darkness would return the night and banish the hateful Light from the sky. That they would one day restore the world to its rightful state.

Many, she knew, believed it to be merely just a story to tell to children and keep their hopes alive.

Some spoke of how the warrior was just a metaphor, that they weren’t a real person, just the natural part of life itself.

Others saw them as a symbol as the old ways and that change was inevitable…?

But there were no small few who viewed them as a real person… someone who would one day appear… during the darkest hour they would appear and pull this world back from the brink.

But as she was about to turn a page, she spotted something that seemed very… different from the rest of the book. She looked closely at it for a moment, holding it up closely to one of the glowing mushrooms so that she could read it better, and read out:

_For what are Warriors of Light,_

_But earnest souls of good intent._

_Resolved to do that which is right,_

_Regardless of the consequence._

It looked like someone had taken a quill and wrote that passage in—though it didn’t look like Urianger’s handwriting? She tilted her head, not really sure she understood it. Warriors of Light? Everyone considered the fallen Warriors of Light to be the ones who caused the Flood, didn’t they? Why would this be written in a book about the Warrior of Darkness?

“What are you reading?”

She jumped to see that Claire was awake and looking at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said, thinking that she had done something to cause her to disturb her, but Claire was shaking her head, patting the ground next to her.

“You didn’t,” she reassured her, “I have a slight headache that I’m trying to get rid of. Why don’t you sit over here? The light’s a little better?”

“I…I just… well, Thancred said that I should bother you…?”

“You aren’t,” she said, patting the ground again, “Maybe what you have there can get rid of my headache. I seem to be getting them a lot lately.”

“Oh… ah… alright,” she said, still feeling nervous as she slowly approached and sat down next to her. “It’s… about the Warrior of Darkness…?”

“Oh, don’t tell me that you’re reading about that?” she groaned out, but she was smiling slightly and Minfilia felt some of her nervousness fade as she opened the book and began to look over it for her, reading out certain passages to her… though the thoughts of last passage about the Warrior of Light seemed to stick with her.

It wasn’t even an hour later when Thancred decided to check up on Minfilia. She had been quiet recently and he was starting to grow concerned that she may have wandered off again. As he looked around, he found her, just where he told her not to be, sitting right beside Claire.

The two of them were fast asleep, with Minfilia curled up at her side and using her shoulder as a pillow and Claire had an arm around the younger girl lazily as they slept on.

He was actually taken aback by the sight of it all.

It had taken him moons for him to reach a kind of relationship where it wasn’t awkward for either of them to be around the other. Even though it had already been three years since he met her, he still found the situation difficult at times. Once in a while, she would say or do something that would remind him of her… of his Minfilia.

And that would bring back all the pain all over again.

When did life become so difficult? Back in the good old days he was just a smooth-talking ladies’ man. He just gathered information for Master Louisoix and hung about the taverns, listening to rumors and heresay before going on his way. Life was easy in those days… simple.

But then when he met Minfilia, that was when everything changed… though it happened slowly as the years continued to roll by. He would stop in to visit her from time to time, just to check up on her… once he remembered how she had been cornered down a street by some drunken thugs and he stepped in to protect her.

He had been so proud of her when she built up the Path of the Twelve… and later becoming the leader when they joined their organizations together after the Calamity…?

The last time that he saw her as… as her… was that night in Ul’dah. When they were escaping from the tunnels. It wouldn’t be until much later when he would see her again… and by then, he barely recognized her.

After she became the Word of the Mother…?

He shook his head, not wanting to go down the road again.

He looked to them both and the words Claire asked him before returned to him. She had asked him how he wanted it to end.

In truth, he didn’t know how.

He was conflicted… he didn’t want to accept this girl as Minfilia’s reincarnation… for that would mean saying goodbye to the girl he had loved like a sister. But it was also Minfilia’s wish to look after her…? He didn’t know how this was going to end… he didn’t want that choice to ever come. For it would be easier to accept that his Minfilia was still out there and it gave him hope, however faint, that she could one day be saved.

All in all, he knew that he wasn’t always the most patient person to the girl, but he didn’t know how to handle this. He barely understood children, all his life he had difficulties handling little ones, and here he was now… suddenly from happily single to a father overnight.

He barely could look after himself, much less a child who barely knew anything about the world. And he was a stranger in this new world as well! How could he teach her anything about it when he didn’t know a damn thing about it or its history? Sure, Urianger had done a fair job of teaching her about some of the history when they visited, but what could he, himself, really do? Teach her to fight? That was hardly a life for a child.

He ran his hand through his short hair, feeling at a loss, before glancing back at the two still sleeping. Minfilia had certainly warmed up to Claire quickly, despite her initial nervousness. He had seen the stars in her eyes when they met… completely in awe. And he was grateful that Claire’s patience hadn’t waned since he last saw her.

He had been watching earlier as they had made dinner and saw how Minfilia had knocked the pot over and wasted all that food. If it had been him, he would have certainly tried, but he doubted he could have kept himself from scolding her when he knew that it was an accidently.

Claire, however, didn’t. She just reassured her that it was alright and that they would start again. She then sent her off to clean up and get more water before beginning over. Though, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she was good with kids. He had taken to wandering about Eorzea when things were quiet, just to keep an eye on things. Once in a while he would spot her wandering about completing various tasks… and knew that she spent her days helping those in need, including orphaned children. When he visited Idyllshire, he had seen how she had helped to stabilize the business for an orphanage while she had been there.

Truly a saint.

When he first got a good look at her—after five years—she looked older… rugged… and much more world weary than she had been in the Source. He gave her a long look and realized just how tired she appeared all of a sudden. He was so used to her coming back alive and in one piece, never once complaining, that he never noticed it before.

It was easy to forget that she was a person like anyone else. That she was this unbreakable warrior who would bring them victory over and over again. But she was just a young woman… barely in her twenties… how old was she though? He vaguely recalled one of the twins, he forgot which one, once mentioning that she was twenty summers old… but how long ago was that? He never thought to ask before.

Yet seeing them resting like this, they actually looked their ages for once.

In fact, seeing her like this, just for a moment, he remembered that young woman who he was showing the ropes when she first joined the Scions. Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago…?

She had been thrown off into her first battle with a primal, and he had been unable to help her. She had to claw her way out of trouble that time on he rown… and then the next… and the next… and every other bloody time since then.

So much responsibility on their shoulders when they were still so young…?

Mayhaps that was why Minfilia found herself so attached to her.

They both deserve so much better than the cards they were dealt with. The days ahead were bound to be full of danger and exhaustion in equal measures and so they needed all the sleep they could get if they wanted to make it through it. Besides… now that he really thought of it, was it really so strange that Minfilia would be so comfortable around her namesake’s old friend?

He crept off after that, knowing that both of them were safe and taking a well-deserved rest where they didn’t have to worry about being attacked. It brought him some peace knowing that.

Instead, he decided to see if he could hunt down Urianger and ask about the progress about the scepter—informing him that they could wait a little longer—but that if the Nu Mou didn’t make up their minds soon, they would be forced to fight off an entire army at their backs.

But it turned out that Urianger wasn’t with the Nu Mou elder… nor did he seem to be anywhere near the village and Thancred felt himself frown slightly at the realization.

He set off, planning to just take a look outside to see if he could find him… and to his surprise, he found him just at the cave entrance. His hand was up to his ear, his back to him, not realizing that he was there as he spoke.

“…proceeding as well as can be expected,” he heard Urianger say quietly. “We hath already procured two of the four relics… and await a decision on the third. I do not believeth the Nu Mou will feel prerequisite for deliberation for much longer. For time is running out, this we have elucidated over and over, thus I am hopeful that the scepter will soon be entrusted to us.”

Thancred paused before looking back to the tall and grim figure still speaking. In the Source, he doubted that he would have even batted an eye to see someone speaking to someone who wasn’t there. But as far as he could see, it didn’t appear to be a fae creature he was speaking with. And the way he was holding his hand up to his ear further reinforced his thoughts that he was speaking with someone long distance… but as far as he knew, linkpearls didn’t exist in this world. Where would he have gotten one? And who was he talking with?

He stayed in the shadows, slipping back into his old rogue ways as he watched with a frown as Urianger listened to whoever was on the other end of the link was saying to him.

“No, rest assure that she is both hall and whole,” he heard him say, “She and young Minfilia are both resting, which is a calming sight. They will need it for the battles to come.”

There was silence for another moment before he saw him nod.

“Agreed,” he promised, “I swear to continue watching over her should she need anything. Once the Lightwarden of Il Mheg falls… we shall return posthaste.”

Silence for another breath and then: “I thank thee, my friend. We shall converse again soon.”

He lowered his hand and Thancred saw him sigh as he turned and began to make his way up the path towards the village.

“So…” he spoke up, causing Urianger to jump slightly, having been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice him there, “Had a nice talk?”

“Ah, Thancred,” he said, and he saw the relief there, as well a trace of worry in his features. “Mine apologizes. I did not notice thee until…?”

“Yeah, I noticed,” he cut in, glancing at his ear and asked, “I didn’t think that we had linkpearls. When were you going to share this news with us, Urianger?”

Urianger didn’t react, but perhaps there was a faint blush over his cheeks as he reached into his ear to pull out the linkpearl. After getting a look at it, Thancred could see that, while he was not a master engineer like Cid, he could see that it was certainly an old one, barely functioning.

“A gift from the Exarch,” he confessed, “Found from within the Crystal Tower. Sent to me by the moogles from the Exarch to see if it could work at a distance. I was thus testing it out while we awaited a decision upon the scepter.”

“Is that who you were talking to?” Thancred asked with a slight frown, “The Exarch?”

Urianger shrugged and confessed that the Exarch had tried using the linkpearl to check on them and see how they were faring. For he had his scouts reporting back to him that a small army from Eulmore was marching towards the north and had been concerned for them.

“And he was just checking up on us?” Thancred asked slowly. Now it seemed a reasonable, but he couldn’t help but feel that he was missing something else here as well as Urianger placed the linkpearl back into his ear.

“The connection is still very weak, and so communing with the Exarch is still difficult,” he confessed, “But the Exarch hopes to be able to have the talented crafters at the Crystarium’s Mean to one day replicate these devices.”

“Well, I suppose that would make things a lot easier,” Thancred shrugged, “But you know you didn’t have to hide it. You could have told us.”

“Ah, of course,” Urianger agreed with a bow. “Forgive me. Reluctant I was to distract anyone. Let us return to the village. For, we too, shall need all our strength for the days to come.”

He gave him a smile as he led the way back, with Thancred following behind.

Now he didn’t see the harm in his little excursion… in fact, he supported the idea of being able to replicate linkpearls, it would make their lives much easier if they were able to stay in contact with each other. He just felt that the sudden secretive way that Urianger went about it… very strange.

He was no stranger to Urianger’s ways.

What concerned him the most was that he was becoming more and more secretive. At least, when it came to _that_ vision.

He had known that he had taken up the Astrolgian’s Art because of the Source’s future he had gotten a glimpse of before. He had grown… almost scarily obsessed with that vision. Now, Thancred didn’t see it, but he suspected that what he knew about this dark future of theirs frightened Urianger to such a point that he was willing to do whatever it took to prevent it from coming to pass. He had been working hard in a form of battle that brings healing, but also allows one slight insights of the future. It was plaguing his thoughts, he could see that, so much so that he took up the art of astrology to try and explore this supposed future.

Now, Urianger had always done right by him and Minfilia. Even before arriving in Norvrandt, he found it easy, or easier, to converse with the man since he knew that he wouldn’t worry or fuss over him like some of the other Scions would do. But he knew that things had been tense with him and some of the others since his ‘betrayal’ when he conspired with the Warriors from the First and the Ascians. Now, he understood why he did it, and recognized that there was no other option at the time.

The First was on the brink of falling into the Light… in fact, another Calamity could have befallen them at any moment had Urianger not stepped in. It bought them time that they otherwise didn’t have.

Though he may come off as standoffish, he knew that he was a virtuous friend who is loyal to them all. He could remember after his deception was revealed and how guilty he had felt having to withhold the information from them. Thancred gave him credit though, he never tried to make excuses and just humbly begged for forgiveness and understanding from them.

Lyse, who had only heard of his part in this, still saw him a good friend. But for the others, while still relatively good, weren’t like they used to me. Thancred still trusted him… but it was a wary kind of trust. Like a wild animal that had been trained, but you know that one false move could cost him his life.

He hadn’t been the only one either. He knew that the relationship between him and Y’shtola had grown strained, especially in recent days. He hadn’t seen the scholar since they had been in the Source, but he knew from the rather brisk conversations with Urianger that they hadn’t been in contact with each other—despite having arrived together. Apparently she had become frustrated with need for keeping secrets… while he still wanted to believe that Urianger was on their side… it was moments like this that made it very hard to do so.

Still, they had other things to attend to now so he let the matter go for the time being. It must have been at least another half a day, when Claire and Minfilia awoke, when they were called over by Wyd Aenc, who had come to a decision about the scepter.

It was about bloody time. Rather than risk ruining it for them by complaining about the wait, he bit his tongue and waited before Wyd Aenc pulled something out from his robes and held it up. It was a gleaming scepter, more of a staff than anything, that was as white as clouds on a perfect summer day and had long vines wrapped around it while the top looked like flowers just beginning to bloom.

“Before I begin, please allow me to express my gratitude for your kind patronage,” Wyd Aenc told them all, running his paw-like hands over the scepter, still looking slightly torn at the thought of entrusting it to strangers, but he didn’t sway from his decision as he looked at them all with deadly seriousness. “Having been deprived of purpose for so long, our people are overjoyed at being able to serve again. But on the matter of the stone scepter. During our deliberations, we were forced to concede that we will never have the power to deal with our fallen monarch. We can release Titania neither from the castle nor from torment. In light of this, we have decided to entrust their fate to you.”

His dark eyes then found Claire and nodded, as if confirming some thought to himself.

“Take it—the stone scepter of the Nu Mou,” he said and she took it gratefully, admired it for a moment before she tucked it safely away into the bag at her side.

“This makes three relics,” Thancred said, sighing in relief, “One more and we can arrange a meeting with the Warden.”

Though, compared to the Fuath, this was actually pretty easy. Hopefully, the next relic holder would be just as reasonable to hand it over to them. He actually had a thought that maybe they could try and break the seal without all four relics… but that was quickly shut down. After seeing what the Fae were capable of, he decided that they best not risk it.

“Ere you continue your quest, allow me to enlighten you as regards your foe,” Wyd Aenc said suddenly, getting everyone’s attention, “Know that Titania is not a name, but a title bestowed upon one chose to lead the pixies by the grace of nature. This leader, upon Il Mheg’s founding, arose as ruler of all fae folk to bring order to our riotous kind. In our turn, we fae folk render our blessing unto nature—unto water, wood, and wind—that our king might be further empowered. Though they are become a sin eater, their powers remain unchanged. When you face them, be prepared to face the full fury of nature.”

A being who could control nature? This did not bold well for them. He had been hopeful that the rest of them could lend some aid to the Warrior of Light for once. While she was quite capable of looking after herself, and leaving the task of slaying the nigh-undefeatable foe to her was usually the smart thing to do, he knew that it was a sin eater this time instead of a primal. While the rest of them couldn’t even risk approaching the castle if it was a primal they were up against, they could lend some form of aid without fear of becoming tempered.

This just got a little more complicated.

“Oh dear… is there anything else that we should know?” Minfilia asked in worry.

“Anything else…?” Wyd Aenc asked slowly, thinking it all over, “Only that if you feel unready for the challenge—and none here would blame you for it—you are welcome to remain among us awhile longer.”

At first, this seemed like a kind piece of advice… at least, until he added, “After all, I myself have yet to enjoy your patronage, and who knows when I will next have the chance? We would see that you are comfortable, of course, and do all in our power to make you feel… at home.”

Oh no, he was having a flashback to the Fuath and how they tried to ‘claim’ Claire as their own and he was anxious that the Nu Mou may try to force her to stay. Especially after hearing Wyd Aenc chuckling to himself.

But it seemed that there was someone else who didn’t take that idea kindly.

In a flash of light, the pixie Feo Ul appeared—and looked very grumpy.

“Oi!” she snapped, taking Claire by surprise, “Honestly! I look away for one moment, and every faerie and their knuckle tries to steal my sapling from me!”

She pointed behind her at Claire as she vicious defended, “This is _my_ sapling! _Mine_, do you hear!? Not yours and not the Fuath’s! And anyone who so much as thinks about trying to seduce her will wish they hadn’t!”

Good thing they had one Fae on their side.

He actually grinned at the properly remorseful look on Wyd Aenc’s face as Urianger actually chuckled a deep laugh next to him.

“The final relic is a pair of shoes wrought of crystal,” their scholarly friend interrupted before a fight could break out, bringing them back to the matter at hand, “They are held in the amaro’s safekeeping at their settlement, Wolekdorf.”

Ah yes, he heard about these amaro… he had thought for a long time that they were just like chocobo like back home in the Source. While the ones at the Crystarium were, indeed, not unlike them, these amaro were supposing very ‘special’.

“It beareth mentioning that these amaro are unlike those which thou hast heretoford encountered,” Urianger informed them, “Owning to a peculiarity of evolution, they are cable of speech, and thus might negotiate with them as we have the Fae Folk.”

Talking amaro now. Well, it wouldn’t be the strangest thing that they had seen all day.

“Though it saddens us to see you leave, we wish you well on your way,” Wyd Aenc said. “When you arrive in Wolekdorf, seek out the largest of the amaro. His name is Seto, and he is their leader and the bearer of the relic.”

They thanked him and set off together, though the whole way, Thancred couldn’t help but shoot Urianger a concerned look. Though he couldn’t sense things like Urianger and Y’shtola could… his gut instincts never failed to let him know that something was up.

And right now, that feeling ringing loud and clear whenever he looked at Urianger.

***Later***

Claire felt dozens of eyes upon her the moment that they stepped about the ruins of what seemed to have once been either a small village during the time of Voeburt, perhaps some form of stables from what she could tell.

There were at least two dozen amaro from what she could see from the moment she stepped into the village. They were all about their business, at least business from an amaro’s point of view, and were all quickly stopping to stare at them.

She suddenly felt nervous as she stepped around and—feeling foolish—asked them for Seto. She was truly amazed to hear them speak, clamoring her with questions, and welcoming them to their home. Eventually, she was directed to a nest in the center of the village where the largest amaro she had ever seen was fast asleep upon it.

Well, if they wanted to speak with the leader of these amaro, she could take worse guesses to who it could be. He was sleeping peacefully upon the straw as she approached and gently petted his head to wake him up and called his name, at least she hoped it was his name, “Seto!”

She was just wholly unprepared when he began to stir and she heard a familiar name mumbled from his beak.

“Ard…bert?”

She stared at him as he opened his eyes and looked at her with almost eagerness.

“What did you say?” she asked and he seemed disappointed for a moment when his eyes found her—as if expecting someone else.

“Oh, forgive me, I was… having a dream,” he said quickly, becoming gracious and welcoming, “Seldom do men visit us. What brings you to our village?”

So, she took a breath and told them who they were and why they were here. When she was finished, his jaw fell open.

“Did I hear you alright?” he asked, shaking his head and he suddenly grew so tense that she could see his feathers standing on edge, “You desire the crystal shoes… that you may confront the Lightwarden?!”

She nodded, showing that she was completely serious. But he just shook his great head.

“No,” he said firmly, “No, you mustn’t think such thoughts. Even if you are indeed immune to the Light’s corruption, as you claim, vanquishing the king will bring you naught but sorrow. Forget this folly. Return whence you came.”

“While we appreciate your concern, we have no choice in the matter,” Thancred spoke up, and she could hear the slight edge of frustration in his voice, “Will you not reconsider?”

Seto refused to answer, just turning his great head away so that it was clear that he was in no mood to speak.

She heard Urianger sigh from next to her yet he didn’t push it as he said, “Come, my friends, let us leave him with his thoughts.”

She followed after him with the others as they readied to discuss their options.

“Hmmm…” Urianger hummed, “Tis harder by far to change the minds of they who mean well than they who mean ill.”

“Forgive me… but I’m not sure I understand…” Minfilia spoke up, looking around at them in confusion.

“And little wonder. ‘Tis the first time thou hast set foot here,” Urianger declared, “Twould behoove you all to learn something of the nature of this community, I think, and there is no surer way than to speak with its members. In such wise, you will come to understand Seto’s reason for refusing us—and hope, gain an insight into how he may yet be persuaded… so I bid ye seek out the amaro and make yourselves known unto them. A gentle touch shall suffice by way of a greeting.”

She was being told to pet them? Well, if that will help them to understand, she set off to pet some fluffy creatures.

The first one that she was introduced to was named Rispa.

“Well now… it is not often that we are visited by men—much less unglamoured ones,” she said when Claire approached her as she sat upon her nest, “What brings you so far from your own kind?”

She just smiled back and petted her long neck as she let out a soft chirp.

“Ah, how long has it been since last I felt man’s touch?” the amaro sighed dreamily, “I cannot help but be reminded of my master’s hand… he was a knight of Voeburt. A noble and valiant soul. But like so many others, he died fighting the sin eaters. Though he is long departed, I remain in this land out of respect for his memory.”

That was so sad, but she thanked her new friend for sharing that with her before she wandered off to see who else she could find. She spotted the others here and there, such as Minfilia who was cooing over how fluffy the amaro were while Thancred was looking very dubious of speaking with the amaro, like he still couldn’t believe that he was speaking to the creature that was so similar to a Chocobo.

She smirked at that before coming across another amaro, who went by the name of Eo An.

“Are you one of those treasure hunters?” he asked her curiously, looking a little more ruffled than Rispa did, “There is nothing left for you here.”

She shook her head and petted him gently, who’s feathers immediately became even more ruffled than before.

“Agh! Th-That tickles! Enough! I never had a master—I’m not accustomed to it!” he snapped, but he didn’t seem to be too upset about being touched, “Not that I dislike your kind, you understand. On the contrary, we armaro were bred to be fond of men. In the beginning, we were all of us mindless beasts. But then a mage of Ronka gave us the gift of intelligence, that we might better serve our masters. After that empire fell, those with the gift eventually died out. On rare occasions, however, we are born with the seed of our ancestors in us.”

“Truly?” she asked him curiously, “Do all amaro…?”

“If we live long enough amongst men, this seed may quicken, restoring the power of speech to us amongst other things,” Eo An answered, “So it was with me… though I never had a master, as I told you.”

The next amaro she met was a rather melancholy one who went by the name of Nimbus.

“What is all the commotion?” he asked, “Did something happen while we slumbered?”

“Not really,” she said as she reached out to pet his head, where he let out a splutter of shock.

“What’s happening!?” he asked, not having a clue at was going on, but quickly leaned in to her touch, “Why am I being patted? It’s… its wonderful… seldom do we have the chance to enjoy the attentions of men.”

He seemed to almost purr as he enjoyed the friendly pat before pulling away a little reluctantly as he said, “Your kind are loath to come here for fear of the fae folk. But then we are fae folk too. When first we made our home here, we sword an oath to the faerie king, you see. ‘Tis easy to forget sometimes.”

She returned to Urianger with a lot on her mind and heart.

“Thou hast peered into the hearts of the amaro, I take it?” he asked and she told him what she learned before he nodded gravely.

“Then thou cast not choose but see the intense and abiding love they bear for men,” he said, “It is out of concern for our welfare, and not scorn, that Seto seeketh to dissuade us from confronting their king. Yet confront their king we must, and to that end we must needs have the crystal shoes…”

She watched as he thought it over for a moment before he seemed to reach an empathy.

“Claire—might I prevail upon thee to confer with Seto in private?” he asked and she jerked her head back in surprise at the suggestion. She wasn't entirely sure where to go from here though, that was the problem. She wasn't much good at being a negotiator; and if Urianger couldn't think of something to say that could get Seto to help them, she doubted anything she could say could.

“The task of slaying the Lightwarden will ultimately be thine, and it is for thee, I believe, that he worrieth most,” he told her, “Tell him of thy many great deeds."

"I can try," she said softly, "But I don't know what I can say for him to listen...?"

But he didn't seem to be nearly as concerned about this as she was as Thancred stepped over to see what they were talking about.

"Spoken in earnest, thy would may yet move him to change his mind," he told her, "Prithee do as I bade and speak with Seto in private. I shall turn my thoughts towards other solutions meanwhile.”

He wandered off, softly muttering ideas under his breath that could work in their favor.

Claire hated trying to reason with someone, that was usually Alphinaud's specialty, and looked to Thancred to see if he had any advice. While aware of her discomfort, but he was smirking slightly, silently saying 'You're on your own'.

She raised her eyebrows at him, not amused, and his enjoyment gave way to slight apologetic smile.

“I see now what Urianger meant," he said, his tone a little more serious, as he glanced around at the surrounding amaro, "Our feathered friend is plainly concerned for our safety,” Thancred sighed, “We need to show him that we can look after ourselves.”

Well, it was nice that they worried for them; but that wasn't going to help them solve the problem.

So after squaring her shoulders, she approached Seto once again, not sure what she could say to convince a giant amaro that there was nothing to worry about, especially since she could not completely be honest and say that nothing could happen.

Seto raised his head when he heard her approach and waited until she stood in front of him before speaking again.

“You have spoken with my brethren,” he said, not asking but merely stating what he knew she must have done. Knowing there was no point in denying it, she nodded and he finished, “Then you see it is not about of scorn that I deny you the relic…” 

Again, she nodded. Now she did understand completely where he was coming from, and she was touched that the worried for her safety despite the fact that they only just met, and she asked him why that was.

His head lowered slightly before answering, “I simply cannot bear to see men fight and die. Not anymore. None of us can." He looked around the ruins of their little settlement as he added mournfully, "To lose one who had placed a gentle hand on us even once fills our hearts with untold sorrow, as my brothers and sisters will readily attest.”

That was, perhaps, the most honest thing she had ever heard of before and she wasn't sure how to answer that at first.

Finally, she decided to speak honestly as well.

“This is something I must do,” she pleaded.

Something seemed to pass over Seto's face and he heaved a heavy sigh before looking away to observe the land of Il Mheg.

“What am I to make of such declarations?” he asked himself before looking back to her and questioned seriously, “Tell me, why do you wish this?”

“Why?” she asked and for a moment she wasn’t sure what to say to such a thought. Why did she wish to do this? Well, usually, it was because she had no choice in the matter. But here, she did, didn't she?

Perhaps her silence was enough for Seto to see if he could turn her from her course.

“This land is no longer man’s to fight for, nor will your doing so compel the fae folk to change,” he told her, “And in order to obtain the other relics, you will already have paid the due price. Naught more is owed. Why then would you risk all to face our fallen king?”

She took her time in answering, really wanting to tell him as truthfully as she could.

She thought of the suffering that Titania was in, she thought of the people of the Crystarium and how happy they were when the night sky returned, of Feo Ul and knew that this was her home, of her promise to her friends and the Exarch as well as her words to Ardbert.

She looked up and whispered, simply, knowing that it was the best answer she could give, “To keep a promise to my friends."

She had thought that her answer was enough to get his attention, which it was... but not quite like how she expected it.

Her answer seemed to stir something from within him and she saw how his dark eyes widen.

“What… did you say…?” he whispered softly. She looked on in concern, wondering if what she said upset him for some reason.

But for a moment he seemed to forget that she was here as he looked away as he muttered, “The very words… could it be mere coincidence?”

"Coincidence?" she repeated, wondering what was wrong.

As soon as he heard her voice, it seemed to snap him out of his shocked state.

“Very well,” he decided suddenly, taking her by surprise, “You may believe what you say, but we shall see if you have the strength to do it."

Truly? He wished to test her? What kind of test would an amaro give one to see if they were worthy?

"Sin eaters have been prowling the area of late," he informed her, now all down to business, "Prove yourselves against them, and I will consider giving you the relic. See that you are well prepared, then meet me in the clearing to the east. There, I will lure out the fiends, that you may slay them.”

She thought it over, and knew that it sounded fair to her. She nodded in agreement as he then flapped his wings and took off, leaving her to follow after him on land.

He seemed... distracted. Almost like he had seen a ghost just a moment ago, and she couldn't help but wonder what had been the cause of that?

Still, she followed after him to the east, roaming across the sprawling hills that she travelled with Minfilia.

The plains here were free of flowers, but she could still pick up the scent even from here as she trooped through the grass, the smell of pine slowly becoming stronger than the flowers across the lake. 

She found Seto waiting for her near a waterfall, his look expecting as she approached.

“I will use my voice to lure out the sin eaters, as I once did when I hunted with an old friend,” he explained, “A feeble cry for the ravenous; a mighty roar for the territorial… I still remember the tricks."

Ah, it sounds like he once travelled with someone who knew the ways of a hunter. 

Sin eater or not, she was sure that something would come at the call.

"Ready, then?" he asked, waiting for her to nod, "Very well.”

He then let out a loud cry and waited. Sure enough, she heard the flapping of wings and looked up to see four beings of pure white flapping their way towards them. She sighed as she pulled out her sword and walked out to meet them, feeling Seto’s gaze upon her.

It didn’t take her long to fell them, but as each one let out a horrible dying shriek, which drew other nearby eaters. They came in waves, but they grew less and less with each wave until the last one, who’s head she cut off, fell to the ground in a mass of dead feathers. These things didn’t even bleed… she hated these things. They just weren’t… right.

They soon returned to his nest, but Claire couldn’t help but feel that there was more to his ‘test’ than he was letting on. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was like he was looking for something in particular when he was testing her. She wanted to ask, but as she looked into his eyes, she could see the hesitation there.

“What is it?” she asked him quietly and he seemed to struggle within himself for a moment.

“By the ease with which you slew those sin eaters, I see that you are capable,” he told her, “However, I still require time to think. And if you should be willing, there is a favor I would ask of you.”

“A favor?” she repeated slowly.

“This is not a test of your strength, but a personal request,” he explained, his eyes sad once more, “Please hear my tale."

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"A while ago, I fought sin eaters who had wandered into Il Mheg," he told her, "In the heat of battle, I dropped a prized possession—a medallion. Of all the places that it should fall, it was Longmirror Lake."

She could see where this was going as soon as he mentioned that he dropped it. Oh, she hoped that the Fuath weren't too upset about her escaping from them.

"We amaro are not fond of water—we certainly cannot dive very deep," Seto explained the problem, "I briefly entertained the thought of turning to the Fuath, but they are more likely to keep my medallion out of mischief than return it to me."

Unable to stop herself, she agreed, with no doubt in her mind, "Oh, I am certain that they would."

Perhaps there was some amusement in his aged face before he went on, “I had despaired of retrieving my treasure, but having seen what you are capable of, perhaps you will be able to find it. While I ponder your request for the shoes, will you not go and search for my medallion? If it should elude even you, I will accept that it is gone forever.”

She nodded in understanding.

“I’ll try,” she said. It was the best that she could offer, since that lake was very big and so finding a small medallion wasn’t going to be easy. “What does it look like? Do you remember which part of the lake where it fell?”

“It is a small enough to fight comfortably in the palm of your hand,” he told her as he lowered his head and allowed her to pet his beak, and he closed his eyes securely at her touch. “As I recall, I was above the waters west of the castle when I dropped the medallion. I wish you luck.”

She departed without a word, returning down to the lake. Her heart grew heavy at the thought of being forced to see that abandoned city once more. Still, it was too late to turn back now, and so she stepped into the shores and dove when she reached the western part of the castle.

As soon as she dove down, she realized just what a big job she had in store for her. She moved through the water, checking the tops of the sunken roofs, thinking that it would be her best chance at finding it, but she still had to face the fact that this was a big job.

She scurried across the lake floor, able to see everything thanks to the Light that pierced the water surface. She could see the traces of old coins and weapons scattered here and there, broken pieces of pottery and crates littered the ground, covered with grasses and other plantlife.

At one point she saw something glitter from the corner of her eye, and she quickly turned, only to jerk back at the sight of a wolf head glaring back. She jumped slightly, before realizing that it was part of a statue… a statue of a wolf with two heads?

Curious, she swam closer to get a better look. Upon an old plaque at the wolf’s feet, she could see the crest of another two-headed wolf with a coat of arms stamped across it.

Written there were words so tarnished and covered with the years of algae that she had to pull away the weeds to get a better look at what was carved upon it.

_The Kingdom of Voeburt was born of an alliance between the Drahn and the Galdjent. Thus does the two-headed wolf arise to rule the northern lands of Norvrandt to this very day._

_Long live Voeburt!_

She ran her hand over the coat of arms, gazing at the empty eyes of the wolf heads before she turned and swam away, unable to bear it.

She knew she promised Seto that she would try to find it, but it was hard to even look at this place. She wasn’t sure why it was so painful for her, for she had gone through so many ruins before in her life. Never once was she as upset as she was now.

She actually wanted to cry, and probably could if she wasn’t underwater—what was the matter with her?

She then redoubled her search efforts to find the medallion so that she could leave this place behind as soon as possible. She searched through the rubble, looking for anything that shone, traveling from building to building, finally coming to the church she had seen from a distance before, entering through the rotten doorway and seeing the empty pews and cracked walls before shaking her head. After nearly an hour of searching, she had come up empty, with no other idea of where to even continue looking. It could take days just to look over this part of the lake, assuming that the Fuath didn’t already find the medallion and took it first.

She was just beginning to think that Seto’s medallion was gone forever when she noticed something glinting. She turned her head to see that through the light that shone in through the hole in the roof, there was something nestled between some broken stones from a fallen pillar. Curious, she swam closer to investigate and pulled out a medallion. It was just large enough to fit in her hand, certainly very old, but unlike everything else down here, it looked as if it had recently been cleaned, with hardly a scratch upon it.

This had to be it! She honestly didn’t think that she would be lucky enough to find it though. But she smiled widely at the thought of being able to return it.

She returned to the amaro, where she found the others waiting for her with Seto.

“Ah, you are returned,” he said gravely, and she could tell that he did not expect good news. “How fared your search?”

She reached under her wet clothes, pulling out the medallion before laying it upon his nest. Despite its age and prolonged submersion, the golden medallion still retained its luster. For a moment, Seto seemed too stunned to speak, he just stared at it as the medallion caught the light in its spotless metal and twinkled brightly.

“Ah! My medallion!” he gasped with joy, “You found it!”

He raised his head back up and looked at her with gratitude in his dark eyes.

“Oh, I know not how to thank you,” he said, bobbing his head slightly, “It is my most treasured possession—a gift from a dear, departed soul.” And as if he was compelled to tell her, he spoke again and explained, “He was a traveler, and together we journeyed to the ends of the world and back again. When I was young. In those days, I could not speak, but we found joy in each other’s company nonetheless. Oh, the memories…” he sighed at that and she could see a sense of true happiness in his face when he recalled his reminiscences.

“He gave it to you then?” she asked politely.

“This medallion he found during an adventure—fashioned it into a necklace for me, his ‘partner in crime’. I had not the words to tell him then, but it filled my heart with pride,” Seto confessed softly, “I was so, so happy…”

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw Ardbert appear. But he wasn’t even looking at her, he was staring up at Seto as if he could not believe what he was seeing. Wait… a departed traveler…? Could it be that… did that mean…?

“His name was Ardbert, and he was my friend,” Seto confirmed and her eyes widened slightly. What were the odds? Of all the amaro out there…?

“Ardbert, thou sayest…?” Urianger asked in surprise from behind her, but she didn’t even look at him, still too shocked to do anything but stare.

“Everyone blamed him for the Flood,” Seto explained bitterly, “Him and his comrades. Some few spoke up for them—of the many, whose lives they had touched. But as the years went by, their voices were drowned out by those who only uttered the adventures’ names as a curse… it was too much to bear. And so I left behind men and their lies and came to this place.”

The sorrow was so thick in his voice that it broke her heart.

She could imagine that they wouldn’t have had too much kind words for Ardbert and the others after the Flood. Right now, she hated hearing about how they were spoken with such distain… such loathing… she could only imagine how cruel they would have been years ago.

“Ardbert was a trusting soul, constantly being drawn into the troubles of others,” Seto told her, “Yet in spite of this, he never thought twice when he saw someone in need. He always tried to help. It was no different then. The world needed heroes—it needed him. And yet…”

She didn’t dare look directly at Ardbert, who still stood a fair distance away, still watching… still listening… but she could still see him from the corner of her eyes. She could see the despair mirrored in his eyes that were identical in Seto’s.

“He was a good man,” Seto said firmly, “He deserved to be happy. I wish I could have told him that, at least…”

At last, she couldn’t bear to keep her head turned any longer and gave Ardbert a sideways glance just long enough to see his expression. His face was screwed up with pain, as if fighting the urge to break down. He turned on his heel and disappeared as he walked away. Her heart was breaking for both of them and knew not how to help them.

Neither of them could possibly have wanted this.

Still, she mastered her control and looked up to Seto, giving him as compassionate a smile as she could as she nodded.

“I agree with you,” she told him, “And… I’m sure Ardbert knows how you feel.”

He gazed down at her long and hard, as if looking for something specific.

“You remind me of him,” he confessed, “Your kindness… when we armaro were created, we were granted the ability to perceive souls. Thus did we recognize our masters. That ability has long since faded from our kind. But due perhaps to my reversion, I can see your soul. Faintly but surely. It is reminiscent of Ardbert’s. Strikingly so.”

She blinked in surprise as he seemed to smile back, though it was hard to tell with a beak.

Her soul… was strikingly familiar to Ardberts? What did that mean? She knew that Ardbert could understand what she had to go through more than anyone else she ever met… but what did that mean about their souls? Was that part of the reason that only she could see him?

“Of course, you are you, and no one else,” Seto added gently to her, “We are defined not by the soul we are born with, but the path we walk. Nevertheless… I cannot help but feel that this is more than mere coincidence…”

She wanted to ask what he thought it meant. But she suspected that he didn’t know any more than she did. It seemed to be enough for him that she was similar enough to his old master that he could trust her.

He looked long and hard into her eyes… for a moment, she could have sworn she felt a strange sensation of… familiarity? As if she had looked into those same eyes before in the past. But that was ridiculous. They only just met. Though his dark eyes did remind her of her dear Chocobo waiting for her back in the Source. She had left him in his stables back home, and she hoped that he was doing well. She didn’t realize how much she missed that bird until right now… the way he chirped when he was petted… the way he liked to take a tiny nip at her fingers in a playful way as she fed him his favorite greens… how he and her black Chocobo—the gift from Lord Haurchefant—liked to talk to each other when she wasn’t paying attention to either of them… the way that the two birds loved to rub their feathered heads up against her as if to remind her to slow down and take a rest when she had been up too late…?

She was suddenly feeling homesick.

“Which is why I will place my faith in you,” Seto decided. “The relic—is yours.”

Claire was startled by this, but the warm twinkle in Seto’s eyes spoke the truth. That was when a small ball of light appeared in front of him, glowing brilliantly like one of the fairy lanterns that they passed on their way here, and floated down towards her. She reached out her hands as the light—so different than from the sin eaters—came to her and transformed. A pair of shoes made entirely of silver and crystal that sparkled like radiant diamonds as they cast little facets of rainbows about them. She tucked them safely into her back with the other three relics before gazing up at Seto with a sunny smile.

“Thank you,” she said.

She wanted to ask him more, but a terrified voice interrupted them.

“There’s trouble! Terrible trouble!”

They all looked up in time to see the pixie, Oul Sigun she thought his name to be, flying towards them as fast as he could go.

“Has something happened at Lydha Lran?” Thancred asked urgently the moment the pixie came to a stop in front of them.

“Together with the twins, we were playing tricks on some nasty mortals to stop them from setting foot in Il Mheg,” he explained with a nod, “At first they ran off screaming, which was lots of fun. But then a scary, boney, wrinkly old mortal came along and spoiled everything! None of our tricks seem to work on him, which is no fun at all, and now they’re getting closer and closer…”

Claire felt her spirits sink, already guessing who this ‘scary, boney, wrinkly old mortal’ could possibly be. She didn’t need Minfilia’s gasp or Thancred grinding his teeth to know that this was bad news for them.

“Ran’jit,” Thancred grunted, “If he manages to find his way in, all our efforts will have been for naught.”

“As thou sayest,” Urinager agreed grimly, “Should we be discovered ere our mission here is completely, and the Lightwarden yet liveth, our task will be rendered nigh impossible. If we are to prevail, we must needs divide our forces. Thus do I propose the following…”

And, of course, he looked to her as he proposed his plan.

“Whilst thou salliest forth to meet with the Lightwarden, we shall join in the effort to obstruct the trespassers,” he told her, “Should we succeed in staying their advance, all the better. Yet even should we fail, if we can but delay our enemy’s arrival long enough for thee to secure victory, our plan may still be deemed a success.”

“So the moment the lights go out, we all beat a hasty retreat, yes?” Thancred asked, punching his fists together, all for this plan.

Claire knew that it would have probably come down to this, and nodded in agreement. What was the matter with her? She never had any problems fighting such battles before? How many primals did she face before?

Then again, it wasn’t a primal she was up against, was it? It was a sin eater… once a living person whose only crime was defending her kingdom and was paying the price for it. Her heart ached at the thought of being forced to put her to the sword.

Still, she nodded, not letting them see how much this bothered her. But there was still one who didn’t seem convinced this was a good idea.

“Let me come with you!” Minfilia begged, “I have the blessing too!”

Claire was taken aback by this, surprised by her sudden daring. But no, she wasn’t going to allow that. It was one thing letting her take the lead on a mission to recover some stolen ink from rogue Nu Mou, this was a completely different matter. She was about to explain why this was not a good idea, when Thancred beat her to it.

“No, Minfilia,” Thancred scolded rather harshly, “You’ll only get underfoot. Now, come.”

Claire shot Thancred a dark look, who just shrugged and marched off, leaving Minfilia to hang her head low. While she agreed that it was for the best, since she could not promise that she would be able to protect Minfilia in that battle, he could have worded it better.

“I’ll be alright,” Claire promised her, “You have to stay with the others and buy me as much time as you can. Tell Alphinaud and Alisaie not to worry about me either, alright?”

Minfilia looked up, still looking upset, but she nodded.

“I wish there were more I could do,” she said, “Please be careful…”

She then turned and ran after Thancred as she watched them go.

She turned to Urianger, who gripped her shoulder tightly for a moment, a reassuring smile on his face.

“We shall do our part, my friend,” he promised, “And awaith thine victory. Go now, and know that we believeth in thee with all our hearts.”

She felt some of her dread leave her at his kind words and nodded as his grip tightened slightly.

“We shall await thee at Lydha Lran,” he said and he went off after the others, leaving her to watch, suddenly feeling more alone than ever.

“Forgive me, it seems my indecision has cost you precious time,” Seto told her mournfully, getting her attention as she turned back to him. “But I am convinced now. Convinced that you will triumph. To the south you will find the bridge to Lyhe Ghiah. As the bearer of the four relics, the gate to the castle will open to you.”

“Thank you,” she said, getting ready to leave, but as she took a step back, Seto lowered his head so that they were at eye level.

They gazed at each other for a moment, with her wondering if he felt the same sense of familiarity as she did as she felt this urge to reach out and pet him. She blinked, realizing that was what he wanted too, and she slowly reached up and placed her hand upon his beak and petted it softly. She saw him sigh happily and close his eyes as if a great weight had been lifted off of him in that second.

“Your touch is as warm and gentle as his was,” he informed her softly. "I can almost pretend that he is still here. I do think… had you two met, you would have made good friends.”

She smiled at that, reaching out to hug his neck now and buried her face in his soft feathers, breathing in his wild musk.

“I’d have liked that,” she told him.

He let out a rumbling sound that was a cross between a squawk and a chirp, which she came to learn was very similar to a kitten’s purr, and pulled away.

“I thank you for giving me this moment,” he told her, nuzzling her cheek, “I could not say these words to Ardbert, but I say them now to you: go safely."

She thanked him, petting his beak one last time, before she turned and headed down to the south, towards the lake. Never once realizing that Urianger had hung back long enough to see her making her way towards the castle.

He bit his lower lip, feeling worry setting into his heart, reaching up to his ear once more and rang at the linkpearl. The old device crackled and buzzed, making it hard to get through, but he heard the Exarch’s voice speak.

_“Urianger? Is all well?”_

“Yes, my friend,” he said as he hurried back the way they came. “I just wished to inform thee that the battle with the Lightwarden Titania is neigh upon us.”

There was a moment of silence before the Exarch said, _“I see. I thank you for informing me of this. Is all well in hand? I fear that more soldiers from Eulmore seem to be travelling across Lakeland towards Il Mheg. Not all at once, but they are coming in waves. Most return from the valley in terror, but for every that retreats, another follows after.”_

“We are aware of the predicament,” he informed him, “We will do all in our power to slow them down. Should we succeed in staying their advance, all the better.”

_“Urianger, I know how capable you all are, but no few numbers come to Il Mheg,”_ the Exarch stated, sounding worried now.

“Rest assure, we do not mean to fight unless there be no other recourse,” Urianger countered, “If we can but delay our enemy’s arrival long enough for our friend to secure victory…?”

_“I see,” _the Exarch said,_ “Very well. Be careful my friend. I shall keep an eye upon the battle while I am here. Though I fear that watching is all I will be able to do.”_

“Understood,” Urianger said, panting slightly as he rushed down the worn mountain trail and could make out Thancred and Minfilia in the distance. “I pray that we meet again soon. Until then.”

He lowered his hand, the buzzing over the aged linkpearl starting to give him a headache and knew that they would have to find a better way to communicate later on.

Claire, however, was making her way towards the castle from following the edge of the lake. It didn’t matter where one stood, for Lyhe Ghiah was always at the very heart of this valley and was visible for malms around.

All the while she raced, she could not help but think more about what she was told about Titania.

The Nu Mou said that she could control nature itself… but that was really all that she knew of her. The last warden that she fought, whose name she learned later on to be Philia, was more of creature with brute physical force.

It sounded like she would have to contend with not just a creature on equal strength to a primal, but one who could control powerful magicks as well. Not only that, who knows what decades locked up inside a castle could do to someone?

She travelled over the fields until she had come across a worn trail that around the lake and up towards the castle. She took the path, following the bumpy, uneven road until she came to a long and graceful bridge, right over the water. If she had bothered to count, she suspected that there would have been at least a thousand steps that she had to climb to reach the front doors—and she couldn’t help but think darkly to herself that the castle would still have been just as impressive if the people of Voeburt thought to build it a little closer to the ground?

Still, she came to the final step, which led around a glowing fountain full of lily pads and flowers, and curled around to reveal a massive set of stone doors. She stepped up, gazing long and hard at the towering structure above her. She knew that it was huge, but looking at it from this angle, really revealed to her just how imposing it was.

Everything from the spotless marble to the multicolored stain glass windows… it was immaculate. Untouched by the passage of time.

Truly a beautiful work of art.

But now that she was here, what was she supposed to do now? Knock?

Feeling a little foolish, she decided she had nothing to lose by just approaching the doors and stepped up to place her hand upon them. For a moment… nothing happened. But that was when the relics in her bag began to glow so brightly that they shone through the material and got her attention. She jumped, about to check to see if something had happened, when the door shook as if struck with a tremor.

Concern that she had done something wrong soon faded though when the shaking stopped and everything returned to a calm state. At least until a familiar voice spoke up to inform her, “The gate has recognized that you bear all four relics. The seal is broken.”

Feo Ul had reappeared, and was staring up at the door just as she had for a moment.

This was it. This was the moment that they had been waiting for since they first came to Il Mheg. By defeating the Lightwarden they could restore the night to this land and they would be one step closer to saving this world…?

So why did she still hesitate?

“All that remains is to enter the castle and confront Titania—a being bereft of reason and mercy,” Feo Ul warned as the two turned to look at each other. “It is sure to be a ferocious battle. But if anyone can bring an end to our king’s torment, it is you. Yet know this, my adorable sapling: though we fae folk may appear to live unfettered lives, there are still laws that bind us. To take back as much as is taken. To create as much as is destroyed. To give as much as is received. In all things, balance must be preserved… and the same will be asked of you.”

She tilted her head.

“I don’t understand,” she said slowly, but Feo Ul just smiled at her.

“But worry not,” the red pixie told her comfortingly, “Come what may, your beautiful branch will ever be at your side.”

Though she was still curious to know what she met, Claire felt herself smiling and nodded back, glad for the support. She looked up to the castle, ready to confront Titania at long last… and put an end to her torment once and for all.

She took one last, deep breath before she pressed her hands upon the door and pushed them over. They opened immediately as she stepped through and into a long hallway of stain glass and statues before opening up to a large room, large enough to fit all of Urianger’s manor inside it. It looked like this had been not just an entrance hall, but perhaps some kind of grand ballroom? She could see a winged staircase just ahead that reached out to the upper levels, with more of the breathtaking stain glass windows surrounding them—the light casting colors onto the floor.

And there she was; hovering in the air just above her.

Though she only got a glimpse of her through the vision before, she knew that she was right in thinking that she was beautiful. There was still a hint of that child-like innocence in her face like the rest of the pixies, but this was also mixed in with an elegant beauty of a young woman. She was as pale as the moon, with a flowing dress identical to the one in Claire’s bag… as well as carrying the exact images of the other relics including the crown, scepter, and shoes. Her gown floated about her like delicate flower petals in a light summer breeze, the color of lilacs and lilies, while vines and flowers grew around the staff that she held. A crown shone from her brow as her long, pale hair was tied back in a thick braid woven with flowers, glittering like the jewelry that hung at her throat. But the thing that really drew her attention were her wings. Like the pixies, she sported beautiful wings, but unlike the dragonfly type that the other pixies had, hers were in the form of giant butterfly wings mixed with various shades of blues, greens, purples, and even orange at the very tip, all stretching out from the thing black outline of a monarch butterfly.

The moment that she stepped forward, her footsteps echoing slightly upon the marble floor, Titania raised her head to gaze at her, her long ears twitching slightly at the noise, and her eyes looking at her with curiosity.

She could feel it.

The same sensation she had when she first confronted Philia. The Light in the sky was coming from her. Just being in the same room with her all but confirmed it for her as the Light trapped inside her own chest seemed to stir slightly.

She ignored that as she stepped up to the wide floor directly underneath Titania, as she continued to gazed down at her, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

_“Who goes there?”_ she asked slowly floating down, and her voice was very similar to a child who was lost,_ “Are you the one who broke the seal?”_

Claire closed her eyes, wising she didn’t have to do this, feeling more guilt that she had in a long, long while. Why must she be left with these difficult decisions? When did she stop having fun as an adventurer?

_“Ah, so much time lost…” _Titania sighed,_ “So much frolicking and feasting left undone.” _

And as Claire looked up again, she saw a rather evil smile stretch across Titania’s face as she gazed down at her with no small amount of hunger.

She had been locked up inside here for a very long time… she must be ravenous.

_“We must make up for it, we must…”_ Titania said, grinning even wider than before as a spark of insanity flashed in her otherwise dead eyes, _“Beginning by playing with you!”_

The former king of the Fae laughed as she held up her staff and pointed it right at her and Claire unsheathed her blade, feeling that this be appropriate for her first real battle with a new blade.

_“Come and play!” _Titania laughed,_ “For the night is bright, and you can sleep when you’re dead!”_

And so Claire charged ahead, knowing that the fate of Il Mheg and all who lived here, were waiting for the outcome for this battle to decide the future. While the Fae Folk may not care what becomes of them or not, she certainly did care. She didn’t want this land to die, and take with it the final traces of the memories of what it used to be with it. Not just the remains of Voeburt, but the pixies, the Nu Mou, the amaro… and perhaps even the Fuath. She didn’t want to see them fade.

But more than anything right now, all Claire could think of was her desire to find a way to free Titania from her torment. At least this was one tortured soul she could save.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Awww, so sweet. I had a lot of fun writing things from Mini-filia’s point of view for this chapter. I see her relationship with Thancred to be both close and strained. After all they had spent years travelling around together and so he would have grown to be protective of her, but he isn’t very good with kids and isn’t sure how to really interact with her, especially since he is still mourning the old Minfilia. He wants to do right by both of them, but he isn’t sure how to do that just yet. So he would be sharp and a little strict with her, but also would trust her safety to only his friends. Now she has a lot to live up to, thinking of all the other Minfilia’s who came before, so she would be feeling—inadequate in the beginning since she is still just a beginner on the battlefield. But people expect a lot out of her, and so I think that she and Claire would bond over that. She would feel familiar with Claire because she and the original Minfilia were close. But their relationship is different than it was with the old Minfilia. Minfilia saw her as a co-worker and a friend. A shield and a pillar of support during hard times. But with this young Minfilia, I can see it as more of a sister relationship. Not to mention why she developed such strong bonds with the Scions as a family group since she didn’t have that growing up. She didn’t have a real stable family unit. And I think that’s one of the reasons she wanted to go off into the world, to find that family. As for Seto, he could sense that the WOD and Ardbert would have very familiar souls and so he would trust her as someone who is so like yet unlike Ardbert. So I don’t think that he would have entrusted the relic to anyone else. Anyway, this is the first chapter for the New Year and I hoped that everyone enjoyed it! There will be one more chapter before the adventure in Il Mheg comes to an end, and then I will take a slight break from writing there. And yes, next up will be the battle with Titania! Hope you are all looking forward to it and that this is a sign of good things to come for the New Year!)


	13. Acht-la Ormh Inn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the battle between the Warrior of Darkness and the next Lightwarden has begun. But even should they win, there is a price that must be paid. Will the Warrior chose toforsake her sworn duty and be granted a moment of peace, or will she continue along this winding road full of sharp twists and turns to an uncertain future?

The entire palace was spotless and beautiful, fit for royalty, Claire only wished she have a chance to properly enjoy the sights. The light that poured in through the countless stain glass windows cast patterns of greens and yellows upon the floor as the two of them danced about what looked like a ballroom floor once upon a time. But Titania had her attention focused entirely upon her. Claire couldn't help but wonder when the Warden last saw another living creature and so she wasn't going easy on this opportunity to 'play' with someone.

Claire just ran to the middle of the golden-lined floor and began to swing her sword around with reckless abandon.

Normally, she felt like she had to hold back because her attention would be divided between protecting her friends and launching a series of attacks against her foe. Here though, oh gods, it felt so good to be able to focus solely on her target and not have to worry about defending herself or anyone else.

It seemed that Titania felt the same way in being allowed to unleash all of her attacks and not even think about holding herself back. 

Her eyes were lit up wildly, clearly having the time of her life as she swayed gracefully through the air, continuing to cast all manner of spells of the elements.

_“Can you guess which one?”_ she asked sweetly and Claire could sense a wind coming and stepped in closer to avoid getting shot backwards.

_“Wet, wet, wet!”_ Titania chanted before pools of water appeared upon the floor with a single swing of her staff. She took her stance in the water, feeling the air hum with aether as it heated up and Claire could detect a trace of smoke in the air.

_“When you play with fire…”_ Titania purred.

A massive fist of flames appeared above her head, and Claire threw one arm up, protecting her face and bracing herself for the flames that came rushing at her. Thankfully the water at her feet protected her from the worst of the flames and she came out with only minor burns.

Titania giggled at that as Claire coughed on ash and steam.

_“We’re sick of this cramped old castle!”_ she finally yelled as lightning fell about the two of them before she rose further from the floor and a look of pure euphoric, maddening joy appeared on her face before she swept her scepter wide and declared, _“Let’s play in the forest.”_

Claire could recall from her past experience with strong foes and their control over, not just elements, but their environment. She could remember Bismarck and how he caused the weather to change on a whim, or of how Suzaku could command aether currents so that she could no longer tell real from illusion.

Titania had control over nature, and she was certainly showing that off to her by controlling the entire environment around them on a whim or how she saw fit. Grass sprouted around her feet and sprung up as trees grew at a supernatural rate so that when the light from Titania's spell faded, it looked like she was standing upon a platform of grass in the middle of a forest like something she had seen in a fairytale's book.

Titania then commanded thick roots and brambles to grow underneath her, and she watched them claw their way out of the ground and sprawled out so quickly that she knew Claire thought that she had actually strayed into a dream for a moment. The only other time she had seen plants react that fast were when she fought with Sephirot and he caused the plants around them to grow before he, himself, grew to monstrous size.

She really hoped that Titania wasn’t going to perform a similar trick.

But the branches were springing up wildly and she could feel the branches hitting her as they grew outwards before she saw Titania soar even higher above them and was humming some sort of song to herself that reminded her of dream from a distant part of her childhood.

Claire only managed to keep her footing by slamming her blade into the ground and holding on tightly as she rode out the aether and everything stopped spinning. She glared upwards before her eyes widened at the change of scenery before them. They were surrounded by thick trees and branches, fairy lights lit up the area as the vines all twisted and were shaped into beautiful forms and shapes. She could also smell leaves and feel the wind hitting her face as she spun around, feeling as if she had just stepped into a storybook.

_“Twist and sprout,”_ Titania sighed tenderly, and the roots began to lash out and Claire let out a scream as roots below her began to sprout and reach out across their battle area like gnarled hands. She tried to move as the sounds of creaking and groaning distracted her long enough for the roots to wrap around her ankles and she was suddenly trapped. She was surrounded on all sides by the brambles and she couldn’t free herself as the tendrils wrapped around her legs, preventing her from moving.

She was in trouble now… if she wasn’t able to move, then Titania would have an easy way to get to her. She glared, furious at this state as Titania hit her over and over with a barrage of spells. With a cry of anger, Claire felt her own aether going into the ground from where the blade was stuck and she almost commanded the very roots to wither and wilt.

She honestly didn’t think that it would work, but to her amazement, the roots seemed to respond to such a command and the roots either retreated back below the ground or died on the spot. She didn’t know if it had been she or did that, or if Titania, who didn’t seem to be impressed with this unexpected development, commanded it to keep her prey more interesting.

_“Squish, squash! A crimson flower!”_ Titania cried and suddenly shards of ice began to fall down upon her and she could taste blood in her mouth. _“Can you guess which one?”_

This fight didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason to it. It was basically whatever Titania wanted. Like a child on their nameday, their wish was granted and she laughed and giggled before trilling in the air with unrestrained joy.

But it seemed that even this wasn’t enough for she wanted more playmates.

“The more the merrier! Join us, my children!” Titania cried and suddenly three tree-like creatures appeared. One of them, looked just like a trent, and swung it’s branches wildly as the smell of Mustardseeds filled her nostrils as she back stepped, but ended up moving right into the next one, that looked like a giant tree that had grown legs and stomped out violently before the third, which looked like a moss-covered yeti, that was weaving around a club.

The one with giant legs, whom she decided to nickname Puck, just for the sake of being able to tell them apart, caused giant roots to grow and lash out like whips while the final one, which she dubbed Peaseblossom, swung its staff to cause a rain of sharpened aether to fall upon her.

She tried to ignore them at first, but with all three firing attacks on her, there was no way she could possibly get to Titania without getting a branch to the gut or something like that. It couldn’t be helped, she had to take care of the moving trees or she wasn’t going to be getting anywhere. She decided to go for the Mustardseed first since it was the closest and kept trying to launch her off the platform. She made sure to slice through its claw-like branches before she turned to deal with the remaining two, her senses on high alert for all the attacks that were coming her way.

It was a mess of confusion and sweeping limbs, and she knew that she was full of splinters with every blow she took from the trees, feeling like she was being beaten from their club-like limbs. But she had managed to bring the three wayward tress down, leaving her exhausted and out of breath before rounding on Titania, who was giggling childishly.

_“Grow, my lovelies! Grow!”_ Titania cried out as she rose up, and the three tree minions began to stir once more. Claire could feel how the Faerie King’s aether poured out of her and the three minions responded to that. The three on the ground began to grow out before vanishing… and Claire was still staring wildly around, trying to figure out where they went. She could feel the aether all around her, collecting somewhere, but she couldn’t see where.

At least until the plant-like tendrils creeped over the edge of the platform and she gulped as branches rose up around them… followed by three pairs of eyes glaring at her. Titania was causing the trees to grow to monstrous sizes… where just one slam of their giant hands could throw her off is she wasn’t careful.

_“Bigger is better!”_ Titania grinned.

“Sure it is,” Claire panted, swirling around to face up to the giant trees that were surrounding her on all sides. They used the same attacks from before, the only problem was that not only were they harder to avoid, they were powered-up with an extra kick so that when she felt it… she really felt the pain.

But the worst part about this was that she could sense how the trees were helping Titania to charge her next attack. She could feel the aether leaving them and flowing through the air to get to their master, and she knew that if she didn’t put a stop to it fast, then she was going to be forced to take the full blunt of the attack, and she didn’t think she could handle that.

Thankfully, the quickest way to interrupt the spell were to kill the trees, and so she was able to charge straight at them and disturb the flow. She went for the same order as when they were small, and went for the Mustardseed first, followed by Puck, and then the Peaseblossom… defeating them in the order of the most dangerous.

Once the aether that was flowing to Titania ceased to flow, she turned back to Titania and see if she could weather the attack that was coming.

“Dance like the leaves on the bough!” she cried as she flew around the area, swaying like a flower petal in the wind. All around her, vines and flowers began to sprout as a great wind seemed to come up from beneath them. She braced herself as the aether flowed out and about her, almost lifting her off her feet as she dug her blade into the ground to keep herself steady. She could feel the pressure around her from that incredible flood of aether, feeling like her bones were threatening to come apart at the seams before it faded and she took a deep breath. Though it hurt, she was still on her feet, and still far from being beaten.

She had rode out the storm as Titania gazed down, seemingly amused by the fact that she was still standing and began to laugh rather cruelly.

_“This is so much fun!” _she cried,_ “Let’s play some more!”_

Claire’s sympathy for Titania faded a little thanks to that stunt. But she did manage to duck to dodge the lightning that came back.

More water pools appeared and she stood where she had to as the fire came back, and she continued like a dance between the two of them. Even as more roots appeared about her feet, trying to entangle her like chains; she managed to step clear of them this time.

_“Shards of ice, pierce and slice!”_

Oh, not this now. More shards of ice like spears rained down and she could feel the razor-sharp shards cut along her skin like a thousand knives, and she knew that she was bleeding now… and with the next attack of a harsh wind sweeping in and nearly knocking her off the platform didn’t help.

_“Play, play, play!”_ Titania cried excitedly and with a mad grin that made her look somewhat deranged despite the rather childlike innocence that remained in her young-looking face.

The only thing that she was sad about was that she knew that this was going to be the last game that Titania would play.

She had been so wrapped up in the beauty of her surroundings and the wild freedom that she was given that Claire hadn't had time to really think about how this battle had to end. She had to admit that it seemed like a nice idea to live as the Fae do… but she had to stop becoming so distracted and hurry and put an end to this before she lost her nerve.

By then, Titania's grin slowly began to fade and a rather worried/angry look came over her cheer.

_“Owww, that hurts!”_ she scolded, bringing down more lightning down on her, _“You play rough!”_

Claire didn't answer. She didn’t trust herself not to answer as she continued to dodge the bolts of lightning.

Just hurry this up, make it quick so that she didn't have to suffer any longer.

At last, she ran her deadly steel right through Titania, dealing a critical enough blow that not even she could recover from it. Titania gasped and moved backwards, her eyes wide with shock and pain as her body swayed in the air, twisting slightly so that her back arched and her scepter fell from her hands.

_“We can play… no more…”_ she whispered sadly and flew up, and spasm. Almost like she could hear a sign of relief escape from Titania's body before her beautiful form began to glow and shattered apart like glass before dissolving into dust.

Nothing was left behind. Nothing but a brilliant light that was almost blinding in its radiance. At the sight of it, the Light that Claire could feel inside her began to pulsate with excitement, like it was welcoming an old friend. 

As if drawn to her like a magnet, the Light, almost with a life all its own, seem to sense her there as if it were a wild animal turning its head. 

Claire was dreading this moment, but she held out her arms, waiting for the Light to come to her.

Much like the last time, it didn't sink in all at once, instead it came to her piece by piece, one after another. She could feel it sinking right into her skin like burning heat on a cold day... but it wasn't a pleasant experience. It joined together with the Light that was already nestled inside her... and words drifted across her mind. 

_For whom weeps the storm,_

_Her tears on our skin_

_The days of our years gone,_

_Our souls soaked in sin_

_These memories ache with the weight of tomorrow_

She gritted her teeth, feeling slightly sick as the Light now began to course through her body. Before, the first time she did it, she had felt like she was recovering from a terrible sickness, but now, she felt like she was about to be sick. She closed her eyes as it seemed to spread to each part of her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her entire body felt feverous and beaten, but she sucked in lungful of breath after each difficult breath until the light died down and seemed to settle. 

All the while that song continuing to play in her head.

_Is lost in the flood_

_Here proud angels bathe in_

_Their wages of blood_

_At this, the world's end, do we cast off tomorrow?_

The song seemed to be singing directly from the Light before it finally took root inside her, blending together perfectly with the Light that had already settled in before.

She wheezed, fighting the wave of sickness that rose up within her as her eyes opened and she reached out with this surge of power she silently willed for the Light in the sky to dispel and faded away.

The light through the stained glass windows dimmed almost immediately leaving only darkness behind and she sighed in relief.

Fighting against the first Lightwarden was hard enough, but this had been downright painful. However, suddenly being left alone in the dark castle, it brought a terrible pain to her heart as another headache came back to her... the worst one yet. She rubbed her temples, knowing she should probably head back out to the others and see about making a fast retreat—after all, she couldn't ask for a more noticeable sign that she defeated the Lightwarden then with all the lights going out.

At least, it was over for now.

Or… mayhaps not.

For just as she regained control of her senses, without warning she sensed a powerful magic’s rising up around her. She stared around, confused at what was happening, fearful that another sin eater was coming out to attack her.

That was Feo Ul appeared next to her, her smile so wide that it lit up the dark space.

“You have freed our fallen king,” she cried, pride ringing through her voice like a mother who just saw her child beat a difficult test, “Not that I expected any less, my {adorable sapling.}"

Claire made to thank her for her words when a bright light from the bag began to pulsate from within, taking her by surprise. She looked down at once, opening the top as the four relics they collected before were glowing with bright lights and flew out and free.

She watched as the four items melted into four spheres of light and began to dance in a perfect circle above her head.

What was going on now?

“The dress, the crown, the scepter, the shoes—the time has come for these relics to serve their true purpose,” Feo Ul explained, her eyes now lighting up with eagerness.

“And what is that?” Claire asked, suddenly having a strong sense of foreboding that was making her feel ill in a way that had nothing to do with the battle or the Light.

Feo Ul flew a little higher to admire the relics and explained, “For they are not only the keys to the castle, they are also blessings to be bestowed upon the new king."

“The new king?” she repeated slowly, not liking where this was going one bit. Cold rushed through her body like she was suddenly set loose in the middle of Ishgard's wilderness.

“The way into the castle is opened when it is time to relieve the reigning monarch of the throne,” Feo Ul explained, “And the brave soul who does the deed has the honor of taking their place.”

And suddenly it all made sense. 

_'Even if you are indeed immune to the Light’s corruption, as you claim, vanquishing the king will bring you naught but sorrow.'_

_'To take back as much as is taken. To create as much as is destroyed. To give as much as is received. In all things, balance must be preserved… and the same will be asked of you.'_

They knew that this would happen. So why the hells did they not thing to warn her?

They knew that even should she be allowed entrance into the castle and defeated the king, she would be expected to take her place! This was the cost that she would have to pay... herself?

"However... should you ascend the throne, you will become one of us, never again to live as men do," Feo Ul informed her and Claire stared at her with wide eyes.

To become one of the Fae Folk?

She entertained the thought for just a moment. Would she become a pixie as well? Become the next Titania? To remain behind here in this beautiful land of flowers and forget all about her responsibilities and struggles?

It sounded too good to be true... like being able to live in a never-ending dream. To rule over a land of fairies where there would be endless frolicking and magic... where she would be able to forget everything happening outside this valley as she would be adored and loved by the fae... beautiful and unbroken…?

To leave behind her pain and sorrow... no longer troubled by her mortal heart.

She will not lie, the idea was tempting... far more tempting than she cared to admit.

But she knew that it was not meant to be.

Yet, what was she to do? Il Mheg must have a ruler so if she couldn't do it...?

“What do I do?” she asked worriedly, not sure how she could possibly get out of this one.

But Feo Ul turned back and fluttered in front of her with a kind smile.

“My adorable sapling,” she sighed lovingly, “My precious mortal. We fae folk live forever, but such is not your virtue.”

She was right. That was not who she was... this was a dream she didn't wish to ever enter for it would be too much like forgetting who she was. She didn't wish to live a lie no matter how attractive it looked.

She had no desire to live like that forever.

“To strive for a dream you will never see ─ to sow seeds that others might one day taste the fruits of your garden ─ that is the beauty of your kind," Feo Ul sighed adoringly, almost enviously.

She knew that she was mortal and that she will one day die. And she grimly resigned herself to such a fate. Either that be on the battlefield... or through poison... she would face it without any fear and take her chances in the next world. She had taken a lot of lives, and she knew that she carried the bodies of so many upon her very spirit... perhaps if she had been anyone else she would have been crushed by the weight of guilt by now. 

Yet, she could not deny that the idea that she may one day die and at least be free from her terrible burdens... that she may, at last, be able to find a sense of peace that seems to elude her every step.

But Feo Ul seemed to have the answer to that. reassured her, her voice full of warm affection, “Burn bright and shine as only you can. These blessings, your lovely branch will accept in your stead."

She would do that for her? Though, in this case, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

“You are sure?” she slowly asked, wanting to make sure that Feo Ul had free choice over this big decision.

But Feo Ul just flashed another smile and gave her a wink before she flew upwards so that she was surrounded by the four relics. Claire watched in awe as the items all came together as one, forcing Claire to cover her face as the light blinded her. She wasn't able to risk looking until the light died down enough for her to see. She blinked a few times, causing her eyes to readjust to the brilliance of it.

When her vision cleared, she got a look at Feo Ul… or Titania. She looked very similar to the king she faced before, but this new Titania in front of her flowing dress was of a slightly darker shade of purple as it flowed down her body like flower petals. While her wings were of deep reds and purples for the majestic monarch wings that reminded one of red autumn leaves. Yet, the king's face was the same as it had always been... with her hair tied up in the two pigtails that was as fiery red as her spirit was. 

_{Rejoice and revel, for the Kingdom of Rainbows is forever young,}_ the new Titania proclaimed proudly as Claire stared up, actually stricken speechless.

Feo Ul, or Titania, grinned down at her as she asked, “Shall we attend to those unwise enough to trespass in our realm?”

***Outside***

This wasn't good, to say the least.

Before, thanks to the pixies, they were able to prevent the Eulmoran Army from straying past the pine trees at the passage that first led into Il Mheg. Once they got a taste of the pixie's mischief, the soldiers were usually frightened enough to turn tail and run back the way they came. He and Alisaie mostly oversaw the entire thing... at least until Ran'jit appeared.

Seeing his men flee in terror caused him no small amount of frustration as he took charge and led the way in. It was hard to tell if the pixies illusions worked on him, for he knew which way that he needed to go, despite their best attempts to slow them down. 

When Thancred, Minfilia, and Urianger joined them, informing him that they successfully gained the two remaining relics and the Warrior of Darkness was on her way to the castle as they spoke.

Now, he knew this was coming, of course he did, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. He gulped as he looked to the castle with worry in his heart.

"As soon as the lights go out we'll make a retreat," Thancred instructed them.

Alphinaud only hoped it would be that simple. But the hope that night would soon return to Il Mheg excited the pixies and they promised to do everything they could to slow down the scary mortals who were on their way here.

All five of them were then placed under their invisibility spell and they watched, watching as the Eulmorans ran afoul of the fae. It slowed them down considerably but slowly and surely, they were gaining ground.

Alphinaud, Minfilia, and Urianger were all hiding out in the shadows of one of the houses as they watched the army make their way ever closer, and were actually within sights of the Bookman’s Shelves.

Ran’jit and a handful of soldiers glared around for them, and Alphinaud could see that his temper was being dangerously closed to the edge here from being slowed down enough already. In fact, he doubted not that it wouldn't be too much longer before he resorted to more... forceful measures.

Alphinaud glanced up at the sky to see the furious glare from above and knew that they had to do something to give them more time, they had to hold out for as long as possible, she was counting on them.

“Confound it,” he hissed, knowing that they were steadily being pushed into a corner, “How did they get here so fast…?”

Though he couldn't see them, Alphinaud could still hear the giggling pixies fluttering about the Eulmorans, doing their best to distract them.

“Damn these pixies and their tricks!” one of the more higher up soldiers cried out, his eyes wide and fearful as he stared about wildly, swiping at the air like how one would try to beat away giant gnats.

Yet Ran’jit’s eyes suddenly flashed and his hand shot out, looking like he had just grabbed hold of nothing but empty air... at least until the pixie, whom Alphinaud recognized as Ys lala, became visible and was struggling to break free of his grip.

“How in the seven hells!?” Alphinaud gasped.

Ran'jit's expression didn't change but he gazed about the area as he called out to everyone in earshot.

“Listen well!” he called in a clear warning, “We come in pursuit of villains who have fled to this land. You know who and were they are. Now, show yourselves and answer me… before I lose my patience.”

“Owww! Stop!” Ys lala cried, struggling to break free as their wings fluttered fruitlessly, “It hurts, it hurts!”

When no one else answered him, Ran'jit responded by squeezing even harder and the pixie cried out in pain.

If they didn't come out, he was going to kill them. And Alphinaud knew now that he wouldn't hesitate to do so. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but what other choice did they have? Despite all the trouble the pixies had given them before, the fact was that they were in this situation trying to help them.

Alphinaud couldn't forgive himself if they allowed them to die because of them.

“Enough!” he said to the pixie next to them, who was watching fearfully, “Lift the enchantment!”

"But...?" Minfilia's voice said from next to him, "What about...?"

"We have no choice," he sighed, "Right now, our only hope is to keep them talking long enough to give her time to finish defeating the Lightwarden. So if he asks a question, don't be afraid to answer it."

With a flash, the enchantment that hid them from view faded as he, Minfilia, and Urianger became visible again. 

With a quick look around, he realized that Thancred and his sister were still in hiding and so he could only hope that they were still watching close by, ready to step in and help should negotiations… take a bad turn.

Still trying to buy time, they calmly stepped out of hiding and made their way to stand in front of Ran'jit and his soldiers, deciding to let him speak first.

For a moment, he seemed... rather impressed that they had come out so easily, but Alphinaud could see how his cold eyes trailed over them before immediately honing in on Minfilia.

“Minfilia,” he growled, “Willful child. How many times must I come to collect you?”

He could feel Minfilia tremble slightly next to him, but he was proud to hear that when she next spoke, there was no trace of that tremble.

“I won’t return to Eulmore!” she said strongly, “And I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

He wanted to clap at her sudden boldness, but as soon as Ran'jit saw her draw her daggers and hold them at the ready, Alphinaud saw a rather sour look come over his face.

“What is this stance?” he demanded sharply, “Where did you learn it?! No Oracle I trained would make such an unseemly show of herself! Know your shame, girl! You are powerless! You have no life nor purpose save that which our master sees fit to permit!”

Anger boiled inside him at that, and he could feel Minfilia's resolve falter slightly next to him at the sureness in his voice.

Before he could do anything else, directly behind them, Alisaie appeared in a puff of smoke and charged at him with her rapier in hand. Ran'jit spotted this in time and dodged it, avoiding the blade, but that gave Thancred an opening and he rushed in. Forced to block the attack, Ran'jit had to let go of the pixie, who quickly fluttered off the second that she was freed from his iron grip.

He let out a sigh of relief as Alisaie and Thancred moved back, ready to continue fighting and their weapons still drawn, in a tight group to prevent anyone from thinking that they could get a shot in.

They managed to save Ys lala, but they were still on the back foot here. 

Their only hope right was to keep them talking.

“Who are you to dictate her purpose?” Thancred demanded hotly, standing in front of Minfilia, acting the part of a brick wall between the two, “To lock her away and deny her a life!?" He glared furiously at Ran'jit before snarling out venomously, "If she was powerless, it’s because of you, you sanctimonious swine. But no longer.”

If Ran'jit felt threatened, he didn't show it. Instead, there was a slightly piteous look in the harsh lines of his face before he spoke again, not at all swayed by his words.

“Fool,” he shot back, “Defiance only begets more suffering. It is through acceptance alone that one may find solace in this godsforsaken world.”

Alphinaud felt his hand going to his grimoire, not liking where this was going. Ran'jit was tired of waiting around and was preparing to put an end to this. 

It looked like there was no other way out but a fight. But as he prepared to summon his carbuncle...?

“Look—the sky!” 

Alisaie's cry caused them all to look up immediately. And as he did so, he saw how the Light seemed to flicker... and then it died to reveal a black sky scattered with stars and a beautiful full moon directly overhead.

“She’s done it!” Alphinaud shouted out triumphantly as cries of amazement came from the pixies, staring up with their mouths open and joy in their faces, “The Warrior of Darkness has triumphed!”

They did it! The warden of Il Mheg had been defeated and now they had the chance to escape. 

Already the Eulmoran soldiers were looking around with fear in their faces, and it was clear that they had never seen the night sky and had no idea how to process what they were seeing or know what to do now.

“General?” the Adjutant cried fearfully, “What are our orders? What do we do!?”

“We do what we came to do,” Ran’jit shot back, “Subdue this rabble, and find the Warrior of Darkness.”

Like hells he was going to stand back and let him anywhere near her!

Alphinaud took a protective step forward, not entirely sure what he was going to do to stop him, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to slow him down... but he stopped dead when he saw what was happening to the men behind them.

“Forward, men!” the Adjutant cried, “Take the villains captive!”

Naturally, no one moved forward and Alphinaud felt genuine fear for the soldiers when the pixies were finished with them.

“Are you deaf?!” the Adjutant demanded, not yet realizing what was going on. He turned back, ready to start yelling... before he saw what was left of his men and he fell onto his backside in shock. For standing where his soldiers had been... were nothing more than shrubbery. About half of them had been turned into leafmen... having been transformed so quickly that they were still holding their weapons before the flimsy branches could no longer grip them and they fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

But the worst was yet to come for them.

For the pixies were all soaring about them, laughing and crying out in ecstasy. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but he had a very good idea that they were celebrating.

"What are they saying?" Alisaie asked, staring around as the pixies were now all coming out in droves.

Urianger was looking around, and he seemed startled at whatever he was hearing.

"The king... is returned?" he repeated as he and Alisaie looked at each other in concern. What did that mean? Titania was just defeated, wasn't she? Who would the new king be?

But the pixies were all laughing in joy and dancing in the air as small, sparkling lights akin to fireflies filled the air.

“What’s… what’s happening!?” a soldier cried in fear as he moved back, only for his foot to hit water. Alphinaud's eyes widened when they all looked to see the perfectly circular pools of water that were appearing all about them.

“Water?” the soldier cried, “That wasn’t there before…”

It was almost too much to watch. Alphinaud actually felt bad for them, especially when the glowing eyes appeared in the water. That was when a pair of amphibian hands shot out and grabbed him by his ankle and pulled him under the water with a scream.

Meanwhile, more soldiers were being lifted into the air as the Nu Mou joined them. They were also chanting now in the language of the fae, with their staffs, causing them to fly off. 

Those who weren’t being hovered in the air by the Nu Mou or pulled under in pools of water and drowned by the Fuath, were forced to face up with the pixies--who were laughing rather sinisterly at their terror before they were transformed into plants. 

Seeing them like this, it made him suddenly appreciate that nothing worse than harmless pranks befell them during their time here.

“What’s the matter with you?!” the adjutant cried as the rest of the men fled in terror, “Get a hold of yourselves, damn it!”

Truthfully, Alphinaud did not blame them at all for making a run for it. 

Suddenly, they heard a loud cry from behind them and everyone turned to see what was going on.

There, in the shadows of the castle rose an entire flock of amaro, their eyes glowing with a blazing red, were soaring towards them... being led by a figure with glowing red wings and a flowing dress. She shown through the night as they headed straight for them.

Who was that? She looked so familiar...? That was when he recognized those pigtails and he realized who it was.

"Feo Ul?" Minfilia gasped out.

"What's going on?" Thancred asked, sounding baffled at this new development.

“General, they come in greater numbers!” the adjutant cried, now begging for Ran'jit to leave now, “We must retreat!”

Ran’jit looked furious at the very thought. But with them all outnumbered and his men having turned and running for the hills, even he seemed unwilling to fight off all of Il Mheg on his own. 

He glared at them all furiously, his eyes finding Minfilia, and snarled, “All who stand with the Warrior of Darkness shall face justice! My master demands it.”

With a wave of his hand, he then turned and marched off with the few men who had been lucky enough to escape being transformed or drowned, fled close behind the rest of them; not wishing to remain a moment longer than they had to.

Alphinaud sighed in relief, glad to see that this wasn't going to end in anymore violence. 

He looked back up to the sky, watching them all come closer and he was able to spot a familiar figure riding upon one of the amaro, flying right beside the beautiful winged figure.

The amaro all landed, but Claire had already jumped off the amaro's back in her eagerness to meet up with them, while the winged figure glided down gracefully to greet them as well. 

He gazed up at the elegant face, seeing that there was no doubt that it was Feo Ul... going through such a transformation that he barely recognized her.

But his eyes found Claire, seeing the bits of twig and leaf entangled in her hair... where he blinked, a little surprise to see the white highlights. He had thought that she had done something strange with those locks lately but he barely noticed it. Now though, there was no hiding the white that coated the end of her hair.

She was looking tired and worn, with parts of her armor scratched or blackened with soot, but she was smiling warmly at them all and he wanted to just fling himself into her arms.

At the sight of Feo Ul though, the other Fae Folk around them were happily declaring her their new king and wanted to know what happened. 

This was something that he and the rest of them wanted to know, and they were already asking questions.

Claire and Feo Ul were smiling at each other as if sharing a big secret.

They were soon joined by the pixies, Nu Mou, amaro, and even the Fuath as Claire told them what happened with the previous Titania.

Titania was more than happy to brag about how brave and deadly her sapling had been in the battle. Yet that wasn't what scared him... what frightened him the most was learning that there was a price that had to be paid. That someone had to take the place of the previous king.

She was this close to becoming one of them?

He felt cold rushing through him as he realized how close she was to joining the pixies in their merrymaking. He shared a look with Alisaie, who was looking just as horrified as he felt.

But of course, Claire reassured them that she was not planning to live in the flowers anytime soon, and so Feo Ul was gracious enough to step in and take her place instead.

He could see how several of the pixies were shocked at how the 'Madbloom' as they call her, was now their new king. But they accepted it without question as they danced among the flowers with a brilliant moon over their heads.

“I see…” Alisaie said in relief, when Claire finished telling them what happened, “Well, it’s a good thing Feo Ul volunteered to become king in your stead—for all our sakes.”

Good thing was mildly putting it. Alphinaud was so relieved, he wanted to march right up to her and kiss her breathless for returning to them all in one piece.

“We are grateful for your timely aid, Feo Ul—or should I say, Your Majesty,” Alphinaud said to her, truly thankful for her stepping in when she did.

“Twas the first night in recent memory,” she said evenly as she gazed at them all, “We all of us but wished to make the most of it."

She sighed happily and told them, "That’s something you must remember about us fae folk. Though our existence may be eternal, we exist only for the present. We live in the here and now, paying no mind to futures that may or may not be. To wit, we are not driven as men are. We cannot fight for such causes as men do.”

“Does that mean you won’t aid us against the sin eaters?” Minfilia asked worriedly.

“Not unless the mood takes us,” Feo Ul, or Titania, grinned, “But if it was to repay a debt? Well then, that’s another matter."

She then looked around at all the other Fae around her as she stated, "To take back as much as is taken. To create as much as is destroyed. To give as much as is received. Such is the way of Il Mheg. By this law, we shall lend you our strength—in return for the beautiful sky you have restored to us. In times of need, do not hesitate to call.”

She was then glancing down at Claire, who was suddenly looking a little sad, as she told her, “I’ll be sad to lose you."

But Feo Ul just grinned.

“Silly sapling, I shall remain at your side!” she giggled, “Even should my body be in the castle, ‘tis a simple thing to have a little part of me accompany you. Treat them as you would your {beautiful branch}.”

Claire smiled again, and he felt his heart warm at the sight as she thanked her and hoped to see her again soon. It was after that that the pixies insisted on readying a feast and have a party in celebration at the return of night—with them all talking about having the celebration all night.

But as his gaze found Feo Ul, he could see the way that the faerie king looked at Claire, her sapling, as she so dotingly called her, and there was so much affection and love there that he couldn’t help but feel rather... envious.

Titania then flew off, retreating to the castle, where they were already rejoicing. But they stopped paying attention at that point as he and Alisaie were the first ones there and flung their arms around her in a big hug, which she returned, with an arm around each one of them.

“It seems I was wrong about your friend,” Alisaie said with a shake of her head, “Had Feo Ul not stepped in, you’d be frolicking with the faeries by now.”

"Like I would leave you all now?" she asked with her eyebrows raised, like she was disappointed that they would have thought the answer obvious, "Thanks for holding them back long enough."

“It was pure luck that we managed to hold the Eulmorans at bay long enough for you to succeed—but we have earned some good fortune,” he told her eagerly, just glad that they pulled through in one piece, “And while it is plain we’ve not seen the last of General Ran’jit, I for one am glad to delay our reckoning with him awhile longer.”

"Oh, don't spoil this for us," Alisaie scolded him, giving him a shove as they laughed.

Meanwhile, Minfilia, who looked a little shy, wrapped her arms around Claire’s middle in a quick hug, yet with sunny smile on her face as she looked at her with a mixture of awe and reverence.

“I’m going to train harder,” Minfilia promised, “Having seen what you’ve achieved, it’s the least I can do.”

Claire chuckled as she patted her on the head while Thancred came over this time.

Thancred clapped a hand on her shoulder with a slightly pixie-like grin on his own features that made him look younger.

“Well done, my friend,” Thancred said to her, “You put me to shame, laying low a Lightwarden..." and his grin faltered slightly as he added, "While I struggled to land a blow on a man old enough to be my great-grandsire.”

Her eyes twinkled warmly as she enjoyed their chance to catch their breath.

That was when Alphinaud noticed that there was someone who wasn't joining in on their happy group and that was Urianger. 

He looked back to see that there was a hint of concern in his face as he gazed at Claire, as if something was wrong. Alphinaud was about to ask what the problem was, but Urianger’s face changed immediately into a warm smile and finally approached.

Once he had her attention and she gazed up at him from the many-armed hug.

“Ne’er for a moment did I doubt that thou wouldst triumph over thy foe—yet the majesty of thine achievement delighted me nonetheless!” Urianger said with a low bow to her, “Night hath returned to Il Mheg, and we stand one step closer to delivering the First from its doom, and averting the Eighth Umbral Calamity."

"Is everyone here alright?" she then asked.

They all reassured her that they were all in one piece. That she arrived just as things were starting to look dangerous and so they were spared from an all-out war.

"‘Tis but a pity thou weren’t not present to see the fae folk put the Eulmorans to flight. ‘Twas a sight to raise the spirits, I do assure thee!" Urianger reassured her and she actually laughed, "Ah, but what valuable allies they might prove… were the mood only to take them.”

"What about you?" Alisaie asked her suddenly, looking up at her with concern and looking over her with a critical eye. "How do you fare?"

"I'm fine," she reassured her kindly, "Just tired. Nothing worse than that."

“Good, then maybe it’s time to head out of here before anything else happens?” Alisaie offered.

“What? No! You can’t leave!”

They all looked up, and jumped back to find a massive army of pixies looking at them.

“You can’t leave before we have the feast!”

“Ohhh! Yes, yes, yes! You have to stay for that!”

“Pretty please…?”

They all looked at each other, not sure what to say, but then Urianger stepped up and requested, “If we stay until morning, will we hath thy blessings to go in peace?”

“Aye, aye! We promise!” Ys lala promised happily. “But you must stay! Just for a while longer! We must celebrate and you mortals are always fun to have at a party!”

Alphinaud was feeling slightly anxious at this, having had his fill of playing with the Fae Folk, but he looked at the others, realizing how tried everyone was and decided that they would stay, especially if it meant that they were less likely to run into Ran’jit or the Eulmoran army possibly waiting for them at the borders.

They agreed, though he could only hope that this wasn’t going to end badly for them.

***Late into the Night***

It seemed that every soul in Il Mheg was determined to celebrate the return of night and a new king. Everyone flocked to the castle for the celebration where there was fruit and flower wind enough to drown a primal in it. The Nu Mou brought all manner of foods and plants while the Fuath brought forth all manner of foods that didn’t look particularly safe for mortals to even taste. Still, it was enough for everyone to start to enjoy themselves. Thancred went off to find some manner of food that didn’t have flower petals over it while Urianger was entertaining several pixies who were asking all manner of questions while the rest of them were able to sit back and enjoy the party.

“I have to hand it to them, these fae folk known how to have a good time,” Alisaie said later on that evening when they sat on the floor of the castle floor and the two of them were sharing a drink with several Nu Mou.

“Indeed,” Alphinaud smiled, “Hard to believe the trouble that we were all in just hours ago.” He gazed around the room fondly, truly glad to be given a chance to rest after all the stress from earlier today. At least until he spotted a handful of Fuath all discussing something.

“Speaking of trouble,” he said, and he pointed out the Fuath, one of them being Aenc Thon, looking up to where Claire was sitting beside Feo Ul as they enjoyed the sweet food. Despite the fact that Feo Ul would be expected to remain here in Il Mheg from now on, she was not willing to share her dear sapling any more than she had to.

“Hey! You lot! What are you planning?” Alisaie demanded.

“Ohhh! It’s you two!” giggled one of the Fuath when it looked over at them with a rather mischievous grin, “I remember you two! You were so much fun to watch!”

“Yeah, yeah. But what are you all planning?” Alphinaud asked suddenly, really not liking how they were looking over at Claire. “You aren’t here to try and claim her a second time, are you?” she asked before she glowered at them all. It was a look that would send normal people running. But the Fuath just laughed out.

“Not to worry!” Aenc Thon stated, “Your warrior friend is the King’s precious sapling and it was decreed that we are not to lay so much as a hand upon her. But I must admit that I’m absolutely green with envy! It’s so unfair that the king has her all to themself!”

“I must admit I’m envious too. Would that the king would share her with us,” a nearby pixie spoke up with a sigh of envy. “Would that I could be her beautiful branch! After all, she is one of us, her name speaks that.”

“A kind and strong benefactor is most… most tempting…?” Wyd Lad agreed softly from his other side.

But before anything else could be said, they heard someone clear their throat and they jumped to see Titania hovering above them with her face less than amused.

“Oh, good grief, when will everybody learn!? This mortal is mine, do you hear me!?” she snarled in warning, “Mine, mine, mine!”

Well, it was enough to get everyone to back down.

“O-On second though, it’s more than plenty that she chooses to visit from time to time,” Ys lala laughed forcefully.

“Yes, yes… we can acknowledge she is the King’s,” Aenc Thon agreed, but it was still with a degree of longing in his voice before they scattered.

“Honestly,” Feo Ul growled with a look around them all, “They all know that my beloved sapling belongs to me. And yet they still try to seduce her away from me. Well, if I ever find out that any of them so much as lays a hand upon my sapling, it is my duty as her lovely branch to see that they learn their lesson.”

“Good to hear that,” Alisaie said, “That will be one less thing for us to worry about. Anyway, has anyone seen Urianger? I wanted to ask him something.”

Suspecting that she wanted to ask their friend when they would be allowed to leave, he also began to look around upon realizing that the object of their discussion was suddenly missing.

“Your majesty? Where is Claire now? Do you know?” he asked.

She looked down at him and sighed dramatically, “Yes, yes. Of course I know where she is. Silly mortal. She went to the balcony so that she could get some air. Perhaps… perhaps you should go and speak with her?”

She added that last part with a playful wink to him and he felt his face flush slightly as he wandered off to see for himself.

He soon found her standing upon a balcony that overlooked the lake. She was sitting upon the railing as she gazed out, a light breeze blowing where he was able to get a good look at her and how the moon shown upon the white patches in her hair.

When did that all happen?

“Hey,” he said and she looked up to see him cross over to stand next to her, “You’re the hero of the hour and instead you’re off hiding.”

She just smiled before saying that she just needed some air.

“All those flowers are making it hard to breathe,” she shrugged, but he doubted that was the answer since the balcony they were on was full of flowers.

“Did you do something to your hair?” he asked and she reached up absent-mindedly and began to play with it and he could see the white that was stretching up from the tips.

“I had hoped that it wasn’t too noticeable,” she said. “I think it’s a side-effect from bathing in all that light.”

“Truly?” he asked, reaching over to touch it and let the locks slip through his fingers. Seeing her like this, he could not help but think of how much older she appeared all of a sudden, the white suddenly making her look as if she aged ten years.

“Are you alright?” he asked, reaching over to check for a fever when he realized how pale she looked and as soon as he touched her skin, he realized how clammy she was, “You really don’t look well.”

“I’m fine,” she promised him, “I just… I’m just tired.”

She sighed as she tied her hair up into a very short ponytail to get it out of her face.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I guess that battle really took a lot more out of me than I thought that it would. It… it wasn’t easy having to fight against Titania like that. I couldn’t help but feel bad the entire time.”

“True,” he nodded, “I can’t imagine that it was an easy thing to do,” he said bracingly, “But I know that if it were me, I would wish for release. At least this way, she doesn’t need to suffer anymore.”

“Hmmm,” was all she could say as she turned her gaze back down to the lake below them and she became lost in thought.

“If anything, I am glad to see that you had returned to us safely,” he said, “I honestly don’t know what any of us would have done if you had become king… I mean… I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Now, most would think that she was apologizing for worrying them, but there was something strange in her voice that made him do a double take. He blinked, suddenly confused, wondering what was wrong, and that was when he realized the guilty expression and he was able to string together what she was apologizing for.

“You were… tempted to take the offer?” he asked in surprise.

She looked back at him before leaning in to capture his lips with her own. He was taken aback by that, but he melted into the kiss without a second thought. Though it sounded so cheesy romantic, he could not help but feel like their lips fit together perfectly like pieces of a puzzle and he sighed into it. When she pulled away, it was with that gentle glimmer that he found so beautiful in her eyes, and she reassured him, “I won’t leave you like that. While a part of me regrets not taking the throne, I know that a larger part of me would regret it even more if I had.”

He sighed, but he leaned in close to her.

“I am glad,” he said, “Though know that we mortals aren’t eternal like the Kingdom of Rainbows is… I want you to remember that my love will never die.”

Still, he felt that there was a part of her that wasn’t being completely honest with him like he would have liked. So he then asked, “Are you sure that you are ok?”

“I will be,” she promised before realizing that they were alone here… for the first time in some while. Deciding to take advantage of this, he leaned in and pressed another kiss to her, causing her to sigh this time.

They pulled apart after a time, their eyelashes brushing up against the other, so lightly that it was as if a butterfly had landed there, but they were both smiling.

“I’m glad,” he said told her.

***Urianger***

Urianger could admit that he was going to somewhat miss Il Mheg. He had spent so much time here and learned so much, as well as enjoyed his time with the pixies, so long as it wasn’t at his expense. But he could not deny that he was much relieved to be able to return to the Crystarium and continue on their mission to deliver the First from certain doom.

Still, it was a pleasant sight to see the others all enjoy themselves for at least a brief while. With the fae, who needed no excuse to have a feast and celebrate, dancing and singing all through the night. With the new king declaring this night to be a celebration, they all threw themselves into it with such gusto that one would wonder if they ever planned to stop celebrating.

He enjoyed the drink the pixies brought for them while watching the others join in with the Fae’s merrymaking. Minfilia danced with several pixies while Mistress Alisaie’s face was glowing red as she shared a drink with the Nu Mou, and she was starting to laugh so hard that he decided to take the cup from her before she revealed something she may not wish heard.

Thancred seemed to be at ease standing off in the background, watching everything playing out and seeing the others enjoy themselves. Though he did notice that he tensed up when he saw how the Fuath were suddenly taking another interest in the others.

After a while, he got up to join Thancred from where he sulked and they watched the party in a relative comfortable silence.

He did not expect Thancred to speak up… or what he would say.

“So, what is it that you’re plotting now?” Thancred asked and Urianger gazed at him with surprise in his face. Thancred didn’t look at him, but he heaved a heavy sigh as he stated, “Urianger, I know you. I know that you have always been overly fond of secrets and that has never bothered me before. But I cannot shake the feeling that your secrets could be causing a lot of harm this time.”

“What makes thee say such a thing?” he asked curiously, taking care not to look at him.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “Just a gut feeling, I guess.”

He turned his sharp eyes to him and asked, “If this… if you know something that’s important to our mission then… you would tell us, wouldn’t you?”

“Rest assure that in regards to protecting the First, I will speak plain,” he vowed. “I will do all that in my power to see the First delivered from being engulfed by the light.”

Thancred frowned, his eyes narrowed slightly, and Urianger knew that he could sense that he wasn’t being completely honest in this case.

“Very well,” he said with a sigh and his shoulders slumping. “But let me remind you that you did not do yourself any favors with the stunt you performed back in the Source when you met with the Ascians. You know… you don’t have to feel like you have to keep everything from us. You can trust us, too. We’re still friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course,” Urianger promised as he held up the cup and they toasted softly to the night sky. “Please know that I do trust all of thee… with mine life. I hope that is enough.”

“For now,” Thancred said, and he looked a little better. “Sorry if I seemed overly suspicious. I guess these years of constantly being on guard have made me jumping at shadows.”

He gave a wave as he headed off, possibly to enjoy some more drink. But Urianger couldn’t bring himself to enjoy the party anymore.

“It is mine own self I do not trust…” he whispered grimly, letting his cup call to the ground and the sweet nectar inside spilled out. He barely seemed to notice as he wandered off, the weight of the secrets he was carrying around inside him suddenly so heavy that he felt like he was carrying around a massive weight inside his heart.

If they all knew what he knew… if they found out what he was hiding from them all… he knew that they would never forgive him. When this finally ended, he knew that they would likely be furious with him, and most likely cut all ties off with him. He was aware of this… for who could forgive someone who plotted the death of a friend in the middle of a celebration?

He had so much guilt… carried around so much grief over his many sins that he knew that they would haunt him for the remainder of his life.

He gazed around at everyone once more, his thoughts carrying him to dark and cold memories, before realizing that someone was missing. She must have slipped away without any of them noticing.

He wandered off through the halls, wondering where she had gone, and he spotted Master Alphinaud coming back inside from one of the balconies and his eyes were glazed over as he seemed to be humming to himself. The look of a young man hopelessly in love.

Sure enough, when he came closer, he found her outside upon the balcony, staring out at the lake which reflected the bright silver moon and twinkling stars so that it looked like a sea of stars that seemed to stretch out endlessly before them.

Claire was allowing the couple of pixies to finish decorating her hair with flowers, taking care to braid it with petals as they giggled and laughed… one of them even bringing a crown of flowers to match the king’s.

He had been on the verge of heading back, before noticing her expression… how she became suddenly melancholy and he felt concern rise within him. As he approached, Claire thanked the two pixies for their hard work and they giggled, waving at her before the disappeared in a sparkle of light and rejoin the celebrations.

But once she thought that she was alone, he could not miss the sudden sullen mood she appeared to be in, and he hid to fight back his wave of worry before forcing a smile.

“There art thou,” he said as he came up behind her and she looked back at him with a tired smile. “We noticed that the one for whom the celebration is truly for had vanished without warning. Are thee feeling well, my friend?”

“Just tired,” she said as he sat down next to her so that they could look over the sparkling lake in silence.

“That is to be expected of thee,” he reassured her kindly. “If thou art looking for a quiet place to rest, then thee would find a worse place than my own abode that I have been by means of…?”

But she was shaking her head.

“No,” she said before he could finish, “I don’t want to. I doubt that I would be able to rest now anyway. Alphinaud just left me, I told him to go back in and check on the others for me, I think Alisaie was having a little too much to drink?”

“Rest assure she was, thou I hath already taken the liberty of removing said wine from her before she have need worry of what the morrow would bring,” he said, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He suspected that Mistress Alisaie would be feeling less than well in the morning.

But he looked at her with a critical eye, trying to see if there was anything wrong. Two Lightwardens have already been brought low, but already he could see that the corruption has taken hold. When first he gazed upon her aether after seeing her for the first time in three years, he could see that. While not noticeable, but it was plain to those who would know what to look for. The light was bright in her… but it was tame… calm… quiet. But like a sleeping beast, he knew this to be only temporary.

He had tried to find a good way to describe how the light was effecting her… like a flowering tree in full bloom… with a weed slowly choking the roots. Like a pure lake with ink slowly being dripped inside it…? Perhaps like a sun that was slowly being eclipsed by the moon. He didn’t know how to put into words with what he was seeing… only that now, after seeing her absorb the Light from a second warden, there was no denying that the light had grown easily three times its size in a short amount of time. Now it was as if that tree had thick vines wrapping around the trunks and slowly creeping up to continue to kill it.

And he knew that it would only be a matter of time before she began to question what was happening to her. He knew that once they met up with Y’shtola, she would be able to sense it right away… which worried him for he wondered how she would react to such news?

“You seem not to be thyself,” he pointed out and she sighed, brushing her hair out of her face wearily.

“I might have to have a word with some of the healers back in the Crystarium,” she confessed, “I’ve been having these terrible headaches recently. I’m getting one now and it’s taking all the fun out of celebrating.”

Headaches? He doubted that they were just headaches. He was certain that this was a side effect of the Light she absorbed… as well as explain what happened to her hair and how it was slowly turning white.

The corruption was slight on the outside, but the worst kind of damage was what was doing to the parts that one could not see.

“That’s the city of Veoburt down there,” she explained softly, pointing to the water where the tips of the roofs could just be seen. “It must be summer now though, for I know that it would get bitterly cold here during winter. I wonder what winter would be like in Il Mheg?”

He glanced at her with surprise as he asked, “How doth thou know about that?”

She didn’t answer as she looked at the water. His could only guess that she had a vision of the past… but how could that be? After all, the only people who would have that knowledge would have lived a hundred years ago.

That was when he saw the flower buds sitting in her lap.

“Are thee bringing flowers back to the Crystarium?” he asked and she nodded.

“For the Exarch,” she said and he looked at her in surprise. “He told me about how he had only been to Il Mheg a few times in the past and was always struck by the beauty here. He mentioned he would love to see some more flowers around the Crystarium and I thought that the people there would like these.”

“Thou as kind as ever,” he told her, but he frowned slightly when he saw her shake her head.

“No, I’m not, I’m just…?” she began but her voice died down.

“What is wrong?” he asked worriedly, wondering just what it was that was troubling her mind. Could it be that the Light was affecting her worse than he first thought?

“Can I tell you something?” she asked suddenly, taking him by surprise.

“Of course, pray tell what troubles thee, my friend?” he asked her.

“It’s the… Exarch,” she said at last, “I know that it sounds strange but I feel like I know him from somewhere before.”

The bottom of his stomach dropped at those words. Could it be that she…?

She finally looked up at him and gave a forced smile, “But that’s crazy, I know. I mean, how could I? Still, whenever I speak to him…?”

She continued to gaze out onto the lake with that faraway look upon her face. Could it be that he imagined it, but once in a while he would catch her eyes gazing off to the other side of her, as if she was looking at someone who was supposed to be sitting there.

“That thou feels a sense of familiarity is a bad thing?” he asked slowly.

“No, not at all,” she said slowly, but still frowning. “I can’t explain it. But… the way he talks to me. It like… he truly cares. Like… he would be willing to drop whatever it is he’s doing to assist me if he thought I would need it. I know that it sounds like I’m complaining about something that I shouldn’t be, but why would he act that way if we just met? Like…?”

Her voice trailed off, but she didn’t go on.

“Thou believeth the Exarch is hiding something?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, “Even I can tell he is overly fond of his secrets. I do believe him when he says that he wishes to save this world. Of that, there is no doubt in my mind. But…?”

She was clearly struggling to put into words just what the problem is. He patiently waited as she searched for a way to explain what her worry was. And then…?

“It’s not like we’re strangers,” she finally said, “The way he acts… it’s like he knows me. Like we… were old… friends.”

Urianger did not dare speak up for a moment as he let that sink in. She is suspecting that things are not what they first appear to be, which the Exarch was worried about, but she hadn’t yet put the pieces together just yet.

He was silent for a time as he wondered what to say.

“I cannot speak for certainty what type of person he be,” he said carefully, “But I do believeth he has the best of intentions. I have gotten to know him quite well in the three years I have abidith here… and I can say with certainty that he is someone you can trust, my friend.”

Claire glanced up at him with an unreadable expression, and he feared that she had seen through his half-truth. Finally, she seemed to relax slightly and said, “I am glad to hear that. And from you, that’s a lot.”

He smiled back, though his gut was squirming with shame and guilt in equal measure. She had no idea… she truly did not know just what was happening here. She did not yet realize how terrible a thing the Exarch had asked of her, what it potentially could do to her, and he could not explain it without betraying everything. Nor of what must be sacrificed before the end. All he could do was to keep it all under lock and key until the end… only then could it be revealed, but by then, it would be too late.

He had spent the last three years waiting for this, preparing himself in both mind and body, to be of aid to her and his comrades. The knowledge of what was to come if they did not seize this chance to change the future now that it was right in front of them would forever haunt him. For of her great and terrible destiny to die defending the Source until her final breath.

He would stay with her though. He would stay by her side and do whatever it took to see that she was well and cared for, as he knew the Exarch strove for. It was a poor attempt at a way of apology for what was to come, but it was all he could do.

Urianger did his best to push those grim thoughts from his mind as he offered for them to head back to the celebration, reminding her that the others may grow worried if she was there. She promised she would be along shortly, but she just wanted a few more minutes to enjoy the night sky without the giggling of pixies to interrupt her thoughts.

“Very well,” he said as he made to move away. But before he did, he reached over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned her surprised gaze to him, knowing that he normally wasn’t one for such displays of affection.

“Full well do I understand that it will be a long and difficult path ahead of us,” he said, “But please believeth me when I do hereby swear to remain at thy side until the bitter end.”

“Urianger…?” she asked as he squeezed her shoulder a little tighter before he stood up.

“Please, just promise me...” he said softly, “That… that by fighting for this world… thou must survive to see the end of this.”

She stared up at him before her expression turned sad again and she reminded him, “You know I can’t promise that.”

He was silent for a moment before saying, “I will do all in my power to see that you do. For… for you are much loved. More than you could possibly know.”

He was letting slip too much, but instead of going on, he said, “Forgive me this moment of sentimentality. I believe I have drunk a little too much from mine own cups. But know that I believe in thee. I believe that thee will succeed with all mine heart. As do the others. As doth the Exarch. Please, remember that much.”

“Urianger… I…” Claire said before she sighed and smiled back, “I will. Thank you.”

He just chuckled as he said that she was to take as much time as she desired and that they will look forward to her return when she was ready.

But the second that he left her, his smile faded to a grimace, knowing that this was just the beginning of the most difficult journey that she had yet to take. That there was no way that it could possibly end without the death of a friend… and he never hated himself more for knowing what he did.

He didn’t dare look back though, for if he did, he wasn’t sure if he could continue to find the strength to continue on this path. He would not be able to stand seeing her sitting there alone.

But what he did not know was that she wasn’t alone.

For sitting beside her was another lost soul… another figure, unseen by everyone but her, was sitting beside her as they gazed up at the sky together in a comfortable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (When eyelashes brush against each other during a kiss, or a Butterfly Kiss, means: You are so sweet. This kiss causes a tingly sensation on your skin and is a way to show your infatuation and intimate relationship with each other.
> 
> Awww, writing battle scenes are always like pulling teeth for me, but I do hope that I did it justice. I am feeling a little resentful to Titania at the moment since I’ve been farming totems from the extreme mode of her. Up to 80 now, and I’m planning to get the mount as soon as it comes out. I’m starting to think that the horn is a myth XD. Anyway, what did you all think? A little shorter than normal, but that’s because I decided to do a special chapter whenever they return to the Crystarium at the end of every location. They are just going to be full of warm fluff and bonding moments. Since we already had Alphinaud and Alisaie bonding, and a little Minfilia bonding last chapter, I’m planning a chapter filled with more bonding moments such as with Thancred and the Exarch, of course, before moving onto the next area. Anyway, please tell me what you all think, I love getting reviews from you all, and let me know what kind of scenes you would like to see. And if I like them, you may see what I can do with such ideas. Anyway everyone I hope you will all be looking forward to the next chapter which will be up sometime before February.)


	14. The Wheel Turns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With night restored to Il Mheg, the Scions make their way back to the Crystarium for some well deserved rest. But when has fate ever been kind to our champions? Claire is now faced with men on all sides, all of whom have their own inner demons that they need to work out. Such as a suffering ghost, a disturbed friend, and a familiar stranger who knows more than what he says. As well as a fourth who is still lurking in the shadows behind them all. Fighting sin eaters almost feels like a vacation in comparison, right?

It was bright and early the next morning when everyone gathered outside as a light shower fell upon the flowers and causing the pixies to dance in the rain.

"Everyone ready?" Thancred asked more than ready to head out.

"Almost all of us," Alisaie stated, who was sporting a hangover, and glanced around, “We’re missing someone?”

"Give her some time, I'm sure that she's not feeling her best after that fight last night," Alphinaud said firmly.

"So, where are we going to go from here?" Minfilia asked Thancred curiously as they waited.

"We will head back to the Crystarium," Thancred answered, "And then we will decide which area to go to next. Personally, I'm all for heading to the Greatwood. Last I heard, that was where Y'shtola was."

"Truly? Oh, it would be good to see her again," Alisaie said with an eagerness that countered the hangover feeling she was feeling. "I haven't seen her in so long."

"Been almost five years since I last saw her as well," Thancred said with a shrug, "And with everyone here and two Lightwardens already dead, I fear that if we wait any longer, she would feel slighted."

"That's a frightening thought," Alphinaud said, looking forward to moving on as well, "I, for one, am not against the idea and I know that her help would be invaluable to us from this point onwards. But we will discuss it all with the Exarch when we return."

It was only a couple minutes later when the final member of their band finally emerged from the Bookman Shelves.

"Ah, our hero finally arrives," Thancred called as she approached, and they were all surprised to see her hair a tangled rat’s nest as Thancred laughed, "And someone slept well, judging from the wild bed head."

Claire rolled her eyes, but she laughed with them as she went back to trying to smooth her tangled locks.

“Right, now that everyone is here, I think that it's time to head out,” Thancred said, “Before we do head out though, let me just say one last thing."

He punched Claire in the shoulder as he told her, "I knew you could do it. And not only because of your blessing. You have a strength all your own, and it has seen us through many a trial."

She just smiled back rather shyly, which caused him to smirk before he turned to everyone and spoke up, indulging in a little sentimentality as he gave his speech, "With the Warden defeated, I believe our work here is done. It is time we were going—together, needless to say. To the bitter end—the fate of our two worlds being at stake, and all that. Now then, I suggest we hurry back to the Crystarium. Much and more may have happened while we were frolicking with the fae folk. That Ran’jit elected to pursue us makes me hopeful the city was spared Eulmore’s attentions, but I would sooner see for myself. Besides, I believe I speak for us all when I say that I’ve had a bellyful of Il Mheg. Let us away before the faeries think to play with us again."

No one could disagree with that and were more than willing to head out. The pixies were a little sad as they came to wave them off, but promised them that they wouldn’t try to turn them into anything since the King had ordered them to allow their party free rein to come and go.

“Unless you want us too?” one of them asked hopefully. “That way you need never leave again!”

“Not in this lifetime!” Thancred said as he gave Minfilia a little push to the mountain trail as the pixies all let out sad groans, as if denied a large treat.

“I swear, how did you manage to survive there all this time, Urianger?” Alisaie asked their friend as they left the flowers behind them and walked further into the thick forests around them as they took the path back to Lakeland.

“One must learn to communicate,” he answered simply, “If thou can but do that much, then it is simply a matter of understanding.”

“Oh, like how you were always trying to get me and Alphinaud to talk to each other while growing up?” Alisaie asked with a roll of her eyes.

“I but wished to help thee get along with thine own kin,” he reminded them calmly, “I can only see that it did not work as well as I hath hoped.”

They laughed once more as they continued on the long walk back through the mountain trail, but still on guard should the Eulmorans be lying in wake. But it did not seem that was not the case, for aside from some random sin eaters attacking once in a while, the trip back was uneventful. The rain had stopped as soon as they reached Lakeland and began to tread over the lavender-colored grounds and admired the trees as the sun came out.

“To think that this place is supposed to be this world’s version of Mor Dhona,” Alisaie said as she admired the beautiful trees.

“Believe it or not, Mor Dhona used to be covered with thick forests and lush vegetation,” Thancred informed her casually, “It didn’t become the crystalscape land that we all know and love until after the battle of Silvertear. So, if that battle never happened, I think that it would have looked very similar to this.”

“Isn’t it pretty if it’s covered with crystals, though?” Minfilia asked wondrously.

“Well, yeah, I guess it is,” Thancred said with a thoughtful frown, “If one were to overlook the barren wasteland between them. Still, it would be nice to return and see it again. It may be a crystal-covered barren wasteland, but it’s our crystal-covered barren wasteland.” He then looked to Claire and asked, “I hadn’t had a chance to ask how Tataru and the others faring, by the way?”

“Yes, I would like to hear more if you can tell us something,” Alphinaud asked, turning his head back to her and she let out a shrug.

She had only been here a short amount of time now, though they were now approaching the three week mark now that she thought of it. Hard to believe so much time could pass in a blink of an eye. Or she was just getting her days mixed up since it was hard to tell how much time passed with the Light distorting her days and nights. Regardless, if time here was much faster than back home, she doubted that much had changed since then. Though she still told them about how well that the others were when she last saw them, including going into more details about Krile and her work upon Eureka.

The others were shocked to discover that the Isle of Val had survived, and what had been lurking upon it. She told them a little more of the primal Eureka, what it could do, and how it was sealed away there by the founder of the Students, Galuf Baldesion. She explained that he and his companions had been the one who kept it under guard until it was discovered by the Ascians who planned to use it. This was all thanks to a message that was left behind by Galuf, who confessed that they invoked a spell to throw the entire island into the Lifestream that dragged them, as well as the Ascian named Emmeroloth, inside in the hopes that it would be enough to scatter their essence into the torrent of aether along with the imprisoned Eureka.

“Emmeroloth,” Alphinaud repeated slowly, “That name I have not heard before.”

“I’m not surprised,” Thancred shrugged, “I don’t know how many of their number were out there, but enough to be causing trouble for the rest of us.”

“So what happened?” Alisaie asked her quickly, “After all that, I mean? I know that the island apparently appeared in the Far East so how did…?”

Claire then explained that according to Krile and Ejika Tsunjika, it seemed that Eureka awoke and used most of its aether to push the entire isle back into the world. As of right now, the primal was weak but they decided to have it resealed and have time to come up with a better solution to destroying it.

“Yet another thing to worry about when we get back,” Alisaie sighed grimly at the thought. The last thing she wanted was to deal with another primal when they had their hands full of sin eaters. But at least the matter seemed well in hand for the time being.

“I’m just relieved to hear that Ejika decided to wait for the time being,” Alphinaud said thoughtfully, “Krile, despite her optimism, would have been devastated. I’m confident that we can leave the matter up to them for the time being, but it is certainly something to look more into when we return.”

“And what of Emmerololth?” Thancred asked and Claire shook her head in a lost way.

“Emmerololth was the Ascian who learned about how Eureka was imprisoned upon the Isle before Galuf cast the isle into the Lifestream,” she said slowly, “That is all that I know of it. And the missive did say that they were certain it would destroy them, but as for whether or not it worked…?”

“Then for now, I suggest we prepare ourselves should this Emmerololth survived… until we learn more,” Alphinaud said firmly as they finally reached the bridge that would take them back into the city. “But thinking about it, it is a plan that would probably work if they were trapped on the island with the others…?”

Though saddened at the thought that most of the Students of Baldesion had perished along with the Isle, and they knew that so much had happened in their absence, they took comfort in the thought that everything seemed to be holding together… at least for the time being.

For now, they pushed on with their current mission here in the First. They crossed over the bridge until they found themselves at the foot of the Crystal Tower in the middle of town. Just one look around showed that nothing here had changed since they were last here. The sky was bright and cloudless as it revealed the people hard at work with various tasks.

“The city appeareth unchanged from when last I visited,” Urianger said as they glanced around at the people coming and going as they pleased., “There is the selfsame comforting hum of activity in the air.”

Claire couldn’t hide the relief she felt at the sight of the people here alive in well. She had feared that they would suffer under Vauthry’s temper tantrum because they defied him.

“Yes,” Alisaie said with a smile, “Eulmore was plainly more concerned with finding us. How flattering.”

Claire smiled at that, let out a sigh she didn’t realize she had been holding for a while. She was just thinking of the look on the Exarch’s face when they told him all that happened in Il Mheg when…?

She felt eyes on the back of her head.

That odd feeling was suddenly accompanied by footsteps and she turned around to see a man slowly approaching her. He seemed to be a man that looked both young and old at the same time. His face didn’t hold so much as a single wrinkle, but his eyes—golden in color—seemed to melt into like a timeless age of the sun. His hair was a dark burgundy color with a white streak wrapped around his face, but it stood out with his black military coat adorned with gold on the chest and white fur along the trimmings.

His golden eyes were boring into hers. Who was he? He seemed familiar, but she wasn’t sure why.

She turned completely around to face him as he continued to approach them, soon getting the attention of the others when he called, “You certainly took your time. I had half resolved to complete the task myself.”

Something about this man was giving her an uneasy feeling that she didn’t like.

“And you are?” Alisaie began before Urianger held up his hand, stopping her, and his voice was surprisingly sharp as he glared at the man.

“Were one to study the annals of Garlean history, one would find yonder visage on many a page,” he said darkly, “Though by rights its youth should long since have faded.”

“Well, well, we have a historian in our midst,” the man said, sounding pleased that at least one of them knew who he was, but that statement only confused Claire even more… at least until the man continued, “That spares me a lengthy explanation. I am Solus zos Galvus, founding father of the Garlean Empire. And, under various guises, the architect of myriad other imperially inclined nations. As for my true identity…”

He held up his hand and passed it over his face as a red glyph appeared and her eyes widened as she suddenly realized who, or rather, what he was.

The man then bowed to them and said, “I am Emet-Selch. Ascian.”

It seemed to take everyone at least a minute to full grasp what was happening.

Of course, the others quickly snapped out of it once they remembered where they were.

“Gaius spoke of you!” Alisaie gasped from behind her, “A native of the Source…”

But Thancred was already reaching for his weapon the moment he heard the word ‘Ascian’, and snarled out, “Equal in rank to Lahabrea. And you come all this way just to introduce yourself to us?”

Emet-Selch didn’t answer him. Instead, he just smirked before gesturing to the cloudless sky.

“Behold the sky, restored to its former glory!” he called dramatically, spinning about like he was on stage until his hands were fully up in the air and his arms outstretched as if rejoicing over the sight, “Have you ever seen a more affecting spectacle? Ohhh, it is truly, deeply…”

The change happened so suddenly that she didn’t even realize it until he slumped over, as if a great weight was bearing down on him, and she heard him hiss with suppressed malice, “…Infuriating. Do you have any idea how much you have delayed the Rejoining?”

He slowly turned in a jerky movement, giving them all a dark glare, as if them standing there was the great insult that they could have given him.

“Following the Flood, the First had bene listing ever further towards the Light—towards stasis,” he snapped, “The end was in sight! Enter man and his indomitable spirit. He would haul the world back from the brink! And adding his lumpen weight to the power of growth, he duly tipped the scales, if only by a fraction. Yet a fraction was enough to spoil the perfect imbalance needed to bring about a Rejoining! Had mankind continued to live in idleness under Vauthry’s rule, all the conditions would have been met…”

He was glaring at her, as if she was the bane of his existence, his eyes alight with fury.

“But you had to come and ruin it all!” he snarled, pointing an accusing finger at her, “Thanks to your meddling, Light’s supremacy is in doubt, and our painstakingly laid plans are in tatters!”

“Well, I should begin by thanking you for confirming Urianger’s theories on the inner workings of the Calamity,” Thancred said briskly, immediately coming to her defense, “He will be most pleased. As for what happens next, might I suggest you admit defeat and walk away?”

It was startling at how all his anger seemed to fade at the question.

“Happy to let me go, are you?” Emet-Selch asked, his tone surprisingly calm and light now as he finally glanced at Thancred, “Because the murderous glint in your eye suggests otherwise. Indeed, it is enough to make me think better of confronting you alone.” He shrugged before confessing, “Look, it did cross my mind to simply side with Vauthry and kill you all. But that’s no different from what Lahabrea did. And we all know how well that ended for him.”

The others were all tensing up as he slowly stepped closer, though Claire remained calm and stood her ground. His entire attention seemed focused on her as he continued, “And so, while it is liable to be troublesome, I have settled upon a different approach…”

He finally stopped when he was just within arm’s length of her before he then tilted his head and asked with a rather strange smile, “Cooperation! I will not raise a hand to hinder your hunt for the Lightwardens. If you desire it, I will even lend you my knowledge and strength.”

No one knew what to say, just that the very suggestion stunned them all. But it seemed that the Ascian finally got too close to Claire because Alphinaud took a step forward.

“Since time immemorial, you and yours have labored to rejoin the thirteen shards, at the cost of countless lives,” he countered coldly, “Do you expect us to believe that your objective has suddenly changed?”

Emet-Selch straightened himself.

“Nay, our objective is the same as it ever was—though I daresay you do not know our motive,” he responded casually, as if merely discussing the weather, “A war waged without knowledge of the enemy is no war—it is mere bloodletting. Just once… might we not seek to find common ground? For good or ill, I am immortal. Provided I have the inclination, I can always begin anew. Scheme and conspire to my heart’s content. But this time, I thought that I might instead try to see eye to eye. To understand what drives the hero of the Source. To determine if your goals are truly incompatible.”

What did he care? Since when do any of them suddenly care? As far as she knew, they loved all of this. Causing chaos, planting the seeds of discord… that was the whole reason he built up the Garlean Empire, was it not? She found it very unlikely that he saw the error of his ways and was now extending a chance for peace.

“So come,” he said, “Shed your preconceptions. See beyond the unscrupulous villains you take us for. When all is said and done, we may find ourselves pleasantly surprised. The proud discoverers of a path of cooperation rather than opposition. Think of it.”

She didn’t know what to think… only that she did not like how he was looking at her.

Neither, it seems, did Urianger. For he suddenly threw one of his Astrologian cards at him and Emet-Selch disappeared in a puff of dark smoke.

“Thou hast delivered thy proposal, and we would not dismiss it outright,” Urianger called in a remarkably firm tone, “If I may offer thee counsel, however: to make thy case via an illusion reflecteth poorly upon thy sincerity.”

“My apologies,” Emet’s voice purred and they all turned around to suddenly find him standing directly behind them. “You will forgive me if I am not entirely at ease in the presence of a famed Ascian-slayer. I felt it only prudent to take precautions.”

He gazed at them all, his eyes lingering upon her the longest, before he shrugged and conceded, “Nonetheless, your counsel is duly noted.”

He then slowly turned his back to them and began to walk, waving his hand up in a bored way that was akin to someone flinging off an annoying fly as he called, “I take my leave friends. Rest assured, we shall meet again soon.”

No one spoke for a few long minutes as they let that all sink in. It wasn’t until Thancred, who was glaring around in all directions and snarling under his breath, “He appears to be gone, but I won’t be lowering my guard just yet,” did everyone suddenly speak up on what just happened.

“Than an Ascian of Emet-Selch’s standing should willingly reveal himself unto us—and at this of all junctures—is… most interesting,” Urianger said slowly, and his voice deadly serious.

“Finding common ground with an Ascian…” Alphinaud repeated with a shake of his head, “My entire being rebels at the very notion.”

“Cooperation?” Alisaie demanded, in full agreement to the very thought, “He can’t be serious… can he? Well, we’ve certainly been given much to ponder, but first things first: we should report to the Exarch.”

She shook her head hard before taking several breaths to calm down. When she did, she glanced over at Claire, and added, in a much more controlled tone, “You can run along, Claire.”

When Claire arched her eyebrow at her, the younger girl merely reassured her, “We’re perfectly capable of handling this little task. In light of your recent exertions, I’d say you’ve earned a rest. Go on, take yourself off to bed. We’ll see you later, refreshed and ready for more.”

Claire made to refuse, but it seemed that the others were agreeing with this idea and were insisting that they would take care of anything else and that she should get some rest since she still looked tired.

She only nodded in the end, and they parted ways with the others heading back to the tower while she turned and walked off in the direction of her room at the Pendants.

With the eyes of another party now watching her every move.

***Emet-Selch***

Honestly, all he was trying to do was play nicely with them and they go and reject his kind offer?

How insulting.

Still, he spoke his piece and was now watching from the shadows at how they all discussed amongst themselves, most likely all agreeing that he cannot be trusted.

If they knew the whole truth, they would be singing a different tune. Though, he supposed he could not blame them for their ignorance. It was simply part of who they were now.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen, indeed.

To think that he was dragged from his peaceful slumber to deal with this rebel. He didn’t see why Elidibus, or Lahabrea for that matter, had such a hard time dealing with them. But when his golden eyes spotted the champion among them, he remembered why this task had to be handled delicately.

_“Don’t let your sentimentality blind your judgement, Emet,” Elidibus warned him in the back of his mind when he last saw him. “No matter what form that soul takes, whenever it shows up, our plans are always left in tatters. Don’t hesitate for a moment if you get a chance to finish her off.”_

“I know… I know…” he growled in annoyance, as if Elidibus was there with him, “Honestly, you sure know how to order people around. It’s probably why she didn’t listen that… that first time.”

Still, he could not help but think that if they could just get her on their side then perhaps…?

Though, he supposed that the antics of Lahabrea and Elidibus had done little to give them reason to believe him. Especially that white-haired man acting the part of some deranged guard dog for the girl, he could see the damage that Lahabrea had done when he had that body. So he, at least, seemed the least likely to want to listen. But for those who claim to be scholars, he had expected a little more open-mindedness.

He glanced over them all from a distance, trying to discern more about them from here. He could see their souls… very clearly… each with unique shades to them. That young girl, the one they call the Oracle, is very pale compared to the ones he had seen in the past, rather… uninspired compared to the others who came before her. It was a strange incident, but he didn’t pay it any mind for she was still just a weak imitation.

The tall Elezen with the star globe, he knew that he spent some time with Elidibus before—who tried to charm him into their way of thinking. He… could prove to be a problem later on. Not out of talent though, no, his magicks were more for healing than combat right now… and feeble compared to his own. They all were.

The twins had potential, despite their age. Practically babes who were stumbling around trying to find their way. He could see the connection between them, though their aether were both similar and distant… then again, perhaps this was expected with twins. So… cliché. What really drew his attention were the fact that for Lahabrea’s former puppet and the three Elezen… their aether was reacting very strangely. Those weren’t their true bodies… that much he could see. Their souls had just taken on a more solid form at this point. Which meant that their real bodies must have been left behind in the Source; Elidibus would be interested in that.

All save for…?

His eyes were drawn back to the champion once more. Her body was her own and her soul was intact… though now infected with an abundance of Light. So bright that it made his eyes water just to look at her.

He continued to watch her, noticing how she left the others behind and began to walk across the courtyard, probably heading off to her room here. He watched with annoyance… everything about her… was so familiar… the way she walked, her quiet demeanor… she even looked very similar to… _her_.

Claire… that was what this broken fragment was called.

It was more of _her_ than he had seen in a very long time.

Almost to a point that he saw her as something worth looking into.

Though she was still a broken shard… a broken piece that was nothing more than a pale shade of the original… he decided that she was worth giving a chance to prove herself.

He would watch and see where this went.

At worst, the Rejoining would be delayed a few decades, but that was nothing for the rest of them. At best…?

He smirked at the thought as he continued to watch her from a distance. As if she were a particularly interesting piece of art he was trying to figure out.

***Claire***

Claire did what she was told and returned to her rooms where she could get some more sleep. Still, she could not help but feel a little put out that they told her to go to her room and go to bed. She couldn’t help but feel like she was being treated as some misbehaving child who didn’t want to take a nap… but she was in no mood to argue.

She didn’t want to admit it to the others, but she really didn’t want to get up this morning. Well, that last battle had been far from easy so she supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised she was so tired.

Right now she was more hungry than actually tired, but she figured that she would drop off her things before looking around the markets to see what she could have for lunch. But no matter how she tried to think about food, her thoughts kept going back to him… Emet-Selch.

She had to admit that he wasn’t at all what she pictured him to be. Then again, perhaps that wasn’t his real face but another borrowed form? She could still remember how Lahabrea once used Thancred’s face to taunt her as they did battle even as the entire structure around them was starting to crumble.

But what was he planning? Seriously, after all the fighting between them, what made him think, for even a moment, that any of them would heed what he could say? And what was with the way he was looking at her the whole time? She didn’t know what to make of him.

When she was up against Lahabrea, Igeyorhm, and Nabriales… she could always sense a dark anger and strong dislike whenever they just gazed at her. But with this Ascian… it was different. There wasn’t hatred there… none that she could sense anyway… it was more… curiosity.

And the way he was looking at her, it was like he could see something in her that the others couldn’t. She didn’t like that feeling. As if she were a particularly interesting study subject that he was trying to understand.

Like she was a project of his.

Her mind was so lost in thought that it was several minutes before she realized she walked right by the pendants. Once she realized that her feet were carrying her off somewhere else, she turned back and dashed inside, barely paying any attention to what the innkeeper said before she returned to her room.

She stepped inside the warm room, grateful to find it empty for the moment, and closed her eyes as she heaved a heavy sigh. At least here she didn’t have to think too much at what was waiting beyond the walls. She instead tried to will her worries and anxieties away before she opened her eyes again.

That was when she spotted the basket on the table that wasn’t there before and she slowly walked over, leaving her bag on the floor as she went. There was a tray set up with a jug and goblet of cool water and a basket filled with carefully made sandwiches.

Who could have…?

She then spotted the handwritten missive lying next to it.

_I hope the past few days have not been overly taxing. Pray take your rest and recover._

There was only one person who came to mind who could have laid this out for her and she found herself oddly choked up at the thought.

“From the Exarch, is it?” 

Claire glanced up to see Ardbert having appeared without warning as he usually did. He was looking over the food with a slightly suspicious look in his eyes as he added, “With that mirror of his, he can watch your every move, you know. He'll probably think you're talking to yourself.”

Oh, why did he have to tell her that? That was the last thing she needed to be paranoid about. It was bad enough thinking that Ardbert, and the possibility that Emet-Selch was also watching her, now she had someone who was still practically a stranger to her peeking in? Was the idea of privacy completely dead?

Perhaps Ardbert could sense the sudden unease and added, as if wanting to change the subject, “Still, he's keeping you well-fed.”

He looked up to her, and she gazed back, still feeling some confusion about how she should feel about the Exarch. She still knew next to nothing about him, even so much as his real name or what he looked like under his cowl. Now she knew better than anyone that he was entitled to his secrets, but it would help make this uneasy feeling go away.

“What do you think of him?” she asked curiously, truly wondering what his opinion was of the Exarch.

“Judging by his people's faith in him, he seems to be a decent sort,” he confessed, shrugging much in the same way that she did when she didn’t know how to answer, “But so much about him remains shrouded in mystery. Like what was he doing back in my day? There was no such person when I was around.” 

Shrouded in mystery was putting it lightly. Now according to the Exarch, despite a youthful appearance, he was most certainly an old man. The reason for his youth was because of the Crystal Tower. Which was another question. Why did he feel the need to pull the Crystal Tower here? And how? And how could he find a way to merge with it? She understood precious little about how the tower worked, suspecting that even someone like Cid would struggle to find a way to even explain how it worked to her.

The only other person she could think of who could help her understand it was…?

“A lot’s happened since the Flood, though,” Ardbert added, interrupting her thoughts, “Since I was… set adrift. I now little more than you do of this city’s history and the Exarch’s past.”

“I see,” she said, realizing that she shouldn’t be surprised. A lot has happened since the Flood after all. She gazed at him as he folded his arms and looked on ahead.

“Not that it matters,” he said firmly, “It's Emet-Selch we should be concerned about.”

“Do you know him?” she asked wonderingly, knowing that he had dealt with Ascians before.

“When our world was about to be consumed by Light, the Ascian in white appeared before us,” he explained, “He said that the only way for us to live on was to bring about the Rejoining. Desperate as we were, we heeded his words, not realizing that the Flood was of the Ascians' own making.”

Right, the white-robed Ascian was Elidibus… or the Emissary as he called himself. She was going to ask what he could tell her about them, but he just turned his head to her and stated firmly, “They cannot be trusted. None of them. But Emet-Selch had one thing right: one should not fight blindly.”

He then turned away to look at the floor as he added wretchedly, “That's what we did. And it cost us everything we held dear.”

It was when his seriousness faded to a grim sorrow did she realized something else about her ghostly companion. He was really worried about her. Worried that she would make the same mistakes as he once did and she felt her heart blossom in her chest despite the situation.

Still, she couldn’t stand to see that sad look when he claimed that they lost everything. Well, that wasn’t true either.

“Not everything,” she reminded him with a smile. “I know a certain amaro would disagree with what you just said.”

His head jerked up at that, startled at the suggestion.

“...You mean Seto?” he asked, before trying to explain that didn’t count, but after seeing the way she smiled at him, his excuse died in his throat as he admitted, “Well, that's... Aye. I suppose you're right.”

“He really cared about you,” she told him, glad to see the silver blush coming to his face as he folded his arms and looked away, “Still does. And he was right about you. You deserved far better than what happened.”

Ardbert was silent for a moment as he let that all sink in.

“He’s done some growing,” he confessed, determined to turn the conversation to a safer route, “When we were travelling together, he was nowhere near as big. And he obviously couldn’t speak.”

But he was smiling fondly at the memories of his days on the road as he added, “I had no idea how much that medallion meant to him.”

She couldn’t stop smiling as she watched him reflect on the past. When he realized this, he cleared his throat, still blushing.

“What about you, anyway?” he asked and she could all but sense him desperately seeking some kind of suggestion to change the subject, “You must have a friend like Seto. Chocobo, perhaps? Come on, you tell me something for a change.”

“Oh… ah… well, I guess I do,” she said, a little taken aback.

“What is it?” he asked and this time it was her turn to blush.

“It’s just that most don’t really ask me about my life,” she confessed, “But… I have two chocobo’s at home waiting for me to come back and…?”

And so she told him all about her two trouble-making birds waiting for her back in the Source. Of some of the adventures she went on, and even the kind of trouble those birds of hers had gotten themselves into.

“So this Lord Haurchefant gave the black one to you as a gift?” he asked her curiously and she nodded.

“He was a Knight of Ishgard,” she explained softly as she took a seat and helped herself to some water. She trailed off, and suddenly her smile became a frown as she stared at her reflection in the goblet of water in her hands. “He… was my…?”

How do you describe someone like him? Someone so open-minded and upbeat? Some who was pleasant and always ready to offer words of encouragement or a smile to those who need it most? Sincerity and loyalty in abundance…?

“My friend…” was all she could say.

Ardbert didn’t press her for details. But his eyes softened as he observed her and said quietly, “He sounds a lot like someone I used to know.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between them before he insisted that she start to eat and not to worry about offending him or anything.

“Not that I don’t miss it,” he sighed as she finally took one of the sandwiches from the basket, “But there’s not much I can do about it here. I’ve gotten used to it.”

She was truly sorry about that. She really did want some food in her stomach, she felt that would make her feel a little better, but she didn’t want him to have to watch her eat while she couldn’t offer him anything in return.

But as soon as she took a bite, she froze as the flavor filled her mouth.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, “You don’t like it?”

She chewed slowly and carefully swallowed before answering.

“N-No,” she said slowly, staring at it, “It just… it tastes so familiar. He really put a lot of time and care into these.”

“Is that a bad thing?” he asked with his eyebrows raised.

“No, not at all,” she said as that thought suddenly came back to her. “Just that… he reminds me a little of an old friend of mine.”

“Ah, that old feeling,” he sighed in understanding as she took another bite. “Believe me, I know what it’s like to think about old friends. I think about my old comrades all the time…”

“Tell me about them,” she said, turning back to look at him curiously. “You mentioned one of them earlier? Branden?”

“Huh?” he asked distracted from his thoughts, “Yeah, him. He was one of the first people I met on the road. Well, after Lamit, of course.”

And he told her more of the former knight and what he was like. How brave he was, how strong… a true knight who was as akin to a fluffy toy on the inside once you got to know him.

“Well, I’m sure you can understand the feeling,” he admitted as he described some of the places that they had seen while they were there, “Being in a place you feel like you’ve been before a hundred times, only to remember that it’s not the same place? Branden said that he felt like he was looking at Veoburt when we were in that kingdom in the snow when we were on the Source.”

“Ishgard,” she nodded, suddenly feeling a touch of homesickness once again for those snow-capped mountains. “Not as cold though, I’m sure.”

“Oh not at all,” he grinned, “But it did get cold in winter, the summers were beautiful. Perfect for a day outside with a glass of wine, as he used to say. Branden had a taste for fine wine. I swear, he would go through our coinpurse at every tavern we visited. If it wasn’t for Lamit keeping a close eye on it, I don’t know how we would have ever eaten. But he would drink until he passed out or got sick and would vomit all over…?”

“You’re making me lose my appetite,” she warned.

“Oh, poor you!” he retorted with a roll of his eyes, “But I take your point. Let’s see, then… what’s a good topic for mealtime…? Food, I suppose? I could tell you all about Voeburtite cuisine, if you like.” He then smirked at some sudden memory and added, “Oh, and there’s the time we were forced to collect rare ingredients for some godsforsaken feast. If it sounds ridiculous, it’s because it was.”

She blinked as she had a sudden image of Costa de Sol and she muttered, “Well, there is another familiar feeling.”

And he blinked, realizing what she was saying.

“…What? You too?” he asked, his own eyes widening, before he laughed, he actually laughed the first true laugh she had ever heard from him. “Parallel worlds, eh? So what sort of things did you have to fetch, then?”

And so she told him more of the not so humbly named Company of Heroes and how they had to convince them to help her very near the beginning of her journey. She had to earn the trust of each of the scattered members and gather ingredients for a feast before she was able to earn their blessing and gave her the secret to teleport directly into the primal’s sanctuary.

“I will say this,” she said as she helped herself to another sandwich, “That was one of the best meals I had ever had.”

“I swear, what is with people?” Ardbert asked wonderingly with a shake of his head and a smile still on his face. “Then again, mayhaps you should have expected something like that from a group of people who name themselves the Company of Heroes. They sure aren’t a modest lot and aren’t expected to be normal, I suppose?”

“Yes,” she confessed with a chuckle before another question entered her mind and she asked, “Speaking of names, why did you all pick the names you did when you came to the Source?"

She hadn’t meant to ask that out loud, but he definitely heard it and the question clearly took him by surprise as she turned to look to him.

She was able to apologize, not wishing to spoil the fun mood, but he wasn’t frowning at her, more like he was trying to come up with an answer.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "We didn't feel right going by our real names anymore. I suppose that if we were going to become villains, we might as well take on new names."

"You didn't change your name that much," she pointed out and he smirked at that. 

"What can I say? I'm not that creative," he shrugged. "Or maybe I felt like I was enough of a monster at the time. I guess my name could have passed very easily that there was no need to change it. I mean, we actually met a handful of adventurers while we were in the Source, not that we spent too much time getting to know people, you know, if you’re planning to destroy their world, you can’t have something like that in the back of your mind… but you should hear some of the names there."

He turned to her and added, "Though I am curious about your name. Not like any other name I’ve heard of. And that’s saying a lot.”

Ah, yes... she had gotten made fun over that in the past.

"It's nothing special," she said, but he noticed how she turned red at that and was looking on with new curiosity. Though the idea of names did bring back a dream… or perhaps a memory…?

"Is everything alright?" Ardbert asked her in concern, noticing her thoughtful expression.

“Hmm? Oh, I was remembering… a dream,” she said absent-mindedly.

“A dream?” he repeated, “You sure it wasn’t more than that? You look like you've seen a... ghost."

Claire cocked a smile at him before it faded slightly as the memory of the dream came back to her. 

"I have a question for you," she asked him.

"Ask away," he said slowly.

"Do you think the Echo can work on your own memories?" she asked him, "That you could suddenly have a vision of your own past?"

He raised his eyebrows at such a thought and asked, "No idea. I probably know about it as much as you do. Why? Did you see something?"

"I think," she answered, "After I was knocked out by the Fuath’s flood of water. I thought that I was having a dream. But I think I saw a vision from my own past."

She turned to look ahead at the wall.

"My mother was the one who named me," she answered, "I think... I saw her."

Ardbert didn't seem to know what to say as she sighed and got up. She approached the window and stared out at the clear blue sky with a few wisps of clouds starting to drift across from the light breeze.

“I was born in a place not unlike Il Mheg,” she said to him quietly as she sat upon the sill as she gazed out at the water, “Not a place full of pixies and spirits like that, though. I mean a cottage surrounded by a field of wildflowers.”

She knew he was looking at her as she slowly reached down to the pots of flowers growing on her balcony and picked one. She gazed at the little daisy before spinning the stem between her fingers and watched the petals spin before her eyes.

“Amalia…" she said, and when she felt his questioning look, she added, "That was my mother's name."

"You said was...?" he asked slowly and she sighed.

"I was told that I was parted with her soon after my birth," she explained simply. "She lived long enough to name me and hold me once before she died. At least, that was what I was told."

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's alright, there is no reason for you to feel sad for me," Claire confessed as she continued to gaze at the flower. Wondering why she was suddenly in such a mood to talk about this, having never felt the urge to do so before.

“You know, we heard stories of fairies while we were children,” she went on, “Little spirits who would appear and disappear… My father was like that, they said. Father was a traveler, and since he was young, he would come and go as he wished. He would head off into the wilds for weeks on end, only to show up without any warning with all manner of treats and prizes before he would disappear again. He did that often enough that the people used to joke that he was secretly a fairy. One of the Faye Folk… at least, that was how they were known to us as.”

She smiled as she remembered the stories that she had been told growing up of her parents.

“My mother used to call him Faye... as a joke… since he loved to sneak up on her and see if he could scare her before showing her all manner of items he brought with him from distant lands,” she went on, “Eventually, he grew so fond of her calling him that, that he decided to take the name as his own. Whenever I asked about them, they always said that I have my mother’s face but father’s mischievous green eyes… another reason they began to joke that he was secretly a fair in disguise. That had been the only true picture I have whenever I try to picture them.”

“What happened to them?” Ardbert asked slowly.

“Father died,” she explained simply, “I never met him since he died shortly before my birth. So I don't remember him at all... or of mother for that matter. I don’t know the full details, only that there had been some sort of an attack happening in the village shortly before my birth."

"An attack?" Ardbert asked and Claire shrugged.

"I was born in a tiny village… so tiny that you would struggle to call it that. More of an outpost I suppose. Some say that it was an attack, others say that it was an accident, and I think that I've even heard someone say that it was a bolt of lightning that caused it, I don't know," she told him. "Only that a fire happened in the village where I was born. Father, who was returning from another trip, saw the fire and ran in to help get people out. He managed to pull mother from the burning house, but when he went back to help other people...?"

Her voice trailed off there as she let the flowers fall from her hand and over the ledge and out of sight. She didn’t say what happened… she didn’t need to for Ardbert understood. There was silence for a long time after that.

"But your mother?" he asked and she nodded grimly.

"Mother was injured from the fire," she sighed. "They tried to help her... but her injuries was too bad."

Claire had been told that her mother died from her injuries... but she would sometimes hear the whispers that it wasn't because of the fire that she died from... but from the shock of losing her beloved and the loss of her home…?

The shock was too much for her mother to take, and that put her into labor far earlier than she was supposed to. And her own birth had been very... complicated. 

She had tried to block those thoughts out... tried not to think of it...

But then that dream she had mere moments before awakening in the lake... of that pretty woman who looked just like her with those loving eyes...?

Could that have been her?

If so, why would she have that dream now?

"Yet she was determined to live long enough to have me," she explained softly and they let that sink in. She stared out at the distant lake without really seeing it this time as the water sent gentle to the shores.

“She wished for me to have father’s name… the name that meant so much to them both and the stories they loved,” Claire finished sadly, “Faye. I used to be teased for that name because it means: Fairy.”

“And your first name?” he asked, his full attention on her now as he drew closer so that he was standing on the other side of the window frame as he gazed out at the lands before them with her

“It was a name from mother’s homeland,” she shrugged, “It means…”

She blushed and whispered the meaning to him as he stared on and then gave her a surprisingly tender look.

“I think your mother doomed you from the beginning to what kind of person you would become,” he reasoned and she was glad to see him smile again. “So, your name… means… Light Fairy?”

She nodded and he laughed... which was such a nice sound since few times she had heard him laugh for real. But she found herself smiling as well.

“I spent most of my time out in the fields playing with a toy sword growing up,” she admitted to him, “The children in the village didn’t really like playing with me because my silence bothered them. The adults never ignored me… they always had a kind word to say to me… but they didn’t have time to really pay attention to an orphaned girl. I would do small tasks for them in exchange for food or a place to sleep at night. But long have I dreamt of exploring the world as my father did. So, when I felt that I was finally ready, I left home. Not that I had much with me but the clothes on my back, some weathered jewelry, and a battered weapon at my side. A few days later, I was arriving in Eorzea.”

He folded his arms as he observed her and asked, “So you don’t have any other family?”

She shook her head. “I was taken care of by the people in the village,” she confirmed, “But I never had a place that I could really say I was surrounded by a family.”

“Is that why you wanted to become an adventurer?” he asked in that same tender voice. “To find one?”

She gave that question some thought, having never really thought about it before. Finally, she could only confess, “I don’t really know. I don’t know what it was that I wanted. I just…?”

She fell silent but he didn’t press her as they watched the sun sink lower through the sky. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed. But it had to be the late afternoon at this point. Night would soon be upon them. She had thought of heading out to speak with the others about their plans for the upcoming days. But she realized that they may be just as tired as she felt and needed some time to themselves. Besides, if they really needed her, surely they would have sent someone along by now.

"What about you?” she asked Ardber suddenly, “Do you know what became of your family?"

Ardbert blinked, as if he never thought of it.

"Well, not much to say," he confessed, "I was born to a simple family of fishermen. My parents wanted me to grow up to a modest lifestyle, but I wanted to see the world. After a lot of talks, they said that I could leave when came of age. So... I left home with a worn old axe on my back."

"Do you miss them?" she asked him and he shifted a little awkwardly at that. 

"I suppose," he said slowly. "I never saw or heard from them again after I left. I wish I thought to write home a little more often than I did."

There was silence before he asked, "But what about that dream of yours? What did you think when you saw your mother?"

"She was... really pretty," she said softly as she remembered the joy in her face. "She was so happy when she saw that I was ok... but she was sad too... I think she knew that she wasn't going to make it."

"Do you miss her?" he asked this time.

"I miss I never got to know her," she said softly, “But… otherwise, it’s hard to know how to feel about someone you don’t remember anything about.”

Another stretch of silence passed between them but it wasn’t a bad feeling this time. After all, they were two of a kind… a pair who had to make due in a tough world where they had been forced to wear masks to hide how they really were… or who they really were. Just a pair of orphans looking for something in this world that they weren’t entirely sure they knew what or when they would find it.

“I don’t know how I feel about all this,” she said thoughtfully as she gave the matter some thought. “There are plenty of days that I wonder if it would have been better that I never got off that boat in Limsa. What if I chose to start my journey elsewhere? Like in Gridania or Ul’dah? Though I have a nasty feeling that it wouldn’t have mattered where I ended up for it would have surely led me down this same path to this moment.”

He was gazing at her as she turned her head from the lake to look at him long and hard.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “Am I talking too much?”

“No, I don’t mind it,” he said, “I like hearing you talk more often than you do. I was never much of a talker either, but you would be surprised how much you long to talk to another when no one else can see or hear you.”

Once more, she wished she could reach out a comforting hand to him. But what would be the point now? Instead, she thought of her next words very carefully.

“I don’t know how this well end,” she said honestly, “But I can’t just wait around and do nothing. This world is sick… but it’s not past the point of no salvation. The people here are worth saving. And I think that deep down… you believe that to.”

“I… I hope you are right,” was all he could say. And they passed rest of the day speaking to each other of past experiences and adventures that they had, not really drawing upon the idea of family or comrades too much, but it was something that they both could enjoy.

She found a strange kind of comfort when she spoke to Ardbert, both speaking to him and listening. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a friend that she felt she could be so open with. They stood at that window and talked even as the sky grew dark and the stars began to come out and Claire yawned.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Ardbert suggested when he saw her struggling to hold her eyes open.

She didn’t want to, but the sandwiches had made her full and sleepy and she could feel the beginning of another headache starting to come on. She just nodded as she got back up from the windowsill before asking another question she had been wondering about.

“Do you… I mean, do you ever…?” she asked suddenly and he gave her half a smile as he confessed, “There’s no need for me to sleep. I don’t have a physical state to take care of anymore. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out and I’ll make sure to wake you up should something happen.”

She smiled back as she removed her gauntlets and set them down on her bedside table next to where she had set her sword and greaves before she climbed into bed… asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

***Ardbert***

Ardbert watched her sleep, her gentle breaths filling the room as he tried to wrap his thoughts around these confusing thoughts. For so long now he had believed that he was being punished for his part in the Flood and that he was doomed to wander until he faded away. That is what nearly happened to him after all. Before she arrived, he was all but spent… had just about given up all hope of finding a reason to his continued existence if you could even call it that.

But after discovering that she could see and hear him, to learn that he finally had a voice again, even if it was just to one person…? He could not deny the joy that filled him.

But that still left the question of why?

Why could only she hear him? Was he here to haunt her for their defeat at her and the others hands? If that was the case, what was the point? He couldn’t follow her back to the Source, so she could easily leave him here if she wished to get away from him that badly. And he understood that she and her friends fought them that day to protect their home. He didn’t begrudge them for that.

He couldn’t allow himself to get too close to her though. This wasn’t her world… not where she truly belonged. It would only be a matter of time before she would be forced to return to the Source… whether she was able to find a way to save this world or not. While he doubted that she would leave her friends trapped here on their own, he didn’t want to get his hopes up again of finding a reason for all these years of endless wandering only to have that hope taken away again. Should that happen… he knew that he would simply lose himself.

But he couldn’t deny just how good it felt to talk to someone again… to be listened to. He wished that he spoke his thoughts more often when he was alive… mayhaps that would have changed the outcome of what happened? Though he doubted that somehow.

He slowly left the window and came over to the bed and gazed down at her dreaming expression, so deeply asleep that he doubted that even if he yelled she would respond to it.

The more that he talked to her, the more he seemed to find himself… grounded. The more that she listened and he spoke, the easier it felt for him to hold onto some semblance of himself. Her kindness, her understanding… her determination to save this world and make it a better place… he was grateful for it even when he still struggled to find hope for this world.

But there had to be a reason.

He could feel it like a whisper in the back of his mind telling him that even though his story had long since ended, he had a part to play in hers. But what could he do? What was it that he was supposed to do?

He felt his entire spirit ache at the thought of how she was tasked with such an impossible feat. He wished that there was something that he could do or say to help her. This was his world after all, not hers. She had no right to be here… this was his mess to clean up, and she should have stayed home to that quiet corner of Eorzea that was truly hers.

But he was selfish to admit that he didn’t want to see her leave. The two of them truly did understand the other and when they spoke, there was no fear of being misunderstood or judged. He knew better than anyone else out there what it was like to have the weight of so many other expectations bearing down on you. He knew that she smiled to hide the pain that she was in.

Why…? Why were they chosen to bear this burden? What was their purpose? To suffer and die only for some other poor fool to carry on in their stead?

His head jerked up at the unexpected knock at the door, feeling tension rise. He hoped that whoever was there would just go away and after a couple minutes of silence he thought they had. But then the door creaked open just a hair.

His first thought was of the Ascian Emet-Selch returning… and he was about to cry out to her to wake up… but instead it was a crystalize arm that appeared on the door. His fear faded slightly when he saw the hooded figure of the Exarch carefully holding onto the door to make sure that it didn’t squeak as he peered inside.

He wasn’t sure what to make of the Exarch or how he was able to do what he had done… but he couldn’t help but feel like he had his own agenda involving the Scions. Claire seemed to know that he was keeping something from her, yet she couldn’t put her finger on what it was that he was trying to do other than bring down the Lightwardens.

Ardbert’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as the man saw Claire fast asleep and a gentle smile appeared on his face… the only part of it that he could see anyway. He slipped inside the room and went around to the lanterns and quietly blew them out so that the room was left in darkness. The Crystal Exarch then approached the bed before gently pulling the blankets at the foot of the bed and tucked her in so that she was more comfortable.

“The others were concerned,” he heard the Exarch whisper quietly, “I’ll let them know that you’re sleeping and will join us in the morning.”

So he had just come to check on her?

Judging from the tender way he handled the blankets he could believe that. But as he left, he caught just a tiny glimpse of something red shining from under the hood but couldn’t be sure what it was. Only that the smile was truly gentle and warm… like a parent checking on their child after a nightmare.

***Thancred***

It was too early for this. The sun had only been up for a short time when Thancred was having a drink as he stood upon the walkways that overlooked the markets of the Crystarium.

Of course, thanks to previous ‘adventures’ that drinking had brought to him in his youth, he resolved to drink water, no matter how tempting it was to drink his sorrows away. Minfilia was still fast asleep in the room that they shared together, curled up on the bed and dreaming peacefully after an exhausting last few days.

He had awoken hours ago… or rather… he had been unable to get to sleep since early this morning.

What were they planning? There was no way that an Ascian could ever be willing to offer their assistances unless it was something that benefited them. He gritted his teeth, his hand gripping the bottle so hard that he could have sworn that a hairline crack appeared in it and he was tempted to throw it hard enough to break.

He didn’t really care though for he did his best to not have to think back to those hellish weeks where he was nothing more than a marionette to Lahabrea.

He didn’t notice it at all at first. He would lose an hour or two in the day, but then just chalk it up to working too hard, or mayhaps not hard enough. He had thought that he was making himself useful to the others, but all he did was make himself more vulnerable to an Ascian’s control.

By the time he realized what was going on, it was too late; his body would not obey him any longer. His thoughts weren’t his own anymore. He was trapped in his own mind while another walked around using his body.

No one noticed the subtle changes in him. Lahabrea had access to his memories and knew what to say or to do to convince everyone around him he was who he pretended to be. Thancred fought hard to try and free himself, but once the Ascian realized that he was putting up a fight, he would cause him to black out so that he was lost and alone in the dark. The Ascian did not wish to risk him learning anything about them or their plans and there would be long periods where he would simply have dark dreams only to awaken to a nightmare.

He would occasionally awaken as if coming out from deep slumber and witness what was going on.

He remembered how the Ascian avoided Minfilia and Claire, whom they called the Bringer of Light, for just being near them was somehow painful for them. He would only glimpse flashes of what was going on. But he remembered the unfathomable grief of watching his fellow Scions slathered at the Waking Sands. As well as the relief of watching Minfilia and the others taken away instead of being killed on the spot. He wanted to scream out when he realized that the Ascian was allowing him to witness this.

He just prayed for death before falling back into darkness.

When he next regained consciousness, the snow was falling. He then caused the sleeping dragon to awaken and it rounded on another figure. But at that point, he could only remember seeing the blinding light that only the Ascian could see. He watched as the figure brought the dragon low… and how he tried to scream for his friend to kill him.

He remembered how he looked up, relief flooding his very soul at the realization that his friends were escaping from the Castrum. Cid, gods he was alive, and he was at the helm of the Enterprise as it soared off through the sky and away from danger.

At that moment, he truly didn’t care if he died for he knew that the others were safe.

But then he felt his hands moving… and Lahabrea forced them to pull back the hood so that they could see his face. He heard Minfilia screaming his name even as the Ultimate Weapon fired upon them. They missed the attack, but just barely.

No matter how this ended, he would take it. For they were alive.

All he could think of though was one thing… _‘I’m sorry’._

After that, he could only watch as the Alliance banded together to try and fight off the Garleans march. He could recall the excitement Lahabrea felt as he watched them fight… believing that all was going as planned… though, he could not know just what that meant at the time.

But he could remember the outrage that Lahabrea felt whenever he saw Claire. How that whenever she showed up, their careful plans were thrown into disarray. He was determined to put an end to her once and for all.

And so he turned to using the true power of the weapon to break through the Bringer of Light’s shield. Thancred all but roared out in desperation when he saw the weapon of Allag fall and the Black Wolf defeated, for despite the victory he was still trapped inside and helpless, and knew that this was do or die right now… either he was going to die or be free from Lahabrea… either way, it was fine by him.

They battled, and he could only watch in horror as he was forced to fight her. Darkness pounding through his body like blood as he launched magical attacks at her. He remembered how tired she was when she emerged victories from fighting her way down here, and knew that it was only a matter of time before she would collapse.

But she was slowly but surely gaining the upper hand.

This, Lahabrea realized as well, for he growled at her in warning, “Yet know that if I should perish, so too will the mortal within whose flesh I reside.”

If that was all that had to be paid to put an end to this, then please… do it! He wanted to scream at her that it was alright, that he didn’t blame her at all for what had to be done. The Ascian had to be stopped and if that meant finishing him off with him, then he would embrace it without a second thought.

He didn’t remember too much after that… only the blinding light and how it tore through his body as the shadows inside him scattered to the four winds.

He fell down… down… down…?

And later awoke. Alive and in complete control of his body once again. With Minfilia watching over him inside a tent set up outside of Mor Dhona, her smile so radiant that he found himself smiling along with her.

“I’m sorry…” he had said, but she just smiled and shook her head, promising that it was over. He was alright.

No… he wasn’t. He was far from alright.

“For what?”

He jumped when he heard the light voice and felt the hand on his shoulder. He spun around, thinking that it was the Ascian… but stopped when he realized that it was Claire.

“What are you doing up here?” he asked quickly as she stepped back, pulling her hand back from him as if she had been burned.

“Sorry,” she said, “I was just getting some air and wanted to explore up here.”

He was breathing hard as he slowly turned away and shook his head.

“I’m sorry if I bothered you,” she said, and she looked ready to leave

“No, I’m sorry,” he reassured her quickly, “It’s just that ever since running into that Ascian yesterday… I’ve been jumping at shadows. Please forgive me.”

“I was hoping to talk to you about that,” she said, “What do you think about what he said?”

“What? Trust an Ascian? Come, come my friend, I thought you smarter than that,” he said with a brush of his hand. “I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him. They can’t be trusted.”

“Then why do you think he approached us?” she asked him.

“I guess he’s bolder than the rest of his cult,” he growled bitterly before realizing how harsh he sounded and sighed again. “Because if that’s all you have to say then just get it through your head that we have enough to deal with than with some scumbag.”

And in his anger, unable to stop himself, he threw the bottle over the edge—temporarily forgetting that they were standing high above the markets.

“Thancred!” she scolded as he just watched the bottle fall through the air, realizing too late that it could easily hit someone. But it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. It frightened a few people nearby, but no one was close enough to get hit by glass and they were looking all over to see where it had come from.

He moved back so that he wouldn’t be seen, but he had to take a few steadying breaths to calm himself.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, “I know you didn’t come here to pick a fight. Just forget it.”

“What is it?” she asked him in concern.

“Just… thinking about the Ascians make me angry,” he said shortly.

“I’m sure it does,” she said, “But I don’t think that this is just about them. I think that it may have something to do with a little closer to home?”

“Like what?” he asked, “The fact that we’re stuck here as far as possible from home and we don’t know if we’ll be able to save it from here?”

“Part of it,” she said, “Or is this about Minfilia?”

“Which one?”

“Both of them,” she said firmly.

He did not answer, but she wasn’t one to give up that easily.

“Thancred,” she said softly and he looked back to find that she was looking at him. “I know about what Minfilia asked you. Our Minfilia, I mean.”

He blinked in confusion before she confessed what she had seen thanks to the Echo to the conversation that they had that day in she spoke to him through the younger Minfilia’s mouth.

He stared at her, speechless for a moment, before turning his head away from her and looking down.

“I see,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered but he shook his head again.

“Full well do I know that you have no control over it,” he reassured her, “Don’t apologize. But I would appreciate it if you kept quiet about that for the time being. I rather not let our Mini Minfilia know about it.”

Claire was silent for another moment, and he could tell that there was something plaguing her mind.

“Do you… do you really hate her?” she asked him, “The girl, I mean.”

“Of course not,” he said gruffly, “What makes you think that?”

“She seems to think that you do,” Claire pointed out and she told him what the girl told her while they were in Il Mheg. “She thinks that you hate her because she’s not your Minfilia. And I’m starting to fear she is right, but I know that it’s not like you.”

“How do you know me?” he asked dully.

“You are not yourself,” she reminded him softly. “The Thancred I first met was the type of man who could laugh in the face of any disaster for the sake of those he cared about.” She looked at him sadly and confessed, “Where did that man go, I wonder?”

“Good question,” he said quietly. “I haven’t been that man in a long time. Not since that night in Ul’dah.”

She didn’t sound mad with him. But he would have preferred that over the disappointment that he saw when he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“I feel… so useless,” he said and he pounded the railing with a gloved fist bitterly. “First I couldn’t do anything to save Master Louisoix! And then later on, I get possessed by an Ascian and almost ended up giving the keys to conquering Eorzea to the Garleans! And then after that, as I try to make up for it, I end up trapped in the lifestream only to come out of it not able to use any magic! And now, here I am, trapped in this world and not able to help save someone I care about!”

It was a good thing that he no longer had anything in his hands to throw because he would have surely smashed something apart there.

“What have I done so far?” he demanded furiously, all but willing to scream out to the gods to answer him. “What have I done that’s of any help to you all but get in the way and hold you back?”

“That’s not true. And you know it’s not,” she told him firmly.

“Yeah? And what good have I done?” he rounded on her, still not able to look her in the face, “Not even Minfilia, our Minfilia, would trust me enough to tell me what she wanted.”

“She wouldn’t want you to feel this way,” Claire pointed out to him, “She always cared about you and would hate to think that you were blaming yourself.”

“How would you know?” he snarled at her, “You knew her for less than a year when I knew her for almost fifteen summers! Don’t you think that you knew her mind.”

“But I’m starting to think I knew her better if you think that she wouldn’t feel that way,” she retorted and at those cold words, it was as if she struck him. He felt his anger fade as he sighed and slumped over the railing.

“I can’t say for sure how she felt, but I know that none of us blame you for what happened,” she confessed softly, “We don’t see you as a burden or weak. I want you to know that.”

It meant a lot to hear her say that. In fact, this was probably the most he had ever heard her speak to him, and for some reason, that thought made him ashamed.

“Even when I foolishly let you down when you faced against Ifrit?” he asked. He never spoke of that day… but the truth was he could not help but feel responsible for having the world of expectation placed on her shoulders. After all, if he had been there for her when she first joined the Scions then she may not have had to face Ifrit on her own. Which wouldn’t have led to her becoming their ‘to-go-to’ primal slayer… which wouldn’t have led her down the path to become the Warrior of Light. Then again, if that didn’t happen, Eorzea would probably be under Garlean rule and he would most likely be dead or still Lahabrea’s plaything.

He heard her heave a heavy sigh, but she didn’t speak up. Not that he gave her a chance too because he pushed himself up from the railing and turned around, feeling like he was looking at her against his will. But there was something he needed to say.

“I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will do whatever it takes to protect everyone,” he said as he turned to look at her full in the face. “I am devoted to this cause and will do anything to see our mission through. I will protect everyone for as long as I can, and I want you to know that I hold you in nothing short of the highest esteem. I always have.”

Her eyes softened.

“But you have to understand,” he said, “I don’t know… what to do with her. The girl, I mean. I am not a parent and know next to nothing about children. And, I confess that it’s hard to look at her sometimes. But it was Minfilia’s wish that I protect her and so I have to do it however well I can.”

He lowered his head.

“She… was a dear friend. But as close to me like a sister,” he confessed softly. “When I learned of what became of her, I can’t help but be upset about it. She had long since outgrew me needing to protect her, but I can’t help how I feel. I just… don’t want to face it yet.”

He turned away again as he gazed out at the land that stretched out below him.

“I still remember that day,” he said thoughtfully as she stood next to him and he was given time to think it over. He remembered that day in Ul’dah so clearly… where he was still nearly out of his reckless teen years and he witnessed a tragedy for a little girl that, if he just acted faster, he may have prevented.

He knew that Minfilia didn’t blame him for what happened, that she knew he was not part of the group who were responsible for the goobbue escaping that day, but he couldn’t help but feel that way sometimes.

He was there and fought with the goobbue after all, and so if he just acted quicker, wasn’t trying to show off or mouth off, he could have finished the damn thing sooner and that would have meant that she never go through the pain of losing her father.

Regardless, he could not help but feel that if not responsible for the goobbue escaping, then responsible that he wasn’t the one who could finish it off before it was too late.

Claire leaned up against him, her shoulder bumping against his in an oddly comforting way as she waited for him to continue on.

He sighed, letting out a breath that blew his bangs about his face for a moment before he felt strong enough to continue speaking.

“There was a parade in Ul’dah that day, and everyone was out and celebrating,” he explained to her softly. “I can still remember the fireworks, the music being played, and F’lhaminn passing out flowers to everyone who walked by. And I was doing what I always did in those days and that was drop in and listen to rumors and gather information. I didn’t even think twice about a child who was recently come to Ul’dah with her father.”

And that was when they all became connected with each other.

“F’lhaminn, who in those days, was still known as the Songstress of Ul’dah, along with a man who was her husband named Niellefresne, set a beast loose at a parade,” he sighed and he felt Claire’s eyes upon him.

“Why?” she asked quietly.

“They hoped in gaining political power by putting the beast down and being heroes,” he said with a slight glanced up at her and added, “Lest you wonder, I doubt that they ever meant for anyone to get hurt. I suppose they thought the worst that would be lost would be coin in repairs. But one man was made to pay with his life.”

“Minfilia’s father,” she guessed and he nodded back, confirming that detail for her.

“From what I learned, the goobbue almost trampled her, but he ran in to save her… but was injured in the process,” he explained grimly. “He slipped into a coma… one which, as far as I know, he never woke up from. At least that was what Corguevais said.”

“Who?” she asked in confusion.

“Oh, he was the man who was in charge of the goobbue,” he shrugged, “He wasn’t in on the plan and so everyone blamed him for the goobbue escaping. But Minfilia went to confront him… not that it helped. Warburton died soon after that. Once she learned of Warburton’s death, F’lhaminn tried to make things right by taking Minfilia, or rather Ascilia, in and raising her. But that was when Corguevais informed her that her new adopted mother was part of the group that released the goobbue to begin with.”

“So what happened?” Claire asked him quietly.

“Long story short? In the end, Niellefresne tried to ally himself with a necromancer to bring her father back from the dead. But the plan failed after Niellefresne was killed by a mysterious someone, and Minfilia had nowhere else to go,” he answered. “She eventually went back to F’lhaminn, who did her best to raise her on her own after her beloved’s death.”

Claire was silent for a time as they stood there, listening to the light babble of the early morning shoppers that were just waking up below them.

He thought that his role in the child’s story had come to an end. After all, he was still young himself, hardly out of his teenage years and still struggling to look after himself. He couldn’t look after a child. But he had made a habit of stopping by to check in on Ascilia. If was a good thing too, for because of her father, on several occasions he found undercover Garleans on the hunt for both Warburton and his daughter.

He could still remember when she took up her new name.

_“Minfilia...” she had said with a smile. “Yes, I rather like the sound of it.”_

He could still remember that little girl and the woman she became. How he had been prepared that night in Ul’dah to stay behind and give his life for her. If this was what he had to do to make up for Warburton, for everything, so be it; as long as she was safe.

Claire hesitated, as if she wanted to say something about that, but she nodded.

“What is it that you want to do?” she asked him.

He didn’t need to ask what she meant by that, but knew not how to answer at first.

“I really don’t know,” he confessed at long last.

She looked away, not really sure why she expected a different answer.

“It’s just that… I think I know what Minfilia would have wanted,” he went on after a while and she looked back at him, who was still glaring over the railing to the distance. “She would want the girl to make her own decision. But if she does that then…?”

“Have you talked to the girl about it?” she asked him quietly. “I think that she would like to talk to you a little more?”

“Not today,” he said as he finally pulled back and looked her full in the face for the first time. “There is still time. I don’t know how this is going to end, but no matter what, I will protect her until that point. And whatever she chooses to do, I will support it. But the decision… will have to be hers. I won’t try to influence it by telling her what I think. This, she will decide for herself.”

“Thancred…” she said sadly as the man turned and left all her alone.

***Exarch***

He had been unable to tear his eyes away from the mirror for the last few days. He could not bring himself to stop as he witnessed the battle against Titania and how she was freed from her torment. He could remember when she had been a just ruler who once fought for the sake of her subjects… only to pay a heavy price in the end. It was a painful thing to witness, but he took solace in the fact in that it was finally over for the suffering monarch. She was freed from her torment and her last wish of her subjects and all those who called Il Mheg home were safe from the Light.

He had watched the battle with baited breath, actually pulling his hood down so that he could get a clear view of the battle without that cloth in the way. He was alone in the security of the Ocular, and so he didn’t need to fear being spotted. He just couldn’t help it… he felt like a child watching a play on stage and only wished he could have seen it up close.

Almost as worrying for him was seeing the talk that Claire and Urianger had shortly after. He could see the concern in Urianger’s face as he looked at her… as if he wanted to say something.

Now he knew that he could trust the man, knew that he wasn’t the type who would risk everything by giving into sentimentality… unlike himself.

But already he could see the effects of the light taken hold of her. She was exhausted when she emerged from the castle. Though she still had enough strength in her to ride out and see the others, he could see how weary her eyes looked… see the slight traces of the Light’s corruption taking root.

He shook his head hard, pulling his cowl back up to cover his face.

He had told himself that he had to stay strong and prepare for anything that may come. As he thought, she was able to hold back the light of two Lightwardens with very little trouble. But there were still three others who were waiting for them. And he knew that their best option would be to head off to Rak’Tika next and meet up with Y’shtola. He would have liked for them to have gone to Amh Araeng next before there, but he was certain that the others become suspicious if they went off to the desert lands before reuniting with their final friend.

He was only afraid that Y’shtola would see through their plans and discover what was going on. He didn’t want to risk her informing them of what was happening to Claire until the time was right. He would just have to trust in Urianger to play his part.

He knew that she had to be cared for while under his watch, but he must keep her at arm’s length for her own good as well. After all, he had been aware from the beginning that this wasn’t going to be easy… but seeing her fight and struggle was harder than he thought it would be. Still, he couldn’t falter now. He couldn’t see her as the friend he once knew… he knew that he couldn’t expect her to trust him completely when he kept his true purpose, let alone his name and even his face, hidden from her.

Even should she come to hate him at the end and see him as a villain, so long as his plans carried out and they could avoid the coming of the Eight Umbral Calamity, then he would take whatever came. He knew all of this and had long since accepted that he may have to play the role of villain before the end… so why did his heart ache so? Why did he have to fight the urge to pull down his cowl and explain everything to her?

He shook his head hard, dispelling such thoughts and instead focused on his duties here in the Crystarium. He had kept the mirror’s powers silent since the night of Titania’s defeat and helped to work with the good people he was surrounded by to build up their defenses. Though they have yet to suffer any kind of retribution from Eulmore, he did not expect that to last for too much longer.

In fact, just the morning after the night sky had been returned to Il Mheg did he receive an invitation of sorts from Lord Vauthry, requesting to speak with him.

If he had been a younger man, he may have been fooled by the sudden request into hoping that this was a chance to reach out and gain Eulmore’s cooperation. But he knew better than to think that Eulmore would suddenly change their mind about fighting against the sin eaters after so long of wallowing in their pleasures.

Still, he knew that this was not something he could ignore and he promised to send a message back as soon as he finished preparing for the journey to Eulmore. It was difficult for him to leave the light of the Crystal Tower for too long, and if he wasn’t careful, he could find himself helpless and weak before a potentially dangerous foe.

He would prepare for the journey and a few tricks up his sleeve before he left the Crystarium. As well as see to it that the Scions and their champion were safely on their way to the next location while he was away.

So it was here that he left the tower and began to make his usual rounds through the city, just making sure the people would be well protected and looked after before he left. He had just passed through the markets where he was told that someone had thrown a bottle from the upper floors. Thankfully it didn’t hit anyone and Bragi already made sure that the glass was cleaned up, but he requested that if some naughty children were behind it, they must be scolded for it.

The Exarch decided to head up to see if he could find some clue to who it was when he was almost bowled over by Thancred, who seemed completely lost in thought that he barely paid him any attention. When he reached the top floor, he felt himself freeze when he saw her there, gazing out from over the railing and off in the distance of the tower, as if lost in thought.

Deciding to see how she fared for himself, he stepped forward.

“Good morning,” he called warmly, getting her attention.

“Oh, Exarch,” she said as she stood up taller and he joined her, “Good morning.”

“I am relieved to see you so well,” he told her, “I was concerned when you remained in your room nearly all day yesterday. The others said that you were just tired. Are you feeling well?”

He had decided to check in on her last night when the others realized that she had yet to return from her rooms and he volunteered to check on her. He had been so glad to find her fast asleep and made sure she was comfortable to before reassuring the other Scions that she was well.

She nodded with a smile.

“I’m sorry if I worried you,” she told him quietly, “I was just… tired. Rest assure I am feeling much better today.”

“Tis a relief,” he said to her, “Should you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

She smiled softly at him before she seemed to worry that there was another reason why he was here and asked, “I’m sorry, were you wishing to speak with me?”

“Ah, no,” he reassured and quickly explained about the bottle and he came to investigate. That was when her eyes widened and she then told him that it had been Thancred who had been reliving some of his memories of his past experience with Ascians.

“I see,” he said, “While I do not blame him for his frustration, I hope that he doesn’t make a habit of throwing bottles like that. Bragi was convinced some misbehaving children were responsible for it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” she said apologetically, “I’m sure that it won’t happen again.”

She tilted her head as he chuckled and reassured her that the others were taking their time in preparing for the next part of their mission. While he understood the rush, they had to be prepared. He would have hated to see them go off ill-prepared for what lay ahead of them. When he mentioned that it seemed that their best option would be to meet up with Y’shtola, he saw her eyes light up at the thought.

He was glad she was so happy to hear that. He was only saddened at the thought that with his attention focused on Lord Vauthry he won’t be able to witness her defeat of the Lightwarden that resides in the Greatwood.

But what she said next took him completely by surprise.

“By the way, thank you for the sandwiches,” she told him and he actually took a step back at the sweet expression she gave him. Before now, there had always been a slightly guarded tension with her whenever she interacted with him. While she had been friendly and polite enough, he could not blame her for the slight edge of distrust. Here though, she seemed perfectly at ease with him around.

“Oh, I… you’re welcome,” he said, glad for the cowl covering his head and hiding most of the blush that was drifting across his cheeks. “I had hoped that you would enjoy them. A… good friend of mine taught me how to make a proper sandwich a long time ago. To this day, I cannot say that I’ve ever had one that tasted as good as that one. I wish I had asked for the recipe.”

She chuckled at that and he felt a warmth spread from his stomach to the tips of his fingers and toes at the sound.

“Well, I wanted to repay you for that,” she said, as she reached into the bag at her side and pulled out a small sack from within. He was startled at that, and took the sack curiously, peering inside to find…?

“Flower bulbs?” he asked in surprise.

“I remember how you said that you loved the flowers of Il Mheg,” she told him kindly, “And now I know why. I asked to take some from the pixies while I was there. I thought that the people of the Crystarium would enjoy them.”

“You truly are too kind, my friend,” he said warmly as he took the bulbs as if they were made of glass. Gods… like the vast clear sky that she had brought to him, his adoration were welling up within him each time he beheld her both in front of him and in his mirror. But inside, he could feel guilt gnawing at him. How could he stand there with her looking at him so sweetly when he was planning so much suffering in her near future?

But he looked over the bulbs before whispering, “Thank you. I am sure… I am sure the people will love them.”

He tucked them carefully into his robes, planning to deliver them to the botanists as soon as he could. He was sure they would love them and get to work on filling the entire Crystarium with flowers blessed by the Fae.

He nodded back, glad to hear it, but he feared that her sudden exhaustion wasn’t just the result of a long and difficult battle. Urianger had mentioned that he feared she was suffering from headaches recently and he was concerned that there was an underlying problem that could end up causing trouble for them later.

The Exarch had resolved to watch over her long before she got here, but with his meeting in Eulmore coming, he would have to rely upon Urianger to keep an attentive eye upon her.

“Do you think I did the right thing?” she asked suddenly, “Could there not have been another way to help Titania?”

He gazed at her grimly, wondering how best to put what he thought into words. He knew that she felt guilt over what became of Titania, but she need not feel in such a way.

“Don’t look at it as being cruel,” he said, and she turned her gaze back to him as he forced a smile. “You should not feel so sorrowful for what had to be done. That is… what I want to say to you. But I also know that fate is not always so kind. Believe me when I say that I know how unfair life can be.”

He knew that feeling all too well. He had been born… different as well. His tribe shunned him for being born so different from them and there was a time that he hated that he had been born with such a feature. How he wished that he could have rid himself of it growing up so that his own people, his own family, would accept him.

But he now saw them as a gift. A gift that allowed him to be here. And he wasn’t going to let the time he had left here be wasted.

“The point I am trying to say is… you don’t need to hide how you feel about it,” he told her gently. “I know that it was for Titania’s sake… but I don’t want you feeling that it’s wrong to feel this way. No, you should feel sad about it. It’s alright to feel that way. And I admire you all the more because you can feel such for others.”

She blinked and he was pleasantly surprised to see the blush on her cheeks at his words.

“Life is tough,” he confessed honestly, “But that’s ok. We all should be allowed to feel as we do. But I hope that you won’t let yourself dwell overmuch on such thoughts. For I don’t think that we need to feel that we did her an unkindness. She is free and her subjects are enjoying a new peace with a new Monarch. And I am very much relieved to see you well and alive with us. That alone is cause to celebrate.”

“I think you overpraise me,” she told him.

“I speak only what I see,” he reassured her, “It’s a gift that comes with old age. One that I hope you will come to enjoy one day.”

She let out a sigh, but it was like some of the tension she was feeling was let go. He hoped so, he hated thinking of allowing her to dwell overmuch on such grim thoughts. So instead, he told her more about the Crystarium. He pointed out a few places where they stood and explained how it used to look before the city was built. She seemed to enjoy listening to him as he began to go into more details about the last few years and all the changes that had happened since then.

He stood there with her for a long time as they talked about everything that came to mind. For a while he felt like he was a young man again, speaking with a good friend who was an amazing listener.

“I also had time to look over that book you gave me,” she informed him, “The maps have been most helpful getting around, but I think that it will take some time to finish going over all the changes that have been made in it since then.”

“Please, take your time,” he said eagerly, glad to see the slight shine return to her face, “I only hope that I will get a chance to look over it someday to see the changes made to it.”

“Did the others tell you what happened yesterday?” she asked suddenly, “About… Emet-Selch, I mean?”

He frowned at that before nodding.

“They mentioned it to me,” he confessed, remembering how disturbed he was to think that the Ascians were aware of their plans.

“Do you think we should hear what he has to say?” she asked.

He frowned as he gave it some time to think. In truth, this was not the first time that he had spoken with Emet-Selch. He had coming and going for some time lately… since just before she arrived in this world.

But he would be the one to worry over that. She and the others had enough on their plate without adding an Ascian on top of all of that.

“I do not know just yet,” he said carefully, “But I do know that Ascians aren’t known for telling the truth. They are masters of manipulation, and so we must be careful in dealing with them.”

She was silent for a moment before she nodded, though still looking a bit anxious.

“It’ll be alright,” he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew that some found his… condition to be somewhat disturbing, but she didn’t seem to mind as he withdrew it, suddenly feeling shy.

“I don’t know what it is that they are planning yet, but we can’t let that distract us from the hunt of the Lightwardens,” he told her firmly. “Two of them have already been defeated… which leaves only the ones in the Greatwood, Amh Araeng, and Kholusia. So we are making progress, my friend.”

He then glanced upwards to see the bright sky and added, “That sky there is all the proof we need to know that we are on the right path.”

She glanced up, a hint of a smile back on her face for a moment before asking, “It feels like it’s getting harder and harder. You really think that I’ll be able to defeat the remaining three?”

“Of that, there is no doubt in my mind,” he told her firmly, “And for what you have gone through and will go through, I want you to know that you have my eternal gratitude. Though this land here is not my homeland, I feel more at home here than I ever did before.”

He turned to gaze fondly at the people below him and could not stop the grin that came to his face. He remembered when this land was nothing more than a couple shabby tents set up in the shade of the tower as the people slowly began to come together to build that first wall.

Long had he searched for where he truly belonged… a place to call home… and he knew he found it here with these wonderful people. He would give anything to see them spared anymore suffering. And with night slowly being returned to this land, he could see the hope and joy returned to their faces as they began to look ahead with eagerness at what the future held rather than dread. He would do just about anything to ensure that hope never left them again.

“Exarch?” Claire asked as he turned back to look at her.

“Forgive me,” he said, “I was caught up in my memories. This land is precious to me and I will continue to lead my people as best I can to a brighter future that is waiting for them. A future that you’ve already began to show for them. And for that, I am grateful.”

She hesitated for a moment, and for a moment he feared that she had suddenly seen through his disguise. But instead, she just smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”

They parted ways soon after that talk with him making the excuse that he had to speak with Lyna on the state of the guard. But in truth, he just said it so that he could leave without feeling the guilt continuing to eat his insides.

He waved her off, watching her until she climbed down the stairs and was out of his sights. He waited only a few more minutes as he watched her walk across the markets as she began to explore the Crystarium again.

He knew that he was being cruel here. He knew that he was lying and that she would surely come to despise him once the end came. But if that was the price that had to be paid to see this world delivered from doom, he would take it without a second though.

But he couldn’t hide the warmth he felt at the realization that he was slowly, but surely, earning her trust.

That thought made him happier than he had been in a long time. But he feared that this development was only going to make matters even more difficult for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! I had planned on getting this chapter up before February, but hey, life happens. I felt that we needed a lot more bonding time and maybe a little less of the trivial details. I promise that I focus more on just the important scenes from now on, with a little sweetness added to each chapter just for you all. As for Claire’s past? That was kinda the picture I had in mind for her. I tried to think about a reason why she would be like how she is? Someone who is willing to sacrifice her all for others. I just pictured an orphaned girl who didn’t have much of a family life growing up. While she was shown care, she didn’t have a true family. And I can totally see her doing what she could to help out around this small village for food and other means she would need to survive. She is used to being alone and travelling on her own even though she hates feeling that way. She is willing to help others so much because she had been doing so her whole life... and she is so badly craving a family unit because she didn’t have that growing up. This is just the picture I always felt was inside my head and I felt that she could really connect with Ardbert in a way that she really can’t talk to the other Scions about despite how close she felt to them. She wants to protect her family, but a part of her can’t seem to let go and fully trust another with everything inside her head except to those who she felt could really understand her. That is how I see Claire as… not some strong warrior who winds all the time… just a little lost girl who is searching for something specific. What that something is, I don’t’ think she knows just yet. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter just to do some bonding with the boys here. In the next chapter we will be heading off to Rak’Tika and meeting up with the final member of their band of misfits and continue on their journey to save the First. Also for anyone who asks, no, I will not be doing a special chapter for Valentine’s Day. Mostly because I doubt that they would have a Valentione’s Day in Norvrandt. But… I did have an idea for Little Ladies Day. I’ll give you a hint… it’s full of sweetness, but it’s not who you think it will be with. Anyway, I will be taking a break from this story for a little while, but I will be back soon. Promise.
> 
> Oh, and for anyone out there, please help a girl with the Recruit a Friend Campaign, I would so like to get one of the mounts this year and I have the code for it as: 95H5YHUF. If you can help me out with this, it would mean so much to me! Thank you and see you soon.)


	15. Bonus Chapter: Of Ardor and Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bet you didn't see this one coming?  
But after much thought, it's time that a little joy be brought back to Norvrandt. So, thanks to a rumor going around about the 'guests' of the Exarch planning to celebrate a holiday from their shared 'homeland' everyone thinks it's a great idea. So, the time has come for love to be celebrated across the Crystarium. And for our pair of lovebirds to get some time together before they set out on another journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know when I said that I wasn't going to be doing a chapter for Valentione's Day?
> 
> There, you see? I lied.

So much to do, but so little time to do it. The people of the Crystarium were hard at work this day, wanting to get everything ready, though with a last minute suggestion just the day before didn’t leave them much time. Still, they took to this new challenge with their usual spirit.

"These people have to be the most spirited bunch I’ve ever seen," Alisaie pointed out to Claire as they walked through the markets with their arms full of ingredients and were planning to head back to the Pendants, “The less time we have for something, the more gusto they take to it.”

Claire smiled at that as they waited for the third member of their group to return while people all around them were busy shopping for food and flowers this day.

Celebrating holidays was a brand new concept for Minfilia. She knew that people tended to celebrate namedays and anniversaries, but actual holidays every season was something that died out with the Flood. 

But the young girl was fascinated by the idea of these seasonal events back in the Source, and she seemed determined to celebrate one today. Since they didn't have too much time to spend in the Crystarium, they couldn't go over the top... so when she learned of Valentione's Day, a day that was meant to celebrate love and ardor in Eorzea, she was all for it.

As soon as they told Minfilia about the idea of all the chocolate and hearts, she all but begged for a chance to experience it for herself. 

Short of bringing her back to the Source when the holiday came around, they decided to hold a small celebration with chocolate desserts and were now heading back to the Pendants to finish preparing for it.

Minfilia then went around to each of the Scions and asked them if they wanted to join in the celebration with them—and none of them had the heart to say no to such eagerness. Though Alisaie couldn't help but notice that Thancred seemed a bit... reluctant to join them and only agreed to when Claire made the request of him as well as well as promised some treats for everyone.

And once word got out about what Minfilia was planning, other people around the Crystarium were also excited about the idea of this ‘foreign’ holiday. With the night having been returned to the sky and less eaters than anyone could remember seeing, they all wanted to join in on a celebration as well. That was how seemingly overnight everyone was running about finishing up flower bouquets and treats for those special people in their lives. The markets all but exploded with joy at the extra business, and all around them people were so excited to have a reason to properly celebrate something so different for a change.

Alisaie couldn’t help but feel secretly glad that the people were able to focus on something cheerful for once, even if the event involved a lot of love and cutesy stuff like this. Well, it made Minfilia happy anyway, and after first meeting the shy girl only a few days ago, she seemed to really come to life with the idea of something fun being planned and was asking them all about what manner of sweets could they expect. 

Finally, Claire agreed to help them make something but she would only do so if she had help. 

"I suppose now is as good as time as any to give you both those cooking lessons I promised," she had said. And so she sent them out to find ingredients, though with this world so different from their own yet so familiar, trying to find the same ingredients was something of a challenge. 

It took a few hours of shopping before she was satisfied with what they found and were heading back to their rooms so that they could start preparing. Though, she would be the one putting all the pieces together, she expected them to be able to prepare the smaller ingredients. 

"Are you sure that you feel up to this?" Alisaie asked her, still slightly concerned by the slight bags that were under Claire’s eyes.

It had already been nearly four days since their return from Il Mheg, but she hadn't seen Claire much since then. Although she already knew that Claire had been coming and going from the city as she wished, that was just what she did, but she couldn't help but feel concerned when she saw how tired Claire was looking this day.

Especially after learning of the strange hunter by the name of Granson whom Claire had been hanging around with the last few days as they worked on a special hunt. Claire didn’t tell her what it was all about, but she just said that they were finishing up hunting down a particularly powerful eater. Thanks to the money she earned from that hunt though, they were able to afford all these ingredients and plan the party.

"I'm fine," Claire reassured her predictably, "I think that this is something that I need as well."

"Sorry for keeping you all waiting!"

They looked up to see Minfilia making her way towards them with a large sack full of bright yellow pods and she heaved it over to greet them. 

"I got all the Kukuru beans you wanted," she said proudly and Claire nodded before they headed back to her rooms so that they could finish preparing for the party.

“I still don’t see why we have to get everything to make from scratch when we could have just as easily gotten the chocolate and save ourselves the time,” Alisaie stated.

“But then I won’t be able to show you how to make it,” Claire smiled, “If I left it up to the boys, you both would never get a chance to eat.”

“Fair enough,” Alisaie smirked, “Alphinaud was never good in the kitchen. Then again, neither was I. Oh, but gods I can’t wait to see the look on his face when we tell him that I helped to make this. Oh, he has never let me live it down since that time that Father wouldn’t let me have any ginger cookies and I thought that I could make my own…? I mean, it was just following the recipe from the book. I remember thinking to myself, ‘how hard is following directions’?”

“What happened?” Minfilia asked curiously.

“Well,” Alisaie coughed, her cheeks turning a little red, “They didn’t… they were… they were as black as coal and tasted like death.”

It was a good thing that they were all friends, because Alisaie never would have admitted something like that to anyone else. And it was a sign of how strong their friendship was when neither of them laughed, but neither of them could hide the smiles on their faces either as Alisaie continued to blush at the memories.

“Alright, I admit it, I’m no culinarian!” she retorted, “I guess I wanted to make sure they cooked all the way through and I just… left them in there too long.” She shook her head grimly before adding, “Alphinaud swore that his tastebuds have never been the same. But grandfather… wonderful soul that he was… ate a few of them even though I knew that they tasted bad.”

She smiled fondly at that memory of her grandfather patting her on the head in thanks for making the ‘yummy’ cookies. She remembered promising grandfather that she would do better next time and that the next batch of cookies were going to be the best cookies he ever had. But it was shortly after that did grandfather leave and she never had the heart to begin baking again.

But now that she was out here, she knew that this was an important skill to have on hand, especially since they were all but living out in the wilderness, but she didn’t realize just how useful it was to know how to cook until she started living among the people at the inn and how they could make a full meal out of scraps.

She decided to devote some time in learning at least some basic recipes that even she couldn’t screw up. So when Claire offered to show her some, she agreed at once, a little taken aback—but not all together surprised that their friend could cook for herself—but willing to get started right away. What really surprised her is that Minfilia didn’t seem to know much more about cooking than she did and so when the three of them headed back to the Pendants, she had to ask.

“What about Thancred?” Alisaie asked Minfilia, “What have you both been living on for the last three years?”

“Oh, roots and berries and things like that,” Minfilia admitted, “We never stayed in one place for too long. Thancred does know some small and simple recipes that are pretty good. But he never had time to really teach me how to make them with all the sin eaters and the Eulmore army after us.”

“Well then, I guess that this is like a dream come true learning how to make deserts,” Alisaie said, and already she could feel her tongue tingling at the thought of all the chocolate that they were going to make.

“So what other seasonal events do you have back home?” Minfilia asked them both eagerly.

“Well, after Valentione’s Day, we have Little Ladies Day…” Alisaie recited as she counted off on her hands, “Which was always one of my personal favorites because it was the day that my brother has no choice but to be nice to me.”

And so the talk turned more into the different kinds of holidays that they celebrated back in Eorzea, though Alisaie had to wonder why they were going over this again since they already told Minfilia everything that there was to know about these events, she was just thirsty for more.

“I’m sorry,” Minfilia told her, “But we used to have all manner of holidays in the First, at least that was what I read about, but we forgotten a lot of those traditions.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that the Exarch thought that it was a good idea to have a celebration now and made the announcement,” Alisaie said, though she couldn’t help but look back to Claire and add, “Though why you felt the need to dress up for it?”

Claire just chuckled, and did a spin to show off her new outfit.

“You don’t like it?” she asked and Alisaie blushed at that. She was wearing a dress with a heart-shaped bodice and large patches of black and pink decorating it that resembled a playing card with hearts. She also had a small hat that was perched on the side of her head with lacey gloves holding onto the bags of groceries and tights of different patterns on the legs.

“I got it shortly before leaving the Source and never had a chance to wear it out,” she shrugged, “I thought that this was the perfect opportunity.”

It was elegantly appropriate for the occasion… Alisaie could admit that. And Claire certainly seemed happy to be given an excuse to wear it. The thing she did not expect was that Minfilia was also drawn to the idea of clothing from another world.

“It’s so pretty,” Minfilia said brightly, “Could you bring one back for me when you visit?”

Claire smiled warmly at her and promised to see if she could look into finding one her size as they stepped through the doors of the Pendants and she headed straight for her own room. Once they arrived, Claire turned onto a cheerful tone on her Orchestrion, before they set the bags down on the table before preparing to start cooking. Though Claire wouldn't tell them what it was that they were making, only promising that it would be a special surprise for them all.

Right away, she had them start on the beans, separating the regular Kukuru Beans with the Royal ones.

"What's the difference?" Alisaie asked as she held up a pod in each hand to show them what to look for.

"One of them is of a higher stock," Claire answered, "And they will affect the taste."

It turned out that they needed a lot of these Kukuru Beans, because to make good chocolate, they were starting at the beginning.

"It will help give you both experience as well," Claire informed them as she worked on other components of the recipe. She had them start off with scraping the beans and then making them divide them. One half was grounded into a powder, while the other went into making a special kind of butter before adding the maple sugar and milk inside it to make little bubble chocolates. It was a good thing that they made so many because when Claire wasn't looking, she and Minfilia would swipe a few and stick them in their mouths. Oh, her taste buds all but melted in bliss at the taste.

But whenever Claire did turn around, she had a slight smile, as if she knew exactly how many were going missing.

“This is fun!” Minfilia grinned happily as she proudly showed them the maple sugar that she made all by herself. “I can see why people in Eulmore were always looking for new cooks to come to the city.”

“I guess you didn’t do a lot of cooking in Eulmore either?” Alisaie asked curiously and Minfilia shrugged.

“Ah… no, not really,” she confessed a little shyly. “After all, they kept me in a special room below the city.”

“A room?” Alisaie asked with her eyebrows raised.

“Yes, well, that’s what they called it,” Minfilia answered a little quietly. “They told me that it was my bedroom and that I would have everything that I needed. But I wasn’t… I had to be locked in there almost constantly and told I was never allowed to leave it.”

“You mean a gaol,” Alisaie frowned, understanding what it really was.

“It didn’t look like a prison though,” Minfilia said carefully. “I mean, I was well taken care of, had all these pretty dresses and toys, and books… I was served nothing but the best… but…?”

“But?” Alisaie pressed curiously as the younger girl frowned.

“I wasn’t allowed to ever leave,” she sighed sadly. “Ran’jit visited me as often as he could, and he was usually very kind… at least in those days. But whenever I begged to be allowed outside, he just told me that it wasn’t safe. That here, it was safe for me. And so it was here I had to stay.”

“That sounds… very controlling,” Alisaie said softly, suddenly thinking back to her own father. “I mean, far worse than how things were with my own father. He wasn’t… like that of course… but he is very traditional. Believed that daughters should be elegant and polite. So I guess you can see how disappointed he was in me.”

“What?” Minfilia asked with her crystalized eye widening, “Why would anyone ever be disappointed in you? You’re amazing!”

Alisaie felt her cheeks burn hot as Claire chuckled from the stove.

“She’s right,” she said confidently, her back still to them as she stirred the pot, “I think if he saw how far you have come, he would be proud.”

Now Alisaie was sure her entire face was burning red at that and she looked down at her hands as she continued working on slicing up some fruit.

“Thanks for saying that,” she said, unable to stop the smile on her face from spreading, “But, I doubt that he would be able to believe that I travelled to another world and fight to help save it. I think he would be concerned that his only daughter took one too many blows to the head.”

“Well, you’re different, but that’s what I like about you,” Minfilia said and Alisaie chuckled.

“Though, if truth be told, it would be nice to see father again,” she confessed, “I’ll have to plan a visit home when we get back to the Source. Though, I think that he may be hopeful that his wayward children may come back to their senses.”

“Wayward…” Minfilia said as she fell silent and Alisaie remembered what she heard about Minfilia… about how she was found at a young age and taken to Eulmore. She could not help but wonder about the girl’s real parents and whatever became of them. She wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to risk upsetting her.

But it seemed that she was doomed to upset someone for she decided to ask Claire more about her family.

“What about you?” Alisaie asked Claire suddenly, “How were things with your father?”

She noticed that she was touching upon a sensitive topic when Claire’s hand paused in stirring. It was just for a moment, but she could see how tense she became. Alisaie realized that she may have overstepped things but Claire just cleared her throat as she gave her a calm reply.

“I never met him,” she answered back, not looking back at her, “He died shortly before I was born.”

Why did she feel like she was always making such big mistakes here with her?

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Alisaie replied quickly, feeling terrible and wanted to take back her question, but Claire shook her head.

“Don’t fret about it,” she reassured her as she came back to the table to show them how to make the butter from the milk she bought, “I recently did a lot of thinking about that and I’m doing very well. There is no need to feel bad for me. I’m getting along fine.”

Alisaie wanted to ask more, but feared saying something else that could upset someone even more. Instead, she threw herself into learning the cooking lesson today. Claire confessed that this may be a bit advanced for them at this early stage, but what they were doing were making the necessary components and she would be the one to put it all together.

While she worked on grinding the wheat down for some flour, she had them set them to work making the sweat cream and butter from the milk, warning them that they will be too full to eat later on if they kept eating the chocolate.

So they passed the time talking more and more, talking about Eorzea, the different holiday, some of the places that they had been and all manner of other exciting topics. Minfilia loved listening to their stories, and even had a few of her own to share over the last three years as she travelled with Thancred.

“Where is Thancred anyway?” Alisaie asked curiously, “I haven’t seen him for a few days?”

“He’s… around,” Minfilia said slowly, “So long as I promise not to leave the Crystarium without telling him, he tells me I can explore the city all that I want to. But I think he’s glad when there’s someone here to watch over me.”

“He’s gotten a bit grumpy since last I spoke with him,” Alisaie said with a frown as she remembered the Thancred she had met before. She could remember him as an intelligent smooth-talker who was as charming as he was unpredictable. But then something changed and he became less cheerful and much more… stoic. Sure, Claire was known for her stoicism… but it was in a different way. It was soothing… almost gentle. Thancred’s was hardened and a bit on the cold side. Though he still has a dry wit, which was a relief to see that he hadn’t changed completely, but she wasn’t sure she liked this new Thancred.

“That’s true,” Claire spoke up again for the first time in a while. “But I fear that this is something that he needs to come to terms with on his own.”

“Really? You know what’s causing it?” Alisaie asked and Claire nodded though she didn’t go into too much details about that as she approached the table once again. So she added the flour with the butter and cream and began to stir before telling them to add the bubble chocolates and what was left of the beans to another bowl to melt some chocolate.

It was added to the pan before being placed in the small stove and they worked on slicing up some fruits and other treats. That was when Claire told her what she had been working on and explained how it was to be set up.

“A chocolate fountain?” Minfilia asked in awe as she set up a cup full of skewers and straws, “It sounds delicious.”

“It is,” she said as she and Minfilia watched in awe as they melted more than half of the bubble chocolates, “All you do is dip the fruit here into the chocolate from a miniature fountain. Just try not to get any chocolate on the upholstery.”

Almost half an hour later, when they finally got the fountain to work and it was able to pour out some warm chocolate as smoothly as water, did they pull the cake out of the oven and began to decorate it. They finished by dipping the rolanberries into it and decorated what turned out as a large chocolate cake decorated with red hearts and even a chocolate Chocobo on top. A traditional Valentione’s Day cake, she called it.

Claire lightly slapped their thieving hands away from the cake and ordered them to start carrying everything outside to the bar area where the others would join them.

They did what they were told, and headed out to the Wandering Stairs outside the pendants and claimed a table for their own. They finished setting things up just as the others arrived, already flocking to the promise of sweet treats. Minfilia was beaming like none of them had ever seen before as she welcomed them all happily, telling them to take a seat and to enjoy themselves since they had more than enough for everyone.

Alisaie watched as Alphinaud made sure to bring some flowers that were collected from the markets and set them upon the table as a floral centerpiece. Though, she couldn’t help but notice how when no one was looking, he took one of the flowers and tucked it behind Claire’s ear, show smiled warmly at him… causing a cute blush to spread across his fair cheeks.

Once everything had been set up, including with them ordering drinks from the bar, she realized just how much they brought out. Not only a huge cake that would easily be enough to serve seconds for all of them, but the chocolate fountain and trays full of foods to dip into the fountain. Perhaps they went a little overboard…?

“I think you’re trying to kill us here through chocolate,” Thancred said, voicing what she was thinking, and though his laugh seemed a bit force, at least his smile seemed genuine. This was something that made Minfilia especially happy as she began passing out drinks like she had suddenly become the waitress.

Alisaie laughed as she sat down, squeezing Claire between herself and her brother as they began their small celebration.

***Urianger***

“Now all we need is Y’shtola to complete our merry band,” Thancred stated as Mistress Alisaie was the first to skewer some strawberries before dipping it into the fountain, her eyes twinkling brightly at the sight which warmed his heart. Mistress Alisaie had always had a sweet tooth and so he knew that she couldn’t be happier about this hastily planned party.

He chuckled as he enjoyed his drink and cake as Minfilia began passing plates out now, and Master Alphinaud questioned, “Just where is she these days? I know that the Exarch said that she remained here in the Crystarium for some time but…?”

“She has gone to the Northeast of here to the forests of Rak’Tika,” he reminded them all calmly, “I, mineself, have not heard from her since she choseth to depart from here, but I have little doubt that she is doing well.”

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Minfilia spoke up as she finally took a seat, “What is she like?”

The others all began to tell her about their friend, who would no doubt be awaiting their arrival when they next set out—which will hopefully be soon.

Though no one ever confirmed it, it was all but certain for them at this point that they will be heading off to Rak’Tika, which they were all eager about doing so. Well, all but Urianger.

As much as he would like to see their friend again… in truth, Urianger was deeply concerned about this upcoming reunion. Ever since she had lost her sight, her ability to ‘see’ by sensing the aether around her is second to none. She would easily begin to see that something was wrong…? But at the same time, he could not think of a good excuse as to why they should postpone the meeting with Y’shtola without raising suspicions. They needed help, and he knew that their talented friend was just the sort of person they needed now… not only that, he feared risking her ire if they waited too much longer. So he had resorted to coming up with what to say to her when she undoubtable noticed the strange change in their champion’s aether. He had come up with everything from excuses to random other suggestions to try and quell her temper, for he doubted very little that she would be in a towering rage when she discovered what was happening to their friend. Especially since he knew she was going to call him out on it and demand to know if Claire was even aware of what was going on.

Ever since he realized that they would soon be heading to Rak’Tika… he had been unable to sleep properly. His mind, and his conscience, was allowing him no rest. In truth, he very much wished that he could just retreat to the Cabinet of Curiosity, or even just to his private room, for the rest of the day.

But remembering how hard the girls worked for this celebration, he did his best to not let it weigh him down and worry them, when all he wanted to do was scream out from the stress that just knowing about it was doing to him. They talked about everything that came to mind, with Minfilia happily discussing about some of the places that she had been with Thancred during the last three years, as well as all the places she would like to see one day.

Thancred didn’t talk much, mostly because he was stuffing his face with food and drink, but soon enough he was prodding at Claire to tell them more of her own adventures. It was well known to everyone who knew her that she was uncomfortable talking about herself and oftentimes trying to get some details out of her was like pulling teeth.

But if one was patient enough to endure the pain, they could find ways of getting her to open up. Seeing the twins there, who seemed to know just what to say to get her to talk, helped greatly, and she finally did come clean about some of the adventures she had seen. Including about some journey to discover that the legends of Ivalice weren’t as fictional as most were lead to believe.

He, who had always been fascinated about the story of Ivalice, coughed on his drink and was soon asking her for every little bit of information that he could get out of her on how one of his favorite childhood stories was real.

They sat there for over a solid hour, watching the people go by as they went on their own celebrations for this unexpected holiday, and more than a handful of young couples walking hand in hand. Before anyone knew it, they had run out of treats to dip into the chocolate fountain and there was nothing left of the cake but crumbs.

Claire got up, promising to be back in a few minutes with more, having made sure to make some extras earlier and was heading to her room to get them.

“Damn fine woman that one,” Thancred sighed, “I swear, eternally bonding would be worth it all just to eat like this all the time.”

“Thancred,” Alisaie warned as she licked some chocolate off her fingers.

“Hey, I’m just saying, you don’t meet a girl like that often. So, when you get married one day, make sure to find someone like that,” he pointed out, slowly sipping his one ‘allowed’ mug of ale—a compromise he made with Urianger since they both knew that he had a drinking habit in his younger years—and he laughed at the red faces coming from around the table.

“Ah, our dear Thancred, I fear, is no stranger to fair maidens,” Urianger chuckled, “Oft, did the others make mockery of his unfortunate habits.”

“Hey, that was only ever in good fun to talk about,” Thancred retorted angrily, with a slide jerk of the head to the others as if to tell him to be quiet since they still had younger ears listening in. Ah, Thancred… the role of parent suits him far more than one would expect. “Besides, it was usually Yda—I mean Lyse—who would make fun of me for that.”

“True, however, I seem to remember thee telling mineself once of being rather taken with our newest member?” Urianger pointed out and Thancred spluttered indignantly.

“Not like that!” he retorted, “Sure, I did like to show off to a pretty girl in those days, but it was all perfectly innocent. I mean, I was told to make her feel welcomed with the Scions and I did my best to make sure she enjoyed my company. Unlike some people I could mention who were akin to a stick so stuck in the mud one can’t hope to get to it without sinking.”

There was laughter all around at that as he glanced around once more, feeling some succor brought to his heart at the sight of the happy faces of the people around them. Though they had only taken the first few steps, though he knew that they still had a long way to go before they were able to bring a future to the First, already the first signs of change were coming to this battle-torn world.

He looked back to the others, seeing the satisfied expressions of having their fill of sweets. All but one…?

That was when he noticed that Alphinaud had a slightly sour look on his face. He was just about to ask if he ate something that disagreed with when he realized that he wasn't looking at the food, rather Master Alphinaud was looking off to the railings of the stairs that were pointed in the direction of the tower

After a quick glance back, Urianger saw that Claire had returned, with a tray of neatly sliced fruit set up upon it, but was standing at the top of the steps speaking to the Exarch, who was engaged in a rather excited conversation with her.

Suddenly understanding what was going on, he glance back to Master Alphinaud, who was stirring his drink around a little absent-mindedly.

"Who art thou looking towards?" he asked Master Alphinaud calmly, pretending that he didn’t see anything.

“Hmm? Ah, nothing,” he said a little too quickly, “I was just looking around?”

“I see,” Urianger said, the corners of his lips twitching slightly as he fought the smile. “But I fear that is a difference between looking at something and towards something.”

He looked away just as Thancred looked up to see what they were talking about. After a quick glance around, he spotted the two in the distance and he smirked.

“Ah, don’t they look chummy?” Thancred asked when he realized that their Warrior of Darkness had returned.

“No, she’s just being polite,” Alphinaud said, surprisingly short.

“Hmm? What’s with you?” Thancred asked before looking from him, to Claire, to the Exarch, and back to him before he seemed to put two and two together.

In truth, Urianger was the only one of them who understood how much the Exarch admired their mutual friend, having called her the very soul of inspiration. He spoke of her so fondly, that one would easily mistake it for ardor… but the love of which he felt was more of an admiring love… a protective love.

Master Alphinaud, he knew to feel nothing short of pure adoration and affection was a different kind of love. Knowing he would stand between her and a sword if he thought she would need it. But he was still a young man, who had clearly begun to notice the attention that another was giving her.

"You're jealous?" Thancred asked with his eyebrows raised and when he saw Alphinaud turn his head away, sulking, he actually grinned. "You are, aren't you? Well, why don’t you go over there and see if you can interrupt?”

“She is perfectly at liberty to speak to who she wishes to,” he retorted firmly, with even his ears burning red.

“Who are you talking about?”

The three younger ones jumped at the voice when they looked up to spot that the two had rejoined them, with Claire setting the extra food down in front of them. It was as if they had teleported there without them realizing it. Now he was starting to see why Lyse did get so upset with him whenever he snuck up on her.

“Oh, Exarch,” Alisaie in surprise, “Is there something wrong?”

“Not at all,” the Exarch smiled warmly back, “I merely came to thank you all in person for your suggestion of a festivity. I do believe that it was a much needed relief to the people of the Crystarium. Especially with how tense things are becoming.”

“What do you mean tense?” Alphinaud asked him worriedly, some of his earlier annoyance fading, “You did not hear from Eulmore again, have you?”

“None of our scouts have delivered anything we don’t know about,” he reassured them, “But that is no reason for us to let our guard down. No, I believe that they waiting to see who will make the first move, and when. I fear that thought ‘tis almost as bad as the idea of an all-out war with Eulmore.”

He sighed before shaking his head.

“Ah, but pay me no mind,” he added in a more cheerful tone, “This is a day for celebrating. And it has been long overdue. Please, don’t mind me and enjoy yourselves.”

“Don’t you want to try some before you go?” Claire asked as she held up a skewer for him, taken him aback.

“Oh, ah… I would rather… I mean… I dare not… intrude?” he stuttered, and Urianger smiled at how obviously taken aback by the unexpected suggestion was.

“Just one?” Claire asked, holding it out with that same smile, “We worked so hard on it, and I think you need to lighten up and celebrate with us.”

There was no hiding the blush on the Exarch’s face here, and the slight disapproval in the twins faces when they saw this.

In the end though, he agreed to stay for a few minutes more and took the skewer from her and tried the food. It certainly didn’t take much coaxing from him to taste the chocolate and he seemed to shiver in delight at the taste.

If nothing else, it seemed that Claire had grown comfortable enough around the Exarch that if there were any feelings of mistrust, she knew how to hide it well. Urianger knew that some others, like Thancred and Y’shtola still held a lot of hesitations when it came to the Exarch—and one cannot blame them. For it was clear that the Exarch still was hiding a lot from them and they were perfectly within their rights to be guarded.

But with Claire, mayhaps a little unsurprisingly, she seemed to be opening up to him. He doubted that she trusted him completely, but at least she did not see him as the enemy. He took some comfort in that… especially knowing how much that would mean to the Exarch.

However, seeing the two of them like that, being so friendly with each other, Urianger could not help but be reminded of another old friend who was very much the same way with him… at least, in terms of getting him to join her when he rather be alone.

As soon as the thought came to him, memories started to come back, and he suddenly felt the urge to be alone with his thoughts for a time. He politely excused himself, merely stating that he wished to stretch his legs. He walked a short distance away, heading over to the railing that gave him a view of the pointed tips of the mountains… knowing that soon night would fall again and the moon would rise.

That was the thing that he missed the most about not being able to see the night sky. He had missed the moon.

The first time he saw it after three years… he almost cried at the sight of the heavenly glow shing down upon them. A familiar face… always there for him even when he couldn’t see it.

Just like how _she_ used to be. Even when they were children, she was the one person he knew he could always count on for aid. Even if she liked to make it difficult.

“Dearest Moenbryda…” he sighed as he thought back to his early childhood. She was just like the moon that so resembled her name. She never really changed as she climbed into the night, but her reflection waned so that she could disappear at any moment. But he wouldn’t have traded a single thing about her.

He smiled at the memories of the two of them together. He had always been a loner, preferring to work on his own than in the company of others. Most were put off by his fascination of the unknown. Not Moenbryda though. She was truly a diamond in the rough. She did grow up with a desire to learn all around her, matched only by a fervor to learn that impressed even Master Louisoix.

So she set out to befriend him, despite his best efforts to ignore her pestering and occasional flirtations. But she was not one to be denied and kept coming back and back and even back again until he finally agreed to become her friend. They eventually grew very close and he could remember the hours they would spent together in the Great Gubal Library reading tomes of every subject under the sun and eating cockatrice meatballs from under the table when no one else was watching.

_“Urianger!” she would cry almost every time when she saw him, “Where in the hells have you been hiding?!”_

And that phrase was almost always followed by a rib-cracking hug.

“Thou shalt always have a special place in my heart, my dear Moenbryda,” he whispered and he was startled when he felt a hand placed over his own. He saw that Claire was there with that same kind smile as she held his hand, which he gripped back tightly. Apparently she saw him standing out here on his own and came over to ask if something was wrong… when she heard Moenbryda’s name.

“I know I only got to know her for a short while, but I know that she was an amazing person,” she told him and he sought comfort from her words like how a child would seek reassurance from a parent after a nightmare.

“She… was one of a kind,” he told her, “A true friend… till the very end.”

He lowered his head, his heart aching painfully at just the thought of his old friend. The last time that he had ever seen her… she had stopped by for a visit when he was still at the Waking Sands.

_“Urianger, I swear, why spend your days skulking about here?”_ she asked him, giving him a playful poke in the side as she plopped down on the seat next to him as he poured over his tomes. Even with her childish behavior though, he secretly enjoyed it, finding it hard to keep himself from not smiling when she was around. And whenever she saw that something she said coaxed a smile out of him, it was as if she had achieved a world-shattering discovery.

He understood why it had to happen that way even if he hated it. She knew and understood how important it was for them to find and eliminate every last trace of the Ascians… one of many reasons that he wished to be rid of them. Just so that he could say that her death was not in vain.

On one hand, he was grateful he didn’t have to witness such a scene as his oldest friend giving up her very life like that… he just… he wished that he had been given a chance to say goodbye. But that wasn’t the biggest regret he had about his friend and the time that he took for granted. It was that it happened so suddenly… without him ever having the chance to thank her for all the support and company her presence brought him.

“You were the last thing she thought of,” Claire informed him and his eyes widened at that and she softly told him about her last words. He had always felt guilt inside his heart to think that he kept the truth of Master Louisoix wishes for Moenbryda secret from her, but to learn who it was who was last upon her mind…?

“A _daft old coot_, she did calleth me?” he said slowly before he actually burst out laughing, something that he could not remember doing in a long time. That sounded so much like her, there was no way that she could make that up.

“Full well will I continue to mourn her, and forever shall I continue to do so,” he declared, but he was smiling widely, “But she doth passed in peace with her taking her fate into her hands. That will be enough.”

He squeezed Claire’s hand back tightly, drawing comfort from it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to save her," Claire said to him, and Urianger spluttered slightly.

"Pray, don't be," he reassured her, "For there was nothing that could be done. This, I know full well.” His eyes suddenly saddened and he looked away from her, unable to meet her kind gaze. “Moenbryda… once her mind hath been made up, none could deter her from her chosen path. That thou were there with her… in those final moments… for that do I thank thee.”

They stood there in silence for a little longer, finding a rather comfortable silence between them. Neither of them were ever much for idle conversation, but there was never any difficulties with the two of them able to sit in the same room and work to their own devices.

But it was a nice feeling able to speak to each other without any thought of concealment.

That’s right, he was hiding something big from her. Something that could cost her life if he chose to remain silent. In that moment, his desire to confess everything that he knew was so strong that he had to bite his tongue when he opened his mouth to speak.

Instead, he immediately came up with an excuse to get away from her before he ruined it all.

“I do thank thee for listening to mine words. However, I do believe that Master Alphinaud wishes to spend some time with thee,” he said and Claire blinked in surprise as he reassured her kindly, “Go with him. I do believe he hath secretly been pining to have thine attention all evening.”

Claire chuckled and nodded.

“If you ever wish to talk…?” she told him slowly.

“Thy will always be ready to listen,” he finished for her with a grateful nod. “Full much doth thy words mean to me, my friend. Thank you.”

She nodded, but he saw her eyes cloud over with minor discomfort and her hand went to her head for a moment as if in pain. At first, he thought that it was the Echo showing her something, but it didn’t seem to be that way. From the years he had seen Minfilia, their Minfilia, suffer from occasional visions, he could detect the signs when one blessed with the Echo was walking within the memories of another.

He gulped hard, feeling true worry fill his heart as he asked her, "Are thee feeling well?" And he was almost startled at how calm he sounded, with only the tiniest hint of concern leaking through.

"Just a minor headache," she reassured him with a shake of her head as if clearing the cobwebs away, “I seem to be getting them a lot lately. I thought that it was just from the constant glare from the Light, but it’s almost night here now so I don’t think that’s it.”

“I see,” he answered, putting that information away for later, “If thou would likeith, I could create something that could help thee…?”

“No, its fine, I can handle it,” she promised. “Some air is usually good for me and it’s all I need for now.”

“Very well. But, I implore thee, if thou continues to feel unwell, please let they suffering be known to me," he said, truly urging her to tell him if she was ever feeling ill, "I will do what I can to aid thee."

She nodded and left him soon after, rejoining the others at the table for a few more minutes before he watched how Master Alphinaud took her hand and led her away. He watched on fondly for a moment at their retreating back, smiling slightly at the happiness shining from the young man’s eyes when he looked at her.

But once they were out of his sights, his smile faded into a concern frown and he gazed at the floor. Guilt was gnawing at his insides, festering and burning away like a corrosive acid. He couldn’t even remember the last time he was able to get a full night’s sleep, his conscience was giving him no respite.

He didn’t look up when he heard someone approach him from the side yet he didn’t need to know that it was the Exarch who had come to see how he fared.

"Are you feeling alright, my friend?" the disguised man asked, placing a hand upon his shoulder despite the fact he was almost twice as tall as he was.

Urianger just let out a low moan of misery as he rested his arms upon the railing in front of him and kept his head down.

“In body? I am well enough,” he confessed, “Yet that is not what troubles me. ‘Tis mine conscience, which feels as if I am being suffocated from the weight of secrets that is pressing down upon me.”

He didn’t look to the Exarch, and instead focused on just speaking out to himself when he continued, “When first I labored behind my dear comrades backs to plan Minfilia’s journey hither here onto the First, I confess that at times it felt as if a knife had been digging deeper and deeper into the caverns of mine heart. I had hoped that once my deceit had been realized, that I would never have to repeat such trickery again. And so, in vain did I labor to find another solution these past three summers, in the hopes that we would have another alternative to thine plans. But full well do I fear that it will be many years before I can conceivably come up with any other means to save her.”

He finally gave him half a glance and confessed, “A part of me did wish that she would not find her way here… to spare her such suffering that await her upon this path…”

He then closed his eyes and turned away again as he finished, “But when I first beheld her and saw already the Light that had taken root… knowing that I must lie to her directly once again… my heart felt like it would shatter apart.”

The Exarch lowered his own head.

“And for that, I truly am sorry, my friend,” he answered. “Please, believe me. If there were another way around this, I would have found it by now. And I did look into other means that we may be able to. But this is truly the only solution that I have found. This world is short on time and the Eighth Umbral Calamity draws ever closer. A sacrifice must be made to free this world of the Light, but first we must gather the Light from the wardens in one place. Though this is cruel, we must continue on this path. And she must not be made aware of it until the last possible moment.”

“Would it not be possible for myself to take on such a role?” Urianger asked suddenly, “That I be able to take the place of…?”

“I fear, my friend, that is not possible,” the Exarch countered gently, “For the truth is that you do not possess a true body of your own. And so, realistically, you do not have a vessel in which to contain the Light at all. Nor do I believe you will not be able to contain the light for long. And with your soul temporarily trapped here…?”

“But once we do find ourselves within the presence of very own Y’shtola, she will be able to see the Light’s corruption,” Urianger reminded him and he saw the frown appear.

“Yes, I had been worried about that,” he confessed, “I fear that she still doesn’t trust me at all. But we must do our best to reassure her that if Claire is unable to contain the Light, we have a plan to fall back on. I have full faith that she will be able to handle the Light up to a certain point.”

“But even she doth have her limitations,” Urianger reminded him. “Despite the admiration thou has for her, full aware I am that you know that fact better than all of us.”

The Exarch lowered his head in guilt once more.

“Whenever I am faced with her, I feel as if I am being torn up inside,” he confessed, “She doesn’t know the full role that she and I must fulfill before the end. She deserves to know, this I do not argue with. But surely you can understand my reasons for keeping this secret from her? If she were to learn the full truth…?”

Urianger gritted his teeth.

"When thou first conscripted thine assistance to aid thee in thy deception, full well was I aware of how difficult it would be," he said firmly, "But it is far crueler than even I dared thought of."

He lowered his head and shook his hard as he added, "It doth feel as if mine own heart will burst from thine chest just to look at her and know that, once again, I am plotting behind her and our comrade’s backs. The worst part is that she truly unaware of thine condition. But already the effects are beginning to take root. In fact, I fear that she is beginning to suspect that something is wrong.”

“Did she say anything?” the Exarch asked in concern.

“Just minor pains and weariness that she is otherwise unfamiliar with,” he answered back. “Of course, she doesn’t know what it is from just yet, but it will only be a matter of time before she is made aware of her condition. Either she will discover the truth upon her own, or Y’shtola will see it right away.”

The Exarch nodded worriedly. “Before this is over, she will know the truth.”

Urianger gave the matter some serious thought before he reminded him softly, “This is not what she would want. She… she will never forgive me for what I am about to do.”

The Exarch sighed again before saying, “Place the blame upon me, Urianger. For you are not to blame for this role. Rather, it is I. And even should she believe me to be no more than a villain, then so be it. If that is the price that must be paid, then I shall pay it gladly.”

He was silent for another long moment before he spoke again.

"One life for one world," he said softly, "A fair exchange, is it not?"

The same words that he, himself, had said to the Warriors of Darkness so long ago; when he was secretly planning their downfall. He cursed fate for being cruel enough to force him to do so once again.

But the Exarch was right about one thing. If his wish, and the wish of all those not yet born, were to be realized, he would have to lie. He would see this over, even if one he saw as a treasured friend despised him for it.

***Alphinaud***

Alphinaud followed after her as they walked through the markets, still unsure to how he should be feeling right now. He had no problems with the Exarch, in fact, he found the man pretty easy to get along with. But the way that he saw how he was talking with Claire earlier… why did it annoy him? It wasn’t like he needed to worry about her leaving him or anything, right?

So why did he suddenly feel the urge to march over there and tell the Exarch to back off? It wasn’t like him at all.

He forced down those feelings, reminding himself that she was not the type who would see someone else behind his back. After all… it was ridiculous in even assuming there was anything at all when all that anyone else could tell him that they just saw two people in friendly conversation with each other… even if they did look strangely comfortable like they were old friends.

“So,” he asked slowly, trying to keep the tone as conversationally as possible, “What do you think of the Exarch?”

“Hmm?” she asked, “What do you ask?”

“Oh, just wish your opinion,” he said, not completely lying there, “It’s just that we still don’t know that much about him and I know that some of us still hold some reservations about the man. I would like to hear your opinion. What do you think of him?”

Claire finished her last strawberry from the party as she gave the matter over a lot of thought. A little too long for Alphinaud’s liking.

But she then answered, “I don’t sense in him any ill feelings. But at the same time, I do think that he is holding something back. Whether that is good or bad, I’m not sure. While I can’t say I’m pleased with him trapping the rest of you here, I do believe him when he desires to help us. And he has been nothing but generous and supportive of us…?”

“Yeah,” he countered rather coldly.

She arched an eyebrow at him and he realized too late that he spoke out loud.

“Oh, no,” he said quickly, trying to gloss over his sudden bitter feelings, especially since he could not figure out why he was suddenly so annoyed with the man. He decided to steer it away from dangerous waters and instead began to point out things from the markets. He wanted to get her something special in honor of Valentione’s Day, but though she did pass over several really nice items, she didn’t seem particularly interested in anything.

From her skills as a crafter, he knew that she could probably make things that were just as good if not better than anything here, so trying to coax out an idea to get her something special for today wasn’t easy.

He had tried to work it out on his own, but in the end, he finally decided to just ask.

“So… what do you want for Valentione’s Day?” he questioned her and she was surprised by that question and it was clear she didn’t have much of an answer.

“I’m not sure,” she said after a minute of thinking. “I’ll tell you what, how about we go for a walk around the city while we think of that. But only if you promise to tell me what you want this year.”

He agreed, and they set out from the Crystarium together, heading out into the wilds where they were able to walk underneath the gorgeous violet leaves of the nearby trees. They walked on in silence for an uncertain length of time, but they did end up talking about a lot of things. Not just about the idea of sin eaters and the fate of the world either. They talked about the forests and the plant life that surrounded them, different kinds of foods and even the weather they could be expecting for the next few days.

He found that he had enjoyed this idea more and more of just walking together without having to worry about anything bad. Yet, of course, things never were that easy for them, were they?

They were strolling along the edge of a small cliff that overlooked the water when they were ambushed by some beasts. At once, Claire had pulled out a pair of curved blades, similar to the ones that Captain Lyna used, and she began to dance around the fiends. He meant that quite literally. She began to dance, twirl, and spin about them as she threw the blades with the precision of a sharpshooter and he found his eyes unable to tear away. It was beauty in motion to watch her, watching how gracefully she dashed around their foes in such a seductive way that he felt his mouth become unusually dry.

The problem was that he had been so mesmerized by her movements that he didn’t notice the serpent-like beast slithering up from behind him until it was almost too late. His summoned carbuncle had already attacked the fiend, snapping him out of it, and he spun to deal the landing blow… but that was when he realized that Claire was suddenly surrounded on all sides when some gremlins joined in the fight and leapt at her.

He ran in without thinking and tackled her, knocking her to the ground, but he maculated the distance they would slide, for he felt the ground under him one moment… but then the next he was falling. Apparently he had knocked himself right off the cliff. Claire had the sense to grab onto the rock and hung on, but by the time that he stretched out his hands, he was already falling straight for the water below them.

The last thing that he saw before he went under was her terrified face when she spun about to see him falling.

The fall wasn’t too far, but it felt like a malm to his panicked mind, and he hit the cold water.

It wasn’t too deep for him, but deep enough that he couldn’t feel the bottom right away and all logic left him. He thrashed about, trying to calm himself, his hair flowing about his head, obscuring his vision. He had to stay calm though, he knew he couldn’t breathe, and he had to get out and to where there was air.

His movements were frantic now as he let out a scream underwater, where cold water filled his mouth and nose. He kicked hard, trying to find some footing and see where his feet were. That was when he realized that the bubbles were flying off, seemingly diagonally, and he suddenly knew where the surface was.

He forced his body to relax long enough for him to kick up from the direction he assumed down was and went up.

He paddled as hard as he could before he felt his head break through the surface and cold air hit his face. He was breathing, coughing up the water. He paddled in one random direction until his feet found the ground and he stumbled forward until he collapsed upon the ground. Wheezing for air, and gasping out of breathe, he knew that he had managed to save himself.

That was when he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap themselves around him and he calmed down enough to see her there. She was pale, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Are you ok?” she gasped and he nodded, wrapping his arms around her as his heartbeat returned to normal.

“I… I did it…” he wheezed, “I saved myself…?”

He then began another coughing fit and spit up water from his lungs. She rubbed his back as he gagged, and she didn’t dare speak again until he was able to breathe properly again.

“What were you thinking?” she gasped, “You could have so easily have drowned down there!”

He was wondering that same thing. But he found himself more annoyed with the question.

“I didn’t,” he pointed out, “I pulled myself out.”

She glared at him, and for the first time, in a long time, she looked angry. She then stood up, startling him as she went marching off, hugging herself.

“Claire!” he yelled and actually stumbled to his feet to follow her. But she ignored him for a long time as they continued on walking around Lakeland, with him trying to get her to listen to him. She just marched on stubbornly, and he could feel his own irritation grow with her.

“What? Are you upset that I lived?!” he finally yelled.

That got her attention as she stopped dead and spun around to glare at him once more.

“Of course not! I’m so relieved to see that you’re alright! But you scared me when you disappeared!” she retorted, pointing a finger at him. “What did you expect me to feel? Why did you jump in like that?!”

“I was trying to help!” he retorted, now growing angry.

“That is no reason for you to do something so stupid!” she yelled, startling him because she almost never yelled, “You could have died back there! And you think that I want that?! You of all people should know better! This works both ways!”

She shocked him into silence and he could do nothing more than stare stupidly at her as she huffed, her arms still folded. That was when he finally realized that she was shaking.

Looking back, he knew that she probably had it well in hand, and that him rushing in to help only complicated things. But it finally hit him just how much that she worried about them. Even though she was often doing the fighting, leaving the most powerful and dangerous foes to her, she still worried for them.

“I’m sorry,” he said as she calmed down enough. “Mayhaps… in hindsight, it wasn’t my smartest tactic. But when I saw them going after you…? I panicked and… I rushed in without thinking. I’m sorry if I worried you. But when I saw that you were alright, I was glad that you were spared getting hurt.”

She sighed as she refused to look at him.

“But, I don’t want you to worry for me,” he said, “Because, though I am still learning in a lot of ways, I can look after myself enough to get myself out of a lot of problems.”

“I know you can,” she said, and he was relieved to hear her sound much calmer now.

“I just… I guess I wanted to prove it too you that I could look after myself,” he said, his head lowered, “But I blew it.”

She shook her head.

“You distracted him long enough for me to kill it,” she pointed out, “And I’m sorry too, I guess I got cocky. I didn’t think that we would have problems with some local beasts.”

They stood in silence for a time, with him still wet from his swim.

After that unexpected turn… what were they to do?

Really, just to get himself to snap out of it and not seem like an idiot for just standing there, he came up with a plan.

"Come, I'll show you something,” he said and took her hand through the forest.

In all honesty, he didn’t know what to think when he saw her dancing about like that only that he was sweating as if he had just run malms. She didn’t seem to notice this as she dutifully followed after him, letting him guide her to who-knows-where. He didn’t have a destination in mind, and his thoughts were racing as he tried to think of an excuse.

That was when they came to the shoreline and he spotted the strange shaped island out in the middle of the lake and he was struck by inspiration.

He turned back to her and clapped his hands together as he stated, “Right, now for the next lesson!”

She tilted her head in confusion, not sure what he was saying before he reminded her how he promised her drawing lessons and that island out there was to be her model.

She blinked in surprise, but she laughed good-naturedly at that as she agreed—deciding that they did need something that didn’t involve something remotely dangerous. So, she pulled out a small notebook as she explained that she had used it as a kind of dream diary before where she would record her dreams, and now she was planning to make it more into a sketch book.

She didn’t let him read any of her more recent dreams, but he could make out a hastily scribbled handwriting, as if she had to write it all down in a hurry.

He didn’t ask about it though as she pulled out a pencil and he began to point out the unusual shapes of the island. He sat next to her, only occasionally taking her hand and moving it across the paper when he felt that she was struggling with the design. Like how he thought, she wasn’t half-bad for just a beginner.

But he sometimes noticed that she like to defer from the model and add a little something special. In this case, she had doodled several tiny pixies flying about the island.

When he asked her why she did that, actually looking up to the island to make sure that he wasn’t seeing anything that shouldn’t be there, she just chuckled and shrugged, confessing that she didn’t know just what it was that made her draw it. She only said that it felt right that way.

“Well, mayhaps we should focus more on drawing what we see for the time being,” he offered, “But those pixies were a nice touch.”

She chuckled again as she set to work and he realized how close they were, how he could feel the heat from her body and he suddenly became nervous for some reason.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” he stated suddenly. He didn’t mean to say it out loud, it was just something that he couldn’t help but think about and knew that he wasn’t going to stop being able to think about it until he said something.

She looked at him bewildered that he would bring that up now, and blushed red, as she confessed about how right before she came here, she had watched a dancing troop in Limsa and the dance leader of the troupe was convinced that she would make a good dancer.

“How could she have known?” he asked her, “Did she know who you were?”

She shook her head, confessing that they all looked to be from the Near East, and so while she wouldn’t have been surprised if they had heard of her, they didn’t recognize her right away.

“Though in truth, I would not mind planning a trip to Thavnair someday,” she said as she thought it over, “What do you know of it?”

“Not too much since I have never set foot there,” he confessed, “I heard that it is an island in the Sea of Jade. Thavnair is a large landmass and the city-state of Radz-at-Han is located there. I know that it’s also very similar to Ul’dah in that it’s mostly desert, but the people there are famed for their alchemy and… dancing girls.”

She laughed at that before confessing, “I see. I would like to see it someday.”

“Ah, forgive me, my friend,” he said suddenly, “But why did they think that you would make a good dancer? N-Not that you aren’t, it’s just that… well… they barely knew you. How could they think that?”

“Two reasons,” she said, “My teacher said that she has an eye for talent, or so she said.”

“And the other?”

“Apparently I have the perfect body for a dancer,” she shrugged.

Alright, there was no way she didn’t know what she was saying. And he thought he saw the shadow of a wink there and he realized that she was teasing him. He gave her a hard look back even as his ears were turning red. But he found it hard to be angry with her as she went back to trying to fill in the shadow of the picture.

“I only just started this new form of fighting, however,” she confessed, “So please don’t make fun of how little I know of it.”

Little? It was both stunning and frightening to look at. The way she moved about as the beast attacked made his heart feel like it was about to leap out of his chest.

“I thought you were beautiful,” he confessed.

Well, that brought on some level of awkwardness between them.

He risked a peek and he could see how red she was. She still had trouble accepting praise, and thinking that she was beautiful, this he already knew about. But it still hurt him to think of how little she saw herself… just didn’t realize what she meant to the people around her. Then again, he thought of all the time she was seen as a tool or even used by people to get what they wanted. The Crystal Braves… and himself… being prime examples. Mayhaps that went some way to explaining her attitude towards herself, but he felt that there was something else hidden deep down that she wasn’t telling him.

He wanted to ask, but he was struggling to find the words. Rather than risk upsetting her, he merely drew in closer, his toes dipped over the ledge and into the water as he wrapped a hesitant hand around her shoulders.

She looked up at him in surprise but leaned in immediately, almost on instinct, and he smiled as he took her hand once more and began to guide it over the paper. Soon though, it was less about drawing and more of intertwining their fingers together as they listened to the sounds of crickets and frogs singing as the darkening sky returned.

He looked up to the similar and different skies, and didn’t recognize any of the stars that were above him.

The people here had so much to learn about the night and everything else that was forgotten about in the last hundred years. He understood why the Cabinet worked so hard to save books, knowing that every little bit of information they saved was important and not to be forgotten. He couldn’t help but wonder just what else could have survived out there in this world. Surely there had to be more out there than that white, empty dust. Even creatures could survive in the Burn back on the Source—the closest place he could ever compare to the Empty.

Surely there had to be more out there…?

Though he knew that he would never live to see it. For once they were done here, they were to find their way back home. And once they did that, he found the odds of ever being able to return to be near impossible. Claire could come and go whenever she wished, and that was as much of a blessing as it was a curse. He could feel his lip twitching lightly at the thought of her being annoyed with them and teleporting straight here just to teach them a lesson.

He had to fight the laugh at the mental image and she asked what was so funny.

“Just thinking,” he confessed softly. “What do you think will become of this world? Once all the Lightwardens are dead and the people are free when we return Night to it? What do you think will happen?”

He glanced at her, and he could see how she seemed to freeze at the idea. He could tell right away though that she had given the matter a lot of serious thought and he waited patiently as she confessed, “This world will recover, one day, this I want to believe. But with such limited land?”

“It will be no small feat,” he nodded grimly. “If we can find a way to restore life to the Empty, it will give them the first steps to rebuild the world. Of course, I am not so foolish enough to believe that it will happen overnight. This will take a lot of time to recover and I know that the odds of us being around to see it are slim to none.”

He kicked a little bit, watching the way his toes created the perfect circles in the water and watched them fan out before adding, “Yet, if I can leave here knowing that we did our part, that we gave them the tools that they need, that would be enough for me. And, of course, we prevent the Eighth Umbral Calamity.”

That had been the one constant threat hanging over them.

They knew that it was coming, and soon. They would have to figure out what to do about the Black Rose. Even if they were able to stop the calamity from coming to pass, the Black Rose could still do a lot of damage. Urianger stated that Black Rose was dangerous enough on its own. The problem with all the added aether from the First flowing into the Star, it just amplified the Black Roses’ effects to catastrophic proportions. Returning Night to this world was but the first step. They would have to deal with Black Rose when they returned, and he doubted not that many would die if it was ever released.

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on such sad thoughts to a future that had not yet come to pass. Sure, Urianger saw a glimpse of what ‘might’ happen, but there was no certainty. And he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that he never saw it.

He didn’t want her to die.

“Please don’t die…” he whispered softly, not realizing he spoke those words out loud. He then felt her hand squeeze his own and looked up to see her looking sadly at him.

“I… I can’t promise that,” she whispered and he lowered his head grimly.

“I know… but promise me… promise me that you will do all in your power to protect yourself,” he told her as she looked on sadly. “You look after everyone but yourself…. So please…” he whispered as he squeezed her hand hard to try and stop his shaking, “Look after yourself for me. That’s all I want from you for Valentione’s Day.”

He knew that he was sounding more and more childish by the minute, but he didn’t care. He meant it. He didn’t want to see her die because she was looking after everyone but herself. That was when he felt her hand on his cheek and gently turned his head around to gaze her in the eyes.

“I’ll try,” she promised.

It was the best they could do. He knew that he couldn’t protect her, and in truth, he knew that he couldn’t do that even if he tried. She was more likely to do the protecting and rescuing than he ever could. But she kept her promises no matter what and this was the best he could hope for despite the situation.

They sat there in silence for a long time, gazing out at the quiet waters that were almost mirror smooth. It almost made him forget his fear of it before and how it almost claimed him eariler.

But sooner or later, he asked her if she had given anymore thought to what she wanted for Valentione’s Day, and she actually laughed until she realized that he was being serious.

“Hmm?” she asked, “Oh, no I’m sorry. I forgot about that.”

“What? Then what were you thinking about?” he demanded incredulously.

“Oh, I was just thinking that you may need a vacation when this is over,” she informed him and he looked at her, completely startled.

“A vacation? Why would you think that?” he asked.

“You work too hard,” she stated as if it was obvious.

“I—I work too hard?!” he demanded, unable to believe that she would think like that when she was the one pulling all the weight around here and he exclaimed, “Look at you! Even when you have time off you go running out to see who you can help! If there is anyone here who needs a vacation it’s you.”

“But you’re the one who’s so tense,” she pointed out.

He opened his mouth to protest, but when he saw her sweet look, all those annoyed feelings faded and he felt his heart flutter warmly in his chest. She giggled lightly to herself as she moved in a little closer to rest her head against his shoulder as they continued to watch the fireflies dance upon the lake.

“I love what I do,” she said, “But I do come to cherish these moments where it’s just us.”

His hand brushed against hers, his thumb running over her palm as he thought back to the days where they just had one thing to worry about at a time. Just this battle, this concern, this or that… but as time went on and the world began to rely upon them more and more, it just felt like they were on a train that was going faster and faster and they were in danger of being flung off the rails. Now, not only did they have to worry about primal threats, the Garlean Empire, old weapons of Allag, the Ascians, and with a war close to breaking out upon the horizon…?

They now had another entire world that they were struggling to save.

Those simpler days were now long since over. But there was no use crying about it. They had to focus on the salvation of two worlds and just handle this one day at a time. It was all they could do. He only wished that it didn’t take such a toll on her?

He couldn’t protect her from everything and he knew that he couldn’t promise that everything was going to work out. She didn’t want to be protected… rather, he realized that she needed to be cared for and he wanted to find a way to help her forget her struggles. At least from time to time.

“In that case,” he whispered as he looked at her as darkness settled in around them and fireflies began to appear along the lakeside, “I will be here to support you until that day comes.”

“Alphinaud…” she whispered and he felt a warm flow through him when she uttered his name. She looked like she wanted to say something—something seemed to be weighing upon her mind—but rather than say what it was, she just reached up to cup his cheek with her hand and gazed into his eyes so lovingly that he knew that he must have done something right in his life just to get this moment… he only wished he could remember what it was.

“Thank you,” was all she could say.

Suddenly, his hand was at her waist as he pulled her unexpectedly closer.

“May I… may I kiss you?” he asked slowly, which surprised her. Not that he blamed her, for they never needed to ask before.

He let his fingers trace over her cheek as he explained, “There is something… I would like to try? May I?”

Clearly curious, she nodded and he seemed to gather his courage. He watched as her eyes grew larger and his caressed this thumb over her lips, memorizing the exact shape of them before he leaned in and kissed them gently.

This kiss was chaste, but it was sweet and loving.

He hummed contentedly as their lips parted for a moment and he reached up to kiss the tired tears from her lashes away, he could taste the salt there before he found himself curious and moved his lips down across her cheek and to her neck.

Her dress revealed much more of her neck and shoulders that she normally would show off, so he had full access to skin that was normally covered by armor. A part of him was telling him that this was moving too fast, while the other part of his brain was saying that it was about time that they took a step forward.

Her skin was surprisingly was soft and felt delicate as he trailed the kisses from her neck and shoulders, trailing them across the collarbone. His lips paused when he felt a patch of skin that was rough compared to the rest and pulled his head away far enough to see what had been the cause of it. His lips had brushed over the scar that stretched across her body… the scar that he knew that a foe had given her…?

Though she would never say it, he knew how much she hated this scar. As if that bastard had marked her as his own in some way. He forced such thoughts out of his head, not wishing to dwell on them right now.

She hummed in delight and his heart thudded heavily in his chest, knowing that she enjoyed the strange sensation upon her throat. His fingers trailed up her spine before he pulled back to check on her reaction to this.

Goosebumps raced across her skin as he pulled away, her eyes stared deeply into his, her breath hot on his face, as his fingers trailed across the bandage that was just barely visible underneath the dress on her other shoulder from where Ran’jit’s dragon had bitten her before.

She was startled by his sudden boldness, but she was smiling at him as he felt her hand return to his face. He took her other hand with one of his own and kissed her palm lovingly, tenderly, which earned him a slightly wider grin. He responds the only way that he knew how and leaned into claim her lips once more.

This was far more fervent than before, or perhaps the better word was desperate. She responded by having her head roll back to allow him better access to her neck. He descended once more and kissed her neckline, which caused a rather shaky breath from her lips as he trailed across her throat with kisses.

That was when a sharp hiss escaped and he pulled back at once to see her eyes screwed up in pain.

“Are you alright?” he asked immediately and she forced a nod.

“I don’t know what that was,” she said as she looked at him with confusion in her face, “But it felt like a sharp jolt of pain shot through my chest?”

He blinked in concern, wondering if he should get her back to the Crystarium, but she shook her head, not wanting to go anywhere.

"I'm fine," she promised, "Just been feeling a little under the weather lately."

She didn’t want to go anywhere and he didn’t want to try. He placed his hand upon her thin waist and pulled her close again, merely resting his head against her own as they sat down underneath the tree that overlooked the lake.

What was he thinking?

They had an entire world to be concerned with, and he was pushing boundaries when neither of them had a clear idea what it was that they were supposed to do? He didn’t want to give in to his desire to get closer, but he couldn’t help himself, especially when it was just the two of them together.

But she didn’t say anything as she moved to rest her head against his chest, her body curling around him. He didn’t stop her or remind her that the others may be wondering where they were right now. Instead he began to brush through her hair, carefully undoing any knots his fingers found.

He just started to speak in a slow, soothing voice about anything that came to mind once again. Everything from his favorite sweet to the weather just to find something to soothe whatever pain she was trying to hide from him.

The whole time his fingers continued through her hair and she closed her eyes at the sensation until he was all but certain she had fallen asleep.

But the second he stopped, she whispered sleepily against his chest, “Please don’t stop.”

He really needed to be able to find some sign when she was sleeping or not. Because this little stunt was starting to lose its charm.

“Do you want to go back to the Crystarium?” he asked her and she shook her head so lightly that if her head wasn’t resting against his, he never would have noticed.

“Please, let’s stay… just for a little longer?” she asked as she snuggled her face into his front and breathed out deeply, becoming relaxed. He just rested his hand upon her head before resting his cheek against her temple while her breaths became softer as sleep seemed to be taking hold.

“If that is your wish…” he promised, just wanting to make sure she felt safe and happy at this moment. It could have been Dalamud falling right above them at that moment and he wouldn’t leave if this was what she wanted. “Happy Valentione’s Day my dearest one.”

He was like that for some few hours, letting her rest. But as the night wore on, he felt his own weariness begin to settle in and he was no longer able to fight the urge to close his eyelids. Once he drifted off, Claire’s eyes opened when she realized how quiet it was. Carefully moving her head, she could see him sleeping peacefully and she smiled at the sight of it. She felt so incredibly warm with his arms wrapped around her, holding her close… their limbs perhaps a little entangled, but she would be lying if she did not enjoy the feeling of his attention like this.

But no matter how she tried to reason with herself, she knew that they were playing with fire right now. They were heading straight off into the unknown from this point and she would be lying again if she did not confess that it worried her. There was a thousand things that could go wrong… and she could not hide the sensation that there were secrets and lies around every corner. She could all but feel the shadows that were reaching out with claw-like hands… and she was, once again, stumbling around trying to find answers.

She wished she knew what they were.

She cherished the time that she was away from worry and thought. Where she felt that she could truly focus on herself and something fun. She felt that she was locked up, chained against a wall, and she was straining herself trying to break free when the key was in sight… but could not be reached.

It was especially between battles that these troubling thoughts continued to haunt her worse than ever. Dark memories that tormented her soul and dragged her very spirit to someplace cold and dark… someplace she truly did not wish to be.

Alphinaud snorted slightly in his sleep and she blinked in surprise before wonderful feeling of love began to cast out those horrible feelings. The sight of seeing him so at ease with the world made her so happy, though she felt that it would normally be a strange thing to say. In truth, she would not mind if she could awaken with him at her side every day.

But the happiness inside her slowly deflated at those thoughts.

She let go of his hand and reached up to touch her chest to where she had felt that horrible jolt of pain. She didn’t know what it was, but it had hurt her, more painful than she could remember feeling in a long time. Mayhaps she should speak with the healers in the city when she returned, just to make sure that all was well. But then again, Y’shtola would soon be reunited with them and she wondered if she should ask her to give her an examination. Back when she first joined the Scions, whenever she returned from her missions, it was Y’shtola who would give her a quick examination just to make sure she was doing well.

But she made a promise. She vowed she would do what she could to save this dying world. She meant what she told Ardbert, the Exarch, and the others… she did not think it beyond saving and she truly wished to see it free.

No matter how hard or painful it got, she would grin and bear it… for their sakes.

If she must forsake herself to keep her promises… so be it.

But the memory of Alphinaud there with her… asking her what she wanted to do today, it kept coming back to her and she found her resolve falter.

“What do I want…?” she whispered to herself, staring out at the water though she could not seem to find the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Wow, I didn't realize just how bummed out everyone was when I said that I wasn't going to be doing a Valentine's Day chapter. I just thought that it would be hard to do that since there is no St. Valentinone in Norvrandt and therefore no celebration. And besides, I remember that I got some complaints about that before when I did an event and so I didn’t think so much of it, especially since Claire has no intention of returning to the Source for the foreseeable future and therefore is unlikely aware of what day it is. So I just had a hard time trying to come up with a chapter to celebrate the holiday of romance here. But then again, with the Scions now separating for the time being, perhaps this will be the last time we get some cutesy WOL/Alphie scenes until they return from the Greatwood. So I decided to make it so that they spread the idea of new holidays, because let’s face it, the people need some reasons to celebrate, don’t they?
> 
> Alright, so I gave it some thought to try and focus on what is important here. So I would think that the Exarch would want to give the people something to celebrate and so it's not Valentione's Day, but close enough. And besides, this chapter was a great chance to put in some more bonding moments and some good anguish here with Urianger. I don’t know why, but just the idea of how torn up inside he would be? I wish they explored more of that in the actual MSQ and when I thought of romance, I could not help but think of Moen and how heart-broken he was with her death. I don’t know just what kind of relationship they had, I just know that they were close and it was hard for him. It’s about time that we address that thought.
> 
> And then we have Alphinaud, who is slowly realizing the attention that the Exarch is giving to Claire and he is starting to feel the first stabs of jealousy here. Now he trusts her, and he knows that she can take care of herself, but there is still this edge of unease and mistrust between most of the Scions and the Exarch because, let’s face it, they don’t know who he is just yet or what else he could be planning. This is going to be especially interesting when Y’shtola, who definitely doesn’t trust the Exarch, or Urianger for that matter, gets back and she is not going to like what she sees.
> 
> But there is no reason for him to feel jealous, I think that the Exarch is married to the Crystarium and the Tower. I feel that it's more of an admiring love than anything. Emet-Selch on the other hand...?
> 
> Well, I’m sure that everyone is going to love what I have planned for the Greatwood. I promise it won’t be as long as the chapters for Il Mheg, but there is going to be some good scenes here when Y’shtola starts calling Urianger out and the truth of Zodiark revealed to them all. Anyway, this will be the last chapter before 5.2 comes out. Am going to be playing the new patch for at least a good week before I return to writing. Hope you are all looking forward to the journey through the Greatwood!
> 
> Also, to the person who answered my request to help me out with the recruit a friend campaign? Thank you so much! It means so much to me. I am hoping to get just a few more friends here because I reallllllllly want to get the mounts, and we only have a week left before the event is over but even if I don’t get anymore, I am still touched that someone answered my plea. Anyway, it was because I was so happy over that little gift that I decided to do the Valentione’s Day chapter as a bonus chapter. I have a couple more codes for someone to use before the campagin’s end so if you want to help me out, it would mean the world to me. ER297ZVH, 3E6DEY4H, 9RJRDX9R. 
> 
> So thanks so much again, and I hope to get back with you as soon as possible. Oh, and enjoy 5.2! Only one week left to go! Hopefully, this sweet chapter will keep you all entertained until then!)


	16. Into the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, the time has come to venture out to slay the next Lightwarden. This time their journey takes them into the heart of the woods of Rak'tika, where Y'shtola called her new home away from home. But it seems that another is joining them on their journey and won't take no for an answer. But as they get closer to the truth, when the lines between Light and Dark start to blend, what will become of our heroes next?

***Exarch***

There was no point in putting it off any longer.

The Exarch had hoped to be able to postpone his meeting with Lord Vauthry for as long as possible… preferably waiting until after the next Lightwarden fell before forced to confront him. But he knew that he was risking serious reprisals if he kept him waiting any longer and so when the messenger from Eulmore appeared, pressing just how impatient that Lord Vauthry was becoming as he showed him the message that bore Eulmore’s seal, he knew he couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

And just on the day when the Scions decided to venture out to the next location—it was just his luck. He could only hope that he would be able to return in time to witness the battle with the next Lightwarden. As childish as it sounded, he could not help but wish to watch her triumphant victory over the next warden.

Still, he took some comfort in the knowledge that he would at least be able to see them off before he left. Who knows? Mayhaps his meeting with Lord Vauthry would not go as disastrous as he expected it… though that was thinking optimistically at best.

So, after his morning rounds across the Crystarium, and finishing his instructions to Lyna to keep things under control while he was away; he awaited the Scions to join him in the tower. Urianger was the first one to appear, though he promised that the others were soon behind him.

“So it is decided to be Rak’tika then?” he asked and Urianger nodded.

“I do doth believeth that is our best course of action,” he said as gravely as always, “Though I must confess to being somewhat hesitant to meeting with Y’shtola once more, though I cannot deny that to see this mission through to the end, we will be needing her expertise now more than ever.”

“Of that, there is no doubt,” the Exarch said, but he looked away a little, still somewhat hesitant. “The problem is that she still doesn’t trust me. Nor can I completely blame her for her suspicions. But tell me, you know her better than I. Do you think that she will realize what we are doing?”

Urianger was silent for a moment as he tried to come up with an answer.

“Given enough time, I do believeth she will place the pieces together,” he said slowly, “She is sure to discover the Light that is now taken root inside our dear friend almost instantly. She will not take kindly to that.”

“Especially after realizing that Claire is unaware of what is happening to her,” the Exarch nodded grimly.

“I have come up with several excuses to give her should she demand answers, but I fear that they will not serve to pacify her for long,” Urianger confessed, “As soon as she realizes what is happening, she will wish to tell her…?”

There was an uneasy silence between them.

“We always knew that there was a good chance Claire would learn about this before the end,” the Exarch said slowly, guilt wracking his insides. “I had hoped that we would have more time…?”

Urianger hesitated there for a long moment before asking, “There is yet time…? Mayhaps we could postpone the slaying of the other wardens and search for another solution? One where no one needth…?”

But the Exarch silenced him with a sad smile.

“I know that I ask a great deal from you, Urianger,” he said softly, “But we have already talked about this. It is a small price to pay for the fate of the world if we but sacrifice one person.”

The Exarch sighed as he lowered his head grimly before adding, “Though I know that she deserves to know the truth, it is yet critical that she continue on this path. You know this. I can only hope you can forgive me one day for what must be done to ensure that the First’s survival.”

Urianger gave him a wretched look, but he didn’t say anything to counter that when there was a knock at the door. Thancred had arrived with Minfilia on his heels, and the twins showed up only a few minutes later. All they had to do was wait for Claire to join them and they can finish discussing their plains.

When the doors opened again, he turned back to them, ready to greet the Warrior of Darkness… when his voice caught in his throat at who was there instead.

The others all turned and he could feel the tension in the room when they realized who it was who had arrived. They all seemed too stunned to really think of anything to say… more shocked by the Ascian’s boldness of appearing in front of them as if he had not a care in the world.

“What are you doing here?” Alisaie demanded, the first to find her tongue as Emet-Selch strolled across the floor and walked by them all as if they weren’t there.

“Now, now, is that any way to treat a guest?” Emet-Selch asked in a bored way as he ambled around the room. “I am merely here to hear about your next expedition out into the big wide world of the First… or what’s left of it, anyway. Now, where is it that we are planning to head off to?”

No one dared to answer him, but he didn’t seem to be expecting one as he continued to pace around the room, seemingly fascinated by the crystal walls.

“Oh come now, can’t answer a simple question? Don’t make me guess. There is so little of this world left that it’s no fun trying to,” he said jeeringly, “Let us see…? We have Lakeland and Il Mheg taken care of. So that just leaves… Amh Araeng, Rak’tika, and Kholusia, is that no so?”

Again, no one answered, but it wasn’t until he looked around, and it was clear who he was looking for.

“Now where has our vaulted hero gone to now? Sleeping in? Hardly hero material,” Emet-Selch stated calmly, almost amused.

No one said a word as they watched him, glaring with dislike in each of their faces… especially from Thancred who was looking at the Ascian as if expecting him to attack them all at any moment.

The Exarch felt as if he was suddenly up on display with the way that Emet-Selch was gazing at him. As if he were a curious work of art that he was trying to figure out the meaning too. He didn’t show any signs of annoyance, but he truly did not like the way he was gazing at him… the way he tilted his head as if trying to get a glimpse of his face hidden beneath the cowl.

He remained still, forcing himself to remain calm until the doors opened again, revealing that it was Claire this time. She looked tired, but he was gladdened to see her appearing well otherwise. Alisaie was the first to turn and spot her and stated rather stiffly, “Ah, there you are. You’re just in time to welcome our guest.”

Claire seemed confused at this before she looked up and he could see how her eyes widened with surprise at the sight of their ‘guest’. Once he was aware that she had joined them, Emet-Selch turned his attention away from the Exarch and now onto her… which the Exarch liked even less. Claire just gave the Ascian a cold look, not saying anything, but Emet-Selch just gazed at her before shaking his head.

“Please,” he said with slight exasperation as her dark look, “Did I not explicitly tell you that we would be meeting again soon? Lest you forget, I made you a promise. I have no intention of meddling with your mission. I come only to observe.”

He then tipped his head and added, with half a glance back to the Exarch with curiosity in his tone, “Your Exarch friend in particular has piqued my curiosity. Summoning you all like that. Most impressive.”

The Exarch glared back, though he knew that Emet-Selch likely couldn’t see it from under the hood. But he was more surprised by Claire, who had taken a step forward, as if silently warning Emet-Selch not to touch him. Mayhaps he only imagined that protective stance… or mayhaps it was more along the lines of protecting the others… either way, he found himself touched by it.

Thancred, who had pulled Minfilia back so that he was standing protectively in front of her, just snarled at him.

“You honestly expect us to believe you’ve come only to observe?” he growled as he folded his arms, “Or that you might deign to lift a finger to aid our cause if called upon? Even if there were there a sliver of truth in your words, I would never accept your help. Not in my darkest hour—not after all the suffering your kind has wrought.”

Emet-Selch shrugged, as if getting rid of an obnoxious fly or something.

“So petty,” he said, already sounding bored, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant.”

But then all trace of lightness seemed to fade from his voice as he continued on very seriously, “Wage your war against the sin eaters. Put each and every Lightwarden to the sword. Prove yourselves heroes brave and true, and I will be glad to embrace you as allies.”

That was when the Exarch noticed that he was looking directly at Claire again… and the way his attentions seemed focused upon her, it was clear that it was to her that he was giving his advice.

“Allies worthy of bearing the burden of truth. Surely such a partnership would be preferable to yet another round of fisticuffs?” Emet-Selch added slowly, so that none could miss what he said. Perhaps it was the scholar in him that perked up at the mysteries that the Ascians held… but he found himself greatly interested in what he knew all of a sudden. But not so much that he was willing to make a deal with them.

But if the others were interested as well, no one spoke a word, and instead just looked on doubtfully, as if they could not care less what he had to say. Emet-Selch noticed this and shrugged.

“…And thus did the olive branch wither and die,” he sighed with a melancholy shake of his head, “Pity.”

Well, he honestly could not expect them to listen after all that he and his had done before, did he? The Exarch was about to politely ask him to leave, but Emet-Selch seemed to have grown weary of their company.

“Well—let no man say I did not try, futile as it was,” he stated, and he readied to leave on his own, “Though I suspect you will seek me out when you grow tired of making the same mistakes. Difficult decisions lie ahead of you. Decisions best made with the benefit of knowledge to which only the eternal are privy.”

The Exarch didn’t like how he was speaking to her… there was just something in the way that his eyes seemed to be boring into hers… as if he was trying to see something else there. But he remained silent as Emet-Selch brushed some dust off his shoulders and turned around.

“For now, I shall resume my shadowy vigil,” Emet-Selch told them calmly, “Whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s worth watching, would you.”

He walked off to the side before disappearing into a portal of darkens… not leaving so much as a trace behind that he had been there.

There was another stretch of silence from everyone as they slowly grasp what just happened.

“What was that all about?” Alisaie questioned, finally breaking the uneasy silence around them.

“A vain attempt to make us doubt our chosen course, most like,” Thancred shrugged, “As if we’d believe a word that passed his lips.”

But Thancred was frowning in thought as he said that, as if he was suddenly wondering if there was more to it than he first thought. He paused there before looking to Claire and asked, “Unless you think there is some truth in what he says?”

Claire seemed surprised that he would ask her, but she did give it some thought before coming up with an answer.

“A kernel, perhaps…” she admitted rather grudgingly. The Exarch had to agree with that. While one cannot trust the words of an Ascian, he would be very much surprised if he was lying completely. Still, that still peaked his curiosity, and he was suddenly wondering just what more that Emet-Selch could tell them. But that wasn’t important right now.

The others all continued to look uneasy at this news, but after discussing it for a moment longer, they all came to the agreement that if he meant to simply lead them astray, he could have done so without revealing himself. At least, not in the manner he did.

“It goes without saying that an alliance with the Ascians is out of the question,” Alphinaud said, “But since we have no way of knowing where they might be hiding, it seems only logical to press on with our mission—even if our enemy seems content for it to succeed.”

“Then let us discuss the sin eaters,” the Exarch said as he stepped forward, wanting to get right back to business. The last thing that he wanted was for them to become distracted from their mission to slay the Lightwardens because of Emet-selch. So he cleared his throat and began, “I would begin by thanking you all for your efforts thus far. In striking down the Lightwardens of Lakeland and Il Mheg, you have accomplished more in your short time here than all of our forces managed in the last century.”

“That may be, but the Wardens of Kholusia, Amh Araeng, and Rak’tika remain,” Thancred pointed out.

“Indeed,” he acknowledged with a nod, “And their precise whereabouts are as yet unknown. Which is why I propose we divide our forces and conduct a systematic survey of each region. Once we have found our quarry, we may then determine how best to proceed.”

This was the one biggest problem that they had with the Lightwardens… finding them. Despite their size and power, trying to track one down was difficult… not only because most would never want to meet a Lightwarden in the flesh, but unlike their lesser kin, they were much more intelligent than one would think. The only warden whose location they were aware of was Titania and that was because she was sealed away inside the castle in Il Mheg… and the only reason they were able to slew the warden of Lakeland so quickly was because it had conveniently came out of hiding and gave them the chance to slay it.

But for the other locations, they had no idea where to look to first. Since there wasn’t a dire need for all of them to head off to the same location at once, he felt that their sources would best be served if they split up for the time being. And like he had hoped…?

“I’ll take Amh Araeng, in that case,” Alisaie volunteered, “I know the lie of the land well enough.”

“If there are no objections, I will make for Kholusia,” Alphinaud added, “I have connections there both in and around Eulmore that may prove useful.”

Excellent. In truth, he could not picture better people to investigate those two locations, knowing that they both spent a great deal amount of time there.

“Then I would ask that you journey to Rak’tika,” he added to Claire and the others. “There you will find Y’shtola. With her assistance, I doubt the Warden will evade your grasp for long.”

Minfilia’s ears perked up at the name.

“Is Y’shtola the conjurer you and Urianger used to talk about?” she asked Thancred curiously, who nodded back.

“That’s right,” he confirmed for her, “Though we haven’t spoken much since she left for the forest.”

Ah yes… he remembered that day all too well. In the few first weeks after she arrived, Y’shtola hung onto every word that he had as he told her about the First and of the plights here. He felt that it was the least he could do for her since he was the one at fault for bringing her here with no warning. She quickly poured over almost every book that they had in the Cabinet, but when she came to him with countless other questions… such as how did he summon the Crystal Tower here? How did he know about Claire? How was he able to bring them here? Who was he? And what was it that he was planning?

He found himself struggling to find answers that would satisfy her and once she realized this, her attitude towards him had turned unbelievably cold. When she learned of the ruins of Ronka—an ancient empire where the ruins remain to this day—in the forests of Rak’tika, she decided to set out on her own and see what she can learn of it all.

Since then, he had tried several times to contact her, just to find out how she was doing, but either his missives never made it through or she was actively ignoring him.

“I fear I may be to blame for that,” the Exarch confessed, rather guiltily, “I had every intention of relaying the news of your arrival, but she is… disinclined to speak with me. You have visited her, have you not? Might I trouble you to…?”

“Twould be no trouble,” Urianger promised, and the two of them shared a look, knowing that Y’shtola was not going to be easy to calm after all this.

“My thanks,” he said gratefully, “While you are all out in the field, I shall be here attending to business. I had somewhat fancifully contemplated joining the search myself, but other matters demand my attention.”

He then pulled the letter with the heavy wax seal and showed it to them.

“What’s that?” Alisaie asked curiously and he grimly told them of how it was a message from Lord Vauthry, and how he was ‘invited’ to discuss matters in Eulmore.

“And?” Alisaie pressed him, “Did he even bother to offer any bait? It’s obviously a trap.”

“I should be surprised if it were not,” he confessed, having already come up with over a dozen different outcomes of what Vauthry could be up to. In the end, he had come up with several… safeguards should something happen. Still, he felt that if he did not take this chance to speak with him now, he never would. Though he knew that it was naïve to believe that he could still turn Vauthry’s line of thinking around about the sin eaters… to encourage them to fight with them instead of against them… he felt that he owed it to the people of Eulmore to at least try. And so he answered her, “Nevertheless, I must seize this opportunity to speak with him, even if only a few words are exchanged. Though my power will be much diminished so far from the tower, it is a risk I am willing to take.”

He tucked the invitation inside his robes before turning to Alphinaud and asked, “Master Alphinaud—might I impose upon you to accompany me to Eulmore, prior to beginning your reconnaissance?”

“Of course,” Alphinaud agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

So their plan was made and they were ready to take the next step. The Exarch had faith that it would all work out in the end. He had faith they would be able to find something that could help them with the next part of their mission. As for the group heading to Rak’tika, he was ready to place his faith in Urianger to guide them to Y’shtola, who should be instrumental in finding the next warden.

If nothing else, he hoped that he would be able to keep Vauthry’s attention upon himself and give the others the time they need to continue their search.

“Then let us make ready,” the Exarch said, “Safe travels to you all.”

***Claire***

They had a plan, and they were getting ready to head out. She felt herself growing more and more excited at the thought of visiting this new area. From what she came to learn that since Amh Araeng was the First’s version of Thanalan, and Kholusia was the version of La Noscea… this Rak’tika would probably be very similar to the Twelveswood.

“Minfilia and I are no strangers to Rak’tika, but this is perhaps the first time we’ve bothered entering through the proverbial front door,” Thancred informed her when she asked about the Greatwood.

“Is it far from here?” she asked.

“Not terribly,” he admitted, “It’s to the northeast of here. Should take us only a few bells to reach the outskirts and see if we can track down Y’shtola. She would probably know more about the woods than anyone else here.

He then looked to Urianger and questioned, “You were the only one of us who had seen her since she first left for the woods, haven’t you?”

Urianger nodded and promised that he had a decent idea to where they could find her and told them to prepare. He was already glancing at a map to determine the shortest route through the Greatwood when Claire looked to the twins, who were already discussing the quickest way to get to their respective locations and where to begin searching.

“There are so many ruins scattered throughout Amh Araeng… I’m honestly not even sure where to start,” Alisaie shrugged to her brother.

“I confess, a great deal of my time in Kholusia was spent befriending the people, but that is not to say I gave no thought to our primary goal,” Alphinaud confessed softly and she could already see him making mental notes on where he was going to begin his search. Hopefully, he would be able to lay low as he searched across Kholusia since they were still considered to be ‘wanted criminals’ in that area. Alisaie seemed to be thinking along the same lines, at least judging from her worried expression, which he replied to, “Once I have escorted the Exarch to Eulmore, you can be certain I will do all I can to discern the whereabouts of any Warden that may be hiding in Kholusia.”

Claire stepped forward, and both turned to her immediately when they noticed her standing there. Alisaie just gave her a sunny smile, promising that she wasn’t going to return until she found some information for them. Claire nodded, but Alphinaud suddenly seemed rather tense as he looked at her.

“Claire…” he said slowly as he gazed at her, "If it's not too much trouble, before you leave, I was hoping to ask you something?"

She looked back with mild surprise and he seemed a little taken aback by his own action. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, only to immediately close it when he realized that Alisaie was still standing there and watching the scene with great interest.

"Alone, please?" he asked rather jittery.

Alisaie blinked, as if stunned that he was telling her to get lost, but she shrugged and wandered off, going over to speak with Minfilia and wish her safe travels. Once they were alone, Alphinaud took a deep breath before he found his voice.

"I'm sorry for requesting this right now," he told her quietly, and she could tell that he was speaking softly so that he was certain that his sister—who was on the other side of the room now—but she could tell she was making no effort to hide the fact she was trying to listen in to their conversation. "But after last speaking with you the other day by the lake...? I realized that you had not told me what it was that you wanted?"

She wasn't sure what it was that she was expecting him to talk about... but it wasn't that. 

"Oh," she stammered, suddenly nervous. "Well...?"

"I know that it's a bit unexpected," he murmured, "But, I have to confess that I'm growing concerned."

"About...?"

"About us...?" he said softly, "I just... I've been giving this a lot of thought over this last year and in light of all that is happening, I felt that it was for the best to wait until after all the Lightwardens are dead before broaching the subject. But the other day... when we were talking? I came to the realization that... I don't know what I want from the two of us. And judging by... all this... I suspect that you don't know either...?"

Claire felt herself turning red as she looked down. 

She hadn't wanted to bring it up to him, but the truth was that he was right on the mark. She didn't know what it was that she truly wanted from this relationship... hells, she didn't even know what to call it. But it did feel like they were just running around in circles at this point and it was feeling somewhat... stagnant. 

"I... I've given it a lot of thought," he said, "And since we have separate missions for now, I was hoping that... well, mayhaps we can use this time to really think about it and then... discuss it when we return?"

Claire, who had been looking at the floor, suddenly glanced up at that.

"To think about it?" she repeated and he nodded, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. 

"The time I spend with you is something that I treasure," he said, embarrassed, "But... after the other day... while we were talking. I came to see just how little that we actually seem to know about ourselves and how little we know what we really want. So... I know we've talked about this before, but I feel like I'm finally ready to discuss where to go from here."

"Truly?" she asked, truly surprised that he was bringing it up now and she wasn't sure what to make of it. 

He nodded and he gave her an embarrassed smile.

"I really do want to feel like we can move forward with this," he said, "But I came to the painful insight that until I really know what I want, we can't take that step."

She thought the matter over at what he was suggesting before realizing that he was right. 

How can they hope to move forward if they didn't want to figure out where to go from here? She suspected that their missions would take at least a few days... depending on how soon they can find the Lightwardens. 

“So, while we’re away from each other, I want us to really think about what we really want,” he told her, “And out of this relationship. I want to be with you but I don’t want to stay at this same place forever either. Like we have to hide everything… I think I’m finally ready to talk about it.”

She nodded in understanding before she smiled.

“Alright,” she said, “I’ll try and come up with an answer by the time that I return. And then we’ll talk more then.”

He smiled back as he brushed his hand against hers.

“It’s a promise,” she said and she felt her heart grow warm as it blossomed in her chest like she had sunk into a warm bath after a hard day.

“Good,” he said, “And I’m sure I don’t need to add this, but… please be careful out there. I will be eagerly awaiting your victorious return.”

He paused for long enough to press a kiss to her wrist before they returned to the others. The others hadn’t noticed the two of them speaking to each other… all but Alisaie. She didn’t speak up, but her eyes narrowed at the sight as she turned her head away. She remained quiet as Claire spoke a few final words with the Exarch, who wished them a safe journey.

As they were getting ready to head out, however, he had one more request to make.

“There is a church—or rather, the ruins of a church—at Fort Jobb,” he informed to her, “Might I ask that you go there before seeking out Y’shtola? It was a place where people once gathered to worship the Light. Alas, it has long since fallen into disuse. Yet within that hall there remains a tablet whose writings I believe may prove of use to Y’shtola. At the very least, such a relic would make a suitable gift for your reunion.”

Urianger agreed to the idea and so they promised to stop by there real quick, especially since it was along the way to the woods.

So after waving off to the others, she set off with Minfilia, Thancred, and Urianger. Claire asked a little more about Rak’tika, being the only one of them who had yet to see the woods. Urianger was the first to start speaking… and she did her best to listen. Yet her mind tended to wander when Urianger started his lecture: something that Thancred once told her that it was to be expected. He warned, with a slight grin, that if they let Urianger speak, his sermons tended to bore people into a stupor. The thing was that Urianger's voice was so somnolent that even the most dedicated of students struggled to remain awake whenever he droned on.

"Just don't let him get into aetherology," Thancred warned him in a whisper so that Urianger couldn't hear him. "Trust me on this, I learned that the hard way."

Claire smiled back, trying her best to listen, but instead, she found herself thinking more and more about what Alphinaud had requested.

What did she want with Alphinaud?

Full many times did they plan to talk about it but never really talk?

She knew he cared for her, but every single time they tried to really sit down and talk about a possible future, either something interrupted them or they were unwilling to shake the boat and press the matter out of fear of something happening.

What were they anyway? That was another thing that she struggled to even name... sweethearts perhaps? It was often frustrating and she was glad to see that she wasn't the only one who struggled with this back and forth dance between them by now.

But that was also a conversation that she dreaded speaking about. For no matter what way she tried to reason with herself, justify her position, she knew that her future was not certain. Especially after learning how she was doomed to die from Black Rose. She did not dare speak of it to the others, not wishing to burden them with her own fears of her impending death—yet it was always at the back of her mind, whispering to her like a dark shadow looming over her. How she may die, how she was _supposed_ to die, and it terrified her. 

Now she knew that everyone was fighting to prevent that future, which she was grateful for, but even if they were able to prevent the First from being destroyed and prevented the Eight Umbral Calamity... she still could not honestly say that she would have a future after that.

Warrior of Light... Warrior of Darkness... Liberator... Savior... and all those other horrible titles that she had come to despise.

Especially with the threat of the Empire still waiting for her when she gets back. 

She couldn’t promise him anything, could she? She could not pretend that she didn’t have all these worries and fears hanging over her head. She couldn’t promise him that she would return every single time… nor that she would even live past tomorrow. She could not promise a future with him.

She wanted him to understand, to accept that she may not be able to give him all that he could truly want. But what did he want, she wondered? Would he grow tired of fighting and wish a more quiet life? Perhaps marriage and children one day? She confessed that she had never given such a thought if she would desire something like that.

Yet, even if she had, she did not think that she would ever be able to settle down or have children. Not at the rate she was going anyway. Would it not be better if he found another would could give him those things? In her head, she felt that was better, but the idea of him with another felt like someone was tightening a steel cord around her neck and making it impossible to breathe.

“Are you alright?” Thancred’s voice interrupted her thoughts and her head jerked up immediately when she realized that they were looking directly at her.

“Sorry, what…?” she asked startled.

Thancred only chuckled and punched Urianger’s shoulder in a teasing way as he exclaimed, “I think your voice has claimed another victim, Urianger.”

Claire passed off her far away thoughts on Urianger’s lecture, which the others seemed to believe, though she did cast an apologetic glance over at Urianger as they continued onwards. Maybe she was overthinking things this time. She decided that she would speak to Y’shtola about this when they next saw her, and hoped she would have some advice for her.

So they trooped across Lakeland once more, letting Urianger led the way to Fort Jobb, where they found the remains of the church that they were looking for. Not that there was much left there after a hundred years. Above ground, you could barely even tell that it had once been a church at all, the ruins were so badly faded. Down below, however, was intact—finding various artifacts and books, even some enchanted candles that were still burning after who knows how many years. None of them knew what this tablet would look like, but after a long search, she eventually spotted something underneath the altar and pointed it out to the others. They seemed more impressed that she was able to spot something so small, hidden out of sight, and in the dark than the actual tablet itself.

Urianger brushed some of the dust off it as they went above ground again to get a better look at it. She couldn’t make heads or tails of the faded, ancient writing that was scrolled upon the stone as Urianger examined it with quiet curiosity for a few minutes before tucking it safely away inside his robes.

After leaving the church, they crossed over Lakeland and headed to the northeast, where it would take them to the borders of the Rak’tika Greatwood.

“When was the last time that you came to visit her anyway, Urianger?” Thancred asked Urianger, who nodded.

“Only but a few times,” he confessed, before admitting that when he visited the woods was almost two years ago, shortly before a sin eater attack. He had parted ways with Y’shtola after the fires had been put out and she chose to remain with the Night’s Blessed. When Claire looked on with confusion, he took this opportunity to tell her more of what Y’shtola had been up too since they last saw her.

Apparently she had settled with a group known as the Night’s Blessed and was now going under the name of Master Matoya. Claire was surprised by this until Urianger explained the reasons for it. He told them all about the history, or what he knew of it, and the Church of the Night’s Blessed. People who revered no gods, but rather the darkness itself, and after the Flood, they settled in the woods under the cover of the dark tree branches. Because of how destructive the Light could be, in an effort to protect themselves, the Night’s Blessed went by two names. Their true names, that were to be spoken only among family and close friends, and never spoke of outside the shade of the trees… and a name that is given to them to protect them from the Light.

It sounded strange to her, but it seems that it was common for many among the Night’s Blessed to take upon the names of their teachers and mentors to protect them. And so it would make sense that Y’shtola would chose Master Matoya’s name for her own while here.

Claire had to fight the smile at the thought of what the real Master Matoya would say if she ever learned of this.

Still, Urianger warned them all that they were to call Y’shtola by this title unless they were alone, least they risk upsetting any of the Blessed. Which they agreed to in the end.

Soon enough, they left Lakeland behind them and the vivid violet of the trees took on warmer and more natural tones while the bark of the trees grew thicker and more gnarled until they resembled old men as they stared down upon them.

No sooner did she wonder about that did Ardbert appear to her once again. Unlike the last few times she saw him, whereas he seemed content to trail behind her, this time he walked with her.

“No matter how far he goes, man cannot resist looking back on the path he has walked,” he told her, as they walked side by side now. “The untold stories and secrets of the past can be more alluring than the promise of tomorrow.”

She could see his distant expression as he gazed at the trees in front of him and added, “And so he braves the forests of Rak’tika in search of mystery and wonder. Of Ronka, to which all seekers of hidden truths are inevitably drawn…”

“Ronka…” she whispered and he nodded to her.

“Pardon?”

She blinked, realizing that Urianger had heard her speak and she quickly cleared her throat as she said that she had a friend who mentioned the name of Ronka to her before and she was curious about it.

Urianger looked surprised at this, but he confessed what he knew of the old empire, though it amounted to very little. He just said that the Empire was once a highly advanced civilization that had made Rak’tika their home but the empire had fallen long ago.

“Little do I doubt that our dear Y’shtola, or Master Matoya, would be able to give a more thorough explanation of the ruins of Ronka,” he said and she nodded as they walked on for a few more minutes before stopping again.

She could smell the earthy scents of the forest, so like the Twelveswood, that she half expected a moogle to poke its head out from a tree and began kupoing. She cracked a smile at that thought as a strong musk also began to drift through the air with the humidity of water and so she expected that were near a swamp at this point. She could see tall cliffs and enormous tree trunks stretching over or around them until it felt that they were connecting bridges that crossed over the entire area like a knotted string.

“We have arrived,” Urianger said and they looked around, “Vast though these woods may be, they are, by and large, uninhabitable. Not so the swamps of Citia, however, whose sparse foliage permitted man a foothold.

The first thing that came to her mind was just how big this place was. How were they to find Y’shtola?

She was getting ready to ask when she heard footsteps behind her and she turned around to see who it was. To her shock, it was Emet-Selch once again, strolling along the path towards them and walked right by them—causing the others to jump in surprise. He didn’t pay them any attention though as he came to stand at the front of their group and gazed at the trees with his hands outstretched.

“No lands must remain beyond our grasp. Go forth. Conquer. Rule,” the Ascian announced, his arms wide beneath the speckled light that drifted about them like petals on the wind. But then his shoulders slumped as if he was suddenly struggling under a great weight and sighed, “Forgive me. A sudden pang of nostalgia for those halcyon days.”

Every muscle in her body tensed up as he slowly turned and cast his gaze upon her in a rather bleak way as he explained, “Exploring virgin territories, subjugating primitive peoples. All for the glory of Garlemald.”

If he was trying to make friends, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Especially reminding them all that he was the cause of so much fighting from within Garlemald and that so many of their problems were because of him.

“If you’ve brought your ivory standard, I’ll be happy to tell you where to stick it,” Thancred snarled, not wanting to listen more than he had to.

She then watched as Emet-Selch rolled his eyes, as if he felt that he was dealing with young children who didn’t understand what was being said.

“Can we not simply take a moment to enjoy the view together?” he asked him in a bored way. “Or would you rather I spied on you from the shadows?” Oh, there was no doubt in her mind as he turned to gaze upon her once again in that same curiosity as he did before… like he was trying to figure her out. It was clear to them that he was watching them from the beginning… and she was suddenly more annoyed than anything else here. First Ardbert, the Exarch… and now she had to contend with an Ascian watching her every step? Did none of them know of personal space?

“Much more of this, and I may very well begin to regret my show of good faith,” Emet-Selch scolded, as if explaining why a child wasn’t going to be allowed any sweets after dinner for speaking out.

Thancred folded his arms and shook his head, not liking how he was being patronized like this. But Minfilia, who was normally so shy to speak, said in a shaky voice, “If… If you really want to stay, then help us fight.”

They all stared at her, as if she had grown an extra head, but she looked on firmly as Emet-Selch seemed to think it over… or at least put on an act of thinking it over.

“Mmm… No, I think not,” he confessed, “I am an observer - nothing more. Even shielded by the shadows of these boughs, I feel the Light’s presence most keenly. To accompany you is taxing enough. To fight is out of the question.”

Claire wasn’t so sure how she felt about it. She could not help but think that they had just invited a wolf to walk alongside a flock of sheep. But the others didn’t seem to like the way that he seemed to come and go at his will, and rather than admit that they had no say in the matter, they decided that the best way to deal with him was to just ignore him.

“I will suffer your company if I must,” Thancred warned, “but not your commentary.”

But as Emet-Selch merely glanced about the woods, she clearly heard Thancred hiss to Urianger, wondering if there was something they could do about their unwelcomed ‘tag-a-long’. Though Urianger could only shrug back, unable to think of anything he could say to defuse the situation.

“Tis plain our Ascian counterpart meaneth to follow wheresoever we lead,” Urianger said, “Were it otherwise, he would not suffer the overabundance of light in these woods. Verily, it pervadeth every corner… and so long as the Lightwarden remaineth, the sin eaters shall be free to prey upon these lands without surcease. If naught is done, ‘tis but a matter of time before the Blessed succumb.”

Perhaps out of a need to try and keep the peace, she asked more of the Night’s Blessed and if they had a village or settlement nearby.

“Two years past, a swarm of sin eaters did lay waste unto their largest settlement, killing a great many of their priests in so doing,” Urianger explained, “Though some few did survive, they knew not how to go on. Wayward souls in want of a guiding hand. For a mercy, Y’shtola hath provided that which they sorely needed. They have since endeavored to restore their home, and thither shall we bend our steps—to Fort Gohn.”

He led them along what one would kindly call a path through the woods.

In the end, they walked along together down the dirt path and stepped into the shade of the trees. Though the walk was quiet and calm, she could not relax with the thought of Emet-Selch following along behind them.

It was very tense, and Claire was trying to figure out just what Emet-Selch was planning as he glanced around the woods with a distant expression on his face. There it was again… how he looked both old and young together in his face. Though she supposed that it really shouldn’t be too surprising since he was near immortal and the body he was using was only temporary… at least that was what she was lead to believe.

“What is it now?” he asked when he noticed that she was looking at him, “Do you expect me to regale you with friendly banter? Oh, very well. I will humor you this once. You may consider it my latest act of good faith. Come on, then. What do you wish to know?”

Just like that? Well, he was at least being open to questions. She had many burning inside her, but most of the ones that she longed to ask, she highly doubted that he would answer her. At most, she would get riddles and half-truths that were set to only confuse her. So rather than risk that, she decided on a question that would hopefully give her a straight answer.

“Why choose this form here in the First?” she asked.

“Well, well, what a curious question,” he said as he thought it over, “Mortal flesh is but the vessel into which we Ascians pour the elixir of our souls, molding it as fits the occasion. Or not, if we so choose. Be it for a year or a millennium, I prefer to retain the same form until my duty is done. So, after arriving here in the First, I fashioned some hapless body into the man you see before you. Though as your friend over there can attest, there are those of us who forgo such alterations. He was ever the rash one, Lahabrea. Jumping from vessel to vessel. Never heeding the toll it took on him.”

She heard Thancred growl from behind her.

“If he never opened his mouth again, it would be too soon,” she heard him hiss under his breath, but she pretended not to listen as they walked on. Thancred never took his eyes off Emet-Selch the whole way into the woods, and always made sure that Minfilia stood behind him along the way. Urianger, also, watched him like a hawk, and seemed ready to leap into action should something happen. But it was clear to them all who he was truly interested in. he didn’t outwardly show it, but the way he walked side by side with her… how his rather mocking grin seemed to fade into something more genuine as he looked at her and how his eyes seemed to soften.

She wasn’t sure what any of that meant though.

Still, no one spoke as they continued the rest of the way to what looked to be the ruins of what could only be Fort Gohn. She gazed around in surprise at this place… seeing that this had once been a well sized village. She could see the remains of houses and barns, smashed crates and barrels that were stacked around them with even a tall watchtower standing overhead; but everything was covered in a blackened char and she could smell the scent of smoke clinging to the buildings while ash was kicked up with every step she took.

She could only imagine just how massive the fire had to have been.

The others were looking anxious as they examined the buildings, or what was left, around them and tried to find a sign that people were in this area recently.

“I see little sign of recent activity, nor hath any meaningful progress been made with the reconstruction…” Urianger said as he bent down to examine the ground, even gathering up a handful of ash and watched it blow off his hands from the light breeze before stating, “Mayhap Y’shtola sought shelter elsewhere. Come, let us quiet this place.”

She was all for that. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something… eerily familiar about this place. Like she had seen this before… a village caught up in a raging firestorm…? She could feel the answer at the back of her mind but…?

“Now! Surround them!”

Her head jerked up immediately, but it was too late. Before any of them knew what was happening, they were surrounded on all sides. A group of people, dressed in long robe-like clothes decorated with beads and feathers had suddenly appeared around them and they each had a weapon raised up and drawn—ready to attack.

At once, Urianger raised his arms slowly, showing that they mean no harm, and the others soon followed suit. Even Emet-Selch raised his arms, though he looked annoyed than anxious like the rest of them.

Claire stood very still as their ambushers were looking at them curiously, as if struggling to make sense of them.

“These sin eaters - they are not like the others!” a black and white striped Hrothgar, or the Ronso said, his brow furrowed.

Sin eaters? Do they look like those monsters? How could they not tell the difference? Thancred was looking as taken aback as she felt by that comment and called, “There’s a reason for that. Lower your weapons, please. We mean you no harm.”

But instead of defusing the situation, they all took a step back, staring at them with shock as one of them asked, “How is it they can speak?”

The hands that were holding onto his bow was shaking as one of the others, a woman this time, answered coldly, “It’s a sin eater trick. They mean to kill us all!”

Ok, she could understand that these people were a bit isolated from the rest of the world, but how could they honestly think that they were those aether-starved creatures? It didn’t add up.

“Please,” she called, remaining calm and fighting to keep the exaggeration out of her voice to what should have been obvious, “We’re not sin eaters.”

The first man who held the bow slowly lowered it a fraction as he stated cautiously, “Perhaps they speak the truth.”

The others were all looking at each other, murmuring with each other on what they should do. She could have sworn she heard them whisper that they should wait for ‘her’ to arrive when Emet-Selch sighed next to her.

She turned her head slightly, her arms still raised, to get a look of his exasperated expression.

“Oh, for the love of…” he sighed, “I had hoped that by accompanying you, we might come to understand one another, but all I have come to understand is that you have a knack for inflaming the natives. You’ve committed the cardinal sin of boring me. And so I retire to the shade.”

So what was he planning on doing? She made to warn him not to try something, but he just smiled at her. Not a kind one, rather a mischievous one as he even gave her a playful wink and told her, “Good luck.”

A portal of darkness appeared around him and he was suddenly gone in a puff of black fog… not even leaving footprints behind in the ash.

“There!” one of their ambushers cried out in shock, “Did you see that one disappear?!”

Well, any doubts seemed to have been dashed all at once because of one disappearing act, and now they were back to discussing what kind of sin eaters they were. At this, she heard Thancred groan behind her and mutter bitterly, “I think I preferred Lahabrea.”

She was almost tempted to laugh until another voice rang out through the din of chattering voices.

“Enough. Runar, report.”

Claire’s head turned immediately at the voice as the Ronso turned at once.

“Master Matoya!” he said immediately and there she was. Their Y’shtola strolled through the crowd of people and Claire had to blink twice to make sure she was seeing her right. Like the others, she was dressed in new clothes, but now she seemed to have discarded her white robes to a grey and black dress and a rather twisted and gnarled jeweled staff upon her back. She wore her hair the same way she had when Claire last spoke to her, only now she could see feathered earrings through the white locks as her pale white eyes gazed upon them.

Claire sighed in relief at the sight of her as the one called Runar said anxiously, his eyes going back and forth between them, “We apprehended them as you ordered. But… are you certain these are sin eaters?”

Y’shtola turned her attention to the rest of them, her eyes lingering upon each one in turn, before her gaze turned almost hostile when she stared directly at Claire. Claire was shocked about this, knowing that Y’shtola couldn’t physically see them, but whatever the aether around them was showing her was clearly angering her.

“The intense light of the aether I saw was unmistakable,” she said firmly, “If not sin eaters, then what?”

Claire was now growing confused at this, and feeling Urianger shift uncomfortably beside her.

She gazed at him out of the corner of her eyes as he murmured quietly, “‘Tis passing queer that Y’shtola should mistake us for the enemy, is it not? Mayhap it hath been too long since last she beheld the radiance of thine aether…”

Could that be it? Did she just mistaken her? It didn’t seem right though… Y’shtola didn’t seem concerned about the rest of them, her dislike was clearly directed towards her… she could tell just from the cold stare in her direction.

Urianger seemed to be growing more and more anxious by the moment, but when he called out, he spoke calmly and diplomatically as he got their attention, “Master Matoya. Hath time truly made strangers of us?”

“Nay,” Y’shtola said, smiling softly at him, though there was still a seriousness there as she looked to him and the others one at a time. “I recognize you, Urianger, Thancred.” And she paused there for a moment before adding, “And this is Minfilia of the First, of whom you spoke before.”

Urianger nodded to confirm it all and called, “Just so. And knowing as thou must that we come in peace, might I prevail upon thee to have thy comrades lower their arms?”

“First explain this other presence in your company,” Y’shtola demanded coldly, back to glaring at Claire as she crossed her arms. “The one I know not.”

Knew not? How could she not recognize her? She could recognize the others easily enough, even able to guess Minfilia even though she had never met her before. How could she not recognize her though? Surely it hadn’t been that long?

What Y’shtola said next though caused a wave of cold to wash through her as she said, “There is but one manner of creature in this world whose aether is suffused with such an abundance of light.”

The light? Wait… did she mean the light that was pulled inside her from her battle with the Lightwardens? She did not see it, but Urianger’s eyes widened as he glanced from her to Y’shtola quickly, and cleared his throat as he answered firmly, “Mine apologies, Master Matoya, but thou art mistaken. Before thee standeth our dearest comrade. The truest hero among us.” As soon as he said that, her dislike instantly faded and shock appeared as she listened to what he said before he quickly explained, “Though she is but recently arrived here in the First, not one but two Lightwardens have already perished by her most puissant hand.”

For a moment, Y’shtola seemed too stunned to speak before finally stammering out, actually taking a step forward and whispered, “It… It cannot be!”

“It’s been too long, clearly?” Claire spoke up at last, and Y’shtola certainly recognized her voice. But Claire didn’t like the way that she was now looking at her… as if she couldn’t believe the truth. There was shock… which Claire expected but… no, it was more than shock… it was horror. She started to grow quiet concerned until Y’shtola seemed to take a long deep breath and closed her eyes with a faint smile on her face.

“Master Matoya?” Runar asked, uncertain.

“Lower your weapons,” Y’shtola said, her voice suddenly heavy with an emotion that Claire could not name. But at the order, the crowd, whom she could only assume to be the Night’s Blessed, did what they were told and lowered their weapons. Any trace of anxiety was gone, or just cleverly hidden, as she turned to gaze at them all so warmly that it was as if nothing had happened.

“Forgive us this hostile welcome,” she said as she held out her hand. “Come, I would give you a proper introduction to Rak’tika and its people.”

The others all soon began to leave, with only Y’shtola remaining behind with the Ronso named Runar. She spoke quietly to him, and after a few seconds of explaining, he nodded and turned to walk off with the others. Once they were all gone, Y’shtola walked forward to greet them, and surprised Claire greatly when she wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you as well,” she said, returning the hug to their scholarly friend, who pulled back, her hands on her shoulders, and looked her up and down. As she did so, Claire suddenly heard Urianger whisper behind them, “That she should imagine her a stranger…”

At his voice, Y’shtola shot him a warning look, and he immediately fell silent as if he were a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Claire wanted to ask what happened before, but Y’shtola then pulled back to speak to her properly.

“You have been busy since arriving in the First, I gather,” Y’shtola told her, still smiling before glancing around at the remains of the village. “But I would hear the tale of your travels in more suitable surroundings. With Fort Gohn yet to be rebuilt, the Night’s Blessed have made their home in a settlement to the northeast. Come, let’s be off.”

They followed after her down the worn trail before coming to the mouth of a cave, where ragged banners were raised up. Y’shtola beckoned for them to follow her inside and they walked through a short tunnel before coming out through a gap in the stone to what looked like carved out clearing with roots of some great treat twisting over their heads.

“Slitherbough,” she welcomed them all, “is the largest of the Blessed’s settlements. They worship no gods, instead revering Darkness itself. Is a curious kind of faith, but one which has granted them the strength to persevere in the wake of the Flood.”

Claire was glancing around curiously at the small community packed here. There was a large aetheryte set up in the center of the clearing, but other than that, she could see more people dressed much like how the ones who ambushed them earlier wore as well as with decorated tattoes covering their arms and faces. Claire spotted how what looked like a mother and child gazing at them with great interest. When they saw her looking at them, they performed a strange greeting where they covered their eyes and bowed to her, where she nodded politely back before glancing at Y’shtola, who didn’t miss the exchange.

“I hope you weren’t expecting a grand feast by way of welcome,” Y’shtola teased, “They are a simple people.”

Like she needed it. She just smiled back as Y’shtola led them away to one of the doors that were set in the stone and they entered into a rather dark cave-like room. Claire blinked around, having a strange since of déjà vu at the sight of the room that was surrounded by books stacked on chairs and on the floor, glowing candles set into the walls, with a small table set up with a pot of tea in the middle. She wasn’t sure if Y’shtola was actually trying to mimic the real Master Matoya… but she was doing an admirable job of it so far. Hopefully she wouldn’t be as cranky as her master when she was older.

“Now,” Y’shtola said, as soon as all of them were in the room and Thancred shut the doors behind them to give them some privacy. “I would hear of your travels away from prying ears. Come.”

Claire told her more of everything that was happening in the Source, including how Master Matoya was working with Krile to look after their bodies for them and find a solution to bring them back. She saw the fond look upon Y’shtola’s face at the news, as well as the seriousness at the revelation of the fighting at the borders. She didn’t speak a word as Claire then went on to how she came to arrive here on the First, and of her journey to find Alphinaud and Alisaie, before describing the battle at Holminister Switch where she killed the first Lightwarden. She wasn’t sure if she saw right, but there was as if a dark shadow over Y’shtola’s face at the news of the Lightwarden.

Thancred then took over telling them about how Minfilia had gotten captured and that they rescued her before reuniting with Urianger in Il Mheg, and of their struggles to find the second Lightwarden. That was when Urianger then spoke up, finishing up with a discussion on how two of the five Lightwardens have been brought down and that night had returned to bot Lakeland and Il Mheg. He finished by explaining that the Exarch suggested that they come to meet up with her next, and he pulled out the tablet and held it out to her so that she could see it.

When they finished telling her everything that happened so far, Claire could see that she looked calm… yet she noticed as how her tail was twitch back and forth with poorly concealed concern.

“I see,” she stated slowly, summing up the reason they were here, “And now you seek the Lightwarden of Rak’tika.”

Claire nodded as Y’shtola glanced at her and said, very seriously, “In the days after I arrived in the First, I too relied upon the Crystal Exarch for guidance. But his penchant for secrecy and the telling of half-truths soon lost him my trust. And thus did I strike out on my own.”

Claire wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say something and merely looked on. Yet, she could not help but feel as if Y’shtola was silently trying to warn her of something… most likely of her distrust of the Exarch, and was choosing a more blunt way of showing her distaste.

But she didn’t go any further there, she gestured to the room and explained, “My work eventually lead me here to the forest, which I have come to know like the back of my hand. I cannot say with certainty where your quarry is hiding, but I am confident I can narrow the search.”

That gave them all someplace to start, thankfully.

“Well,” Thancred said, encouragingly. “Go on then.”

Y’shtola nodded, took a deep breath, and recited as if from an ancient history book, “Some few thousand years ago, this forest stood at the heart of the empire of Ronka. A great many relics of that civilization can still be found to the east in Yx’Maja. Or rather, could be found - were the area not fiercely guarded.”

Guarded? Still? How could the ruins be guarded after thousands of years? Was it like with the Allagans and the many traps that were left behind?

Y’shtola answered her confused look by informing her, “Yx’Maja, you see, is home to a tribe of warriors whose lineage is said to date back to the time of the empire. Any attempt to enter their territory is met with lethal force. They offer no warnings, and suffer no trespasser to escape. Needless to say, my every attempt to survey the area has been thwarted.”

“Mayhap the Warden hideth there full knowing none may approach it for fear of these protectors,” Urianger said, and Y’shtola nodded in agreement, having already come to that same conclusion.

Warriors here to guard the ruins of an ancient civilization? That was dedication. Still, if it was as fiercely guarded as Y’shtola said, how were they to get close?

“As for the tablet…” Y’shtola said, pursing her lips by the time she glanced to the table where the tablet they brought her was lying, “I find the timing of its discovery suspiciously convenient. If I did not know better, I would think someone was trying to curry favor with me.” She seemed rather baize when she spoke of the Exarch, though Claire could not help but see that there was a hint of annoyance in her face… as if the tablet was some ill-gotten gain.

“Regardless, it will take time to decipher these writings. Yet I would not be at all surprised if they somehow held the key to entering Yx’Maja unmolested. The Exarch has a nose for serendipity,” she shrugged.

“If there is aught I can do to assist thee in unraveling their secrets, thou need’st only ask,” Urianger said to Y’shtola, who seemed to think it over.

Now, while Claire was only half-convinced of the annoyance Y’shtola showed when she spoke of the Exarch… when she gazed at Urianger… she knew she didn’t mistaken it this time. There was a flicker of disapproval there… as if Urianger had just said something very offense.

Still, her smile seemed genuine as she thanked him, promising to take him up on that offer. Just then, she turned to Claire, and any coldness in her features seemed to melt away when her blank eyes.

“While we set to work, might I suggest you take a tour of the city? Should you be in any doubt as to the importance of your role as the ‘Warrior of Darkness,’ the people here will cure you of it,” she shrugged and Claire was a little surprised by that. Still, if it passed the time and gave her something to do to help the people here who had so graciously opened their homes to them, she saw no reason to refuse.

“I must say, Y’shtola… while most of us have struggled to come to terms with our altered circumstances, you seem to have adapted rather well,” Thancred complimented her somewhat between a mixture of envy and impress.

“Lest you forget,” Y’shtola retorted calmly, “Master Matoya and I dedicated our lives to uncovering the truth which hides at the heart of our world. Though separate, the fate of this reflection is nevertheless bound to that of our home. That I would be daunted by such an invaluable opportunity is absurd.”

She sounded so much like a scolding mother at that moment, Claire half-expected her to tell Thancred to go to his room for asking stupid questions. But when she turned to his direction, Claire noticed how her previous look of disapproval towards Urianger was now directed at him as she asked, “But what of you, Thancred? Could it be that you are still struggling to ‘come to terms’ with the nature of your young companion?”

Thancred’s eyes widened in shock at those words and all at once it was as if the air in the room dropped to freezing. Claire did not dare say a word as she looked from one to the other, already expecting some sort of fight to break out. Minfilia was also watching with wide and anxious eyes, as if terrified of what would be said next.

But Thancred seemed to reach deep within for patience before replying coldly back, “My ‘struggles’ are none of your concern. Quite why you would speak thus - and in this company - I do not know. Perhaps you left more of yourself back in the Source than I assumed. If you’ll excuse me.”

Claire suspected that Thancred wished to be as far away from Y’shtola as possible, least his anger slip out and he said something he would regret. This was obvious in the way he marched out, his boots stomping angrily as Minfilia watched after him fearfully, until he slammed the door behind him with such force that it rattled.

No one spoke a word for a few stunned seconds until Minfilia, almost in a stuttering whisper, said to her, “He understands that I’m not the same. That I’m not her.”

Y’shtola turned to look at her now, though any disapproval was gone at this point and she spoke surprisingly gently to the young girl.

“Understands, perhaps, but does not accept,” she acknowledged softly, “The question being whether he ever will.” She hesitated for a moment, and it seemed that she was looking at Minfilia with something beyond her sight… as if she could see something in her that no one else could see, and added, “And whether you will, more importantly. As difficult as your circumstances may be, they are yours, not his. ‘Tis you and you alone who bears ultimate responsibility for your life.”

Minfilia did not speak, didn’t even look up from the floor, and Claire felt her heart go out to the younger girl. Y’shtola seemed to sense that she was treading upon a sensitive topic and shook her head before saying, “But you need not make any hard choices now. Why not go and get some fresh air - clear your head?”

Minfilia looked troubled, but she didn’t counter her as she nodded. With that, Y’shtola placed a hand on both her shoulder and Claire’s as she walked them to the door, telling them to rest and look around the settlement. Y’shtola promised that she would see them all again soon once she got to work on studying the tablet and spoke with Urianger on all that she had missed so far.

The two left her upon good terms. But as soon as they were out the door and Y’shtola closed it behind them, she turned back to the room to where Urianger was already looking through one of the many books that were stacked around them. He looked up as Y’shtola all but glared at him, her hands on her hips, and a furious expression on her face.

“Urianger…” she growled, “What is going on?”


	17. An Unwanted Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After reuniting with Y'shtola, we're encouraged to look around and lend any aid we can to the Blessed, people who revere darkness itself. They are warm and welcoming and so the Warrior of Darkness is only too glad to lend an aid... especially when the idea of a funeral is involved. But the more that they dwell beneath the boughs of the trees, the more that it feels like secrets are lurking in every shadow... and Claire's thoughts start to turn more and more to a spiral of sorrow.

Claire was greeted by Runar, who welcomed them warmly and apologized for their less-than-hospitable greeting earlier. Claire waved it off, reassuring him that it was fine, but then he asked her, “Tell me, what is your name? From where do you hail?”

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should use a different name as Y’shtola did for just a fraction of a moment. But, knowing that they would most likely find out sooner or later anyway, she told him, as well as that she was visiting from the Crystarium, looking to meet up with Master Matoya.

It felt very odd calling Y’shtola by such a different title, but then she secretly reminded herself just how similar the two were anyway, so it would hopefully not be an issue trying to remember not to speak Y’shtola’s true name.

Runar seemed surprised by this statement and asked with no small amount of surprise, “From the Crystarium!” He gazed at her for a long moment, as if trying to see if she was lying, but then he added, more graciously again, “I see, and this tablet you’ve brought may help us to find the Lightwarden here in Rak’tika? Well, you are welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. Come, let me show you around.”

Claire thanked him, but before she could follow, Minfilia arrived, stepping up rather timidly.

“Would it be all right if I joined you?” she asked shyly, as if expecting to be told to go off and play.

“Of course, of course,” Runar agreed kindly, “Anything for the guests of our dear Master Matoya.”

“Thank you,” Minfilia said sweetly before stating, “She means a great deal to the Night’s Blessed, doesn’t she?”

At that, Runar started singing Y’shtola’s, or Master Matoya’s, praises.

“If not for her, we may have all perished in the great fire,” he said, lowering his head sadly, an air of sorrow hanging over his head, “With our priests slain and our home in ruins, we were at the mercy of the sin eaters. If was she who drove them back. And with her sage guidance, we were able to rebuild. Before long she became a central figure in our community—a great oak within whose shadow many have come to find solace. This is not to say there were not those hesitant to grant an outsider such authority, myself included.”

But he then smiled at the memories and confessed, “Perhaps it is the smile in her eyes when she speaks of the sunless sea. I feel… whole again, now that she is with us, and I have no doubt the others feel the same. She is as much a part of the Night’s Blessed as any of us, and we are grateful for all she does in service to the Dark.”

The far off glint in his eyes caught Claire’s attention, for he wasn’t just speaking about Y’shtola as if she were just a friend…? He sounded as if he was…?

Perhaps he realized this for his eyes suddenly widened and he cleared his throat as he said quickly, “But you did not hear this from me, yes?” he looked so embarrassed at that moment that Claire had to resist the urge to laugh. Instead, she just smiled kindly at him as he gave his head a hard shake before informing them, “Now, you should know there are certain customs we ask guests to adhere to so long as they reside within Slitherbough.”

“To show reverence to the Dark?” Minfilia asked, possibly saying the first thing that came to mind, though she seemed afraid of accidently offending anyone.

“In a word, yes,” Runar said, “But fear not, it is not too involved.”

They found out what he meant soon enough when he led them to one of the caves surrounding them. Inside were clay water jugs, large enough for someone Minfilia’s size to bathe inside. Each one was filled with cool, clear water, and it was here they used the water to cleanse the Light’s impurity. They knelt in front of Runar, and allowed him to pour the cold water over their heads. The first thing she thought of when she felt the water roll down her neck and back was that it was cold. But almost instantly, she felt something… very strange. Her entire body seemed to tingle strangely… it wasn’t painful, but it was an oddly prickling sensation.

She gave a slight shiver at that as she stood up, Minfilia following suit.

“And with that, you have been cleaned of the Light’s blighted touch,” Runar declared, “How do you feel?”

Claire’s entire body felt like she was covered in goosebumps, and she didn’t really like it. She didn’t say anything at first, but it was Minfilia who spoke up, “I’m not sure, to be honest. Not refreshed, exactly, but I do feel different.”

As did she, but as Runar explained, the were nothing special about the water except that it was blessed by their prayers, claiming that it was imbued with a dark energy. When Claire said she felt a prickling sensation, he gasped and said they had to be sin eaters if that was the case. But then he burst out laughing, promising that he was only kidding and suggested that it was most likely due to the feeling of the cold water.

This seemed reasonable to her and she let the matter go as he then offered for them to look around the village, wanting them to grow more acquainted with the people and even taught them the greeting, Allin tuta, which in the language of Ronka meant ‘good evening.’

So they did what he suggested and headed off into the village to meet with some of the others. They were kind and very welcoming for the most part, looking at them with more curiosity than distrust. Word had quickly spread around the village that the newcomers were friends of Master Matoya and that was enough to put any suspicions to rest. Runar was more than willing to offer them food and a place to sleep, and they gladly accepted while offering to help him and the other people in exchange for. So Claire was sent on various tasks around the village, and the tasks were relatively simple compared to many of the other jobs she had done. The people here lived simple lives, compared to those in Eulmore who had more than they would ever need, the people here had to make do with the bare minimum but were grateful for every bit they received. It was hard to see them struggle so, but the people didn’t seem to mind the hard work here, which was a welcomed change.

She could see why Y’shtola had chosen this place to make herself at home.

After helping Minfilia to water their tiny garden, the woman in charge of it—named Ersabel—thanked them for their hard work. She explained that it had been hard to remember to water it for the last few days for they recently lost one of their own, a little girl whose job was watering the plants.

“The plot is small, it is true, but it provides us with enough to survive,” Ersabel explained simply, “We ask for no more.”

“I don’t see how you manage,” Minfilia said, looking to the small patch, and Claire had to wonder that as well. She had seen flower gardens twice as large as that one, and she had to wonder how they were able to feed an entire village with this. Minfilia looked back up to Ersabel and asked, “Have the Blessed not considered leaving? Life would surely be easier almost anywhere else.”

“I can understand why you might say that, but the easiest path is not always the right one,” Ersabel answered with a kind look in her eyes, “Tell me, do you know our history? How our faith came to be?”

“Ah, er… yes,” Minfilia said, slightly startled at the question, “I believe so. The Night’s Blessed was initially formed by those who lost their homes in the wake of the Flood. What began as an occasional gathering of survivors eventually grew into a community, which ultimately decided to strike out on its own in the Rak’tika Greatwood.”

“I see you have red your history,” Ersabel said before reciting as if from a much beloved children’s tale, “But there is a history that is told, and one that is lived. Like so many in those times, the first of the Night’s Blessed lost everything. Their homes, their loved ones—all they held dear. To make matters worse, none could say what became of the souls of those lost to the Flood when their bodies were reborn as sin eaters. The people were without answers, without home, their gods having drowned along with everything else. It seems that nothing was beyond the reach of the Light.”

She looked up to the trees, and Claire followed her case, her eyes finding relief from the blinding Light through the shade of the boughs above their heads.

“But soon they realized that where this is Light, there must be Darkness,” Ersabel went on, “And in that truth, they found new faith—a belief that the souls of the departed could yet find peace beyond these burning skies, in the sunless sea above. That is why we pray. For the safe passage of wayward souls unto that blessed black abyss. For the return of the night, that we might someday look upon the kingdom of heaven with our own eyes. We remain in these woods for the selfsame reason our founders first chose them—that we may lead lives of simplicity, with the shade of these trees as a constant reminder of our faith.”

A constant reminder… so what when times were tough, all they had to do was look up to remember all that came before. It was perhaps one of the simple but beautiful things she had heard in a long time.

“With so many seeking paradise in Eulmore, it’s refreshing to find people who value a humbler existence,” Minfilia said, sounding like she was in awe of what she just heard while Ersabel chuckled.

“You are kind to say so,” Ersabel said, “May consider our way of life foolish—and so it must seem to those who yet cling to their worldly possessions. In times such as these, when everything can be taken away in an instant, it is all too easy to lose sight of why we fight to go on living. It is not to hold fast to material things, but to hold those who went before us in our hearts—to keep alive the legacy they have left us.”

She just smiled looking from Claire to Minfilia and finished up, “This we must do for them, our children, and generations yet unborn.”

Perhaps that was the best way to look at it. For their children to always remember that all they have they owe to the ones who came before, and to make sure that they leave something behind for the next generation. It was enough to send another chill up her spine that wasn’t unlike the sensation she had with the water before.

“…To keep their legacy alive,” Minfilia whispered, and it seemed that the words struck some kind of cord with the younger girl. She remained quiet after that, clearly in deep thought. Claire wanted to ask what was on her mind, but that was when Runar reappeared in front of them, promising that their rooms and beds were almost ready for them if they should need it. As Claire thanked him for the trouble, another one of the Blessed, a hunter or one of the guardsmen from the looks of it, came running up and calling to him.

Claire felt her body tense up at the sound of urgency in his voice, recognizing it at once as trouble as the man doubled over to catch his breath and Runar demanded to know what was wrong.

“In the woods…” the guardsman panted, “Sin eaters, I fear they may have the touch.”

Runar’s eyes widened and he asked at once, “Where?!”

“In the grove to the southwest,” he said, “For a mercy, they’ve yet to wander any closer to Slitherbough.”

Runar thought it all over, and she could tell he was trying to figure out the best way to handle this. Finally, he decided that so long as they didn’t come near Slitherbough, there was no need to fight them. He ordered the guardsman to warn the others to keep away and that no one was allowed to set outside the village until they moved on. But this seemed to upset the guard, who asked of Toddia’s heartstone.

Toddia… Claire had heard that name before. The name of the little girl who was in charge of watering the garden, wasn’t it? And what was a heartstone?

But at the mention of this stone, Runar’s worried expression became one of deep distress as he growled, “Of all the times for sin eaters to appear…”

“Are you just going to leave them alone?” Minfilia asked him, having remained quiet until that moment and the two looked at her as if forgetting that she and Claire were even there.

“Under normal circumstances, we would not hesitate in striking the beasts down,” Runar answered, “But if they indeed have the touch, I will not risk them corrupting one of our own.”

Claire did not blame him. After all, only a short while ago, he confessed on how many they lost before, and she didn’t they that they could bear losing anyone else. She was planning to head out there on her own to deal with these eaters when Minfilia asked, “What was that you said about a stone?”

They both hesitated, as if worried where this conversation was going, but the guard was the one who answered.

“A few days past, Toddia, a child of the Night’s Blessed, was slain by a sin eater,” he said, “We succeeded in retrieving her body, but in our haste, we failed to notice her necklace was gone. Strung to it was a pendant of jade—her heartstone. All of the Night’s Blessed are given such a stone at birth. It is the most valuable possession one can own. It is custom to present the heartstone of the deceased at their funeral, as an offering to the heavens. But now…”

Both of them were looking deeply upset and she felt her heart going out to them. Minfilia clearly felt the same way and had a stubbornness to her face that Claire recognized at once… for it was the same determination that appeared in the original Minfilia’s face when she set her mind to a task.

“What if… what if I could find it for you?” Minfilia offered after a stretch of silence. They were shocked at this as she reasoned, “I have experience fighting sin eaters. And the Light’s… corruption does not touch me like it does the others.”

“Master Matoya called you Minfilia, did she not?” Runar asked, now looking at her with greater interest than he had before, “Are you truly the Minfilia? Descended from the Oracle?”

Minfilia blushed at that, but she nodded. He looked surprised at that news, but if it was there, he pushed that aside as he said firmly, though still with respect, “Even so, I dare not ask you to risk your life for the Blessed.”

“I understand how you feel, but I can’t stand by knowing that your people are in need and I can help,” she pleaded, “Please, let me do this.”

Runar resisted at first, but in the end, he agreed to give her a chance. Strange thing was though that when Minfilia was about to head out, she suddenly realized that Thancred wasn’t here and she seemed more frightened of the thought of him finding that she had ventured out on her own than the idea of fighting sin eaters.

Knowing that Thancred shouldn’t have any reason to complain if she was there, Claire offered to go out as well. Besides, she wanted to do something to help the Blessed for their kindness and bringing back a stone to properly honor a little girl was the least she could do. So the two left Slitherbough together and headed further down south, leaving most of the swampy area behind them and more to the grassy hills with massive trees that were large enough for one to duck down between the roots.

“Thancred used to tell me that this place reminds him of the Twelvewoods… where you’re from,” Minfilia told her after a couple minutes of silence.

“Does he?” Claire asked as she looked around at the trees. “Well, it feels familiar… but this forest feels much older than the Twelveswood.”

Minfilia was silent for a time before asking, “Can you… tell me more about the world you came from?”

Claire was surprised by this, but she then reasoned that this was only natural to be curious of another world, and so she began to tell her about the Twelveswood, of Gridania, the moogles, the Sylphs, and everything else she could think of.

Minfilia listened as Claire told her about the time that she and the Scions were lost in the Sylphlands and while they were running around trying to find each other, for the Sylphs were disguising themselves as the rest of them. When she reached the point where they confronted Thancred, asking him to prove he was who he claimed, Minfilia became very still for a moment.

“What was Thancred like…?” she asked softly, “In those days, I mean? When… when she was still with you?”

Claire didn’t like where this was going. But she gave it some thought before answering honestly, “He was the type of man who could jest in the face of any disaster. The worst the situation seemed, the more he would joke about it.”

She told her of the Thancred she met when she first joined the Scions, such as how he flirted and teased her during their first mission together to bring down Ifrit. Of his rather playful nature and rather rough care.

Claire told her what she could remember… when she first met him and the girl was silent for a long time after that.

“I thought so…” she said.

Claire was suddenly regretting saying anything when she saw the sad look in Minfilia’s face and asked what was wrong. The girl though just shook her head, saying instead that they better finish up with those eaters and return the heartstone before Thancred got back and saw them gone.

Well, they didn’t have to look too much farther, for they soon found the sin eaters, two of them, and identical to the one who attacked Tesleen. Claire felt herself flinch for even recognizing their type, but she bit her cheek as she and Minfilia hid behind a tree to watch them. Once more, Claire gave Minfilia the chance to come up with a plan, which took her by surprised before she calmed her down and told her to think.

After she took a deep breath, Minfilia decided what to do… she would lead one of them away, thus splitting them up, and Claire would deal with the second one on her own, which she agreed to. She watched from the shadows of the tree as Minfilia rushed out to meet them. As they thought, the second one didn’t even notice her, but the one closest to where they were spotted her and gave chase through the trees. Once any trace of white was swallowed up by the foliage around them, Claire came out and rushed at the second… bringing it down so fast that the eater didn’t even realized what struck at it before it’s empty eyes widened at the sight of her there.

Gods, she hated these things…!

She just watched as the vessel faded into white and then dissolved, leaving nothing behind. The emptiness inside them was akin to a hallow statue that they so resembled. It wasn’t normal… they just… weren’t right. Still, it was taken care of, and she gave a silent prayer to the poor person it had once been, hoping they found some peace, before she turned and went off to track down Minfilia. However, when Claire appeared before her, who had already taken down the second eater, she saw the girl on her knees and panting for breath.

She ran over immediately, checking for her wounds, but Minfilia pushed her hands away, reassuring her that she was well and just sore. Claire still insisted on looking at the wounds… and aside from a slight cut in her side and bruising on her ribs, she didn’t seem to be badly hurt.

Claire told her to rest for a moment and to take it easy, that she would look for the stone. So she set off and began to look around the area. In hindsight, she should have realized that it was never going to be easy to find a stone of green jade in a forest wasn’t going to be easy. It took over an hour, and she was just beginning to think that they would have to head back empty-handed when she spotted something shine from the shadows of some nearby roots. Had she been standing anywhere else, she doubted that she would have noticed the way that it reflected the light and caught her attention. But she bent down and brushed some roots away to find a bright green stone lying forgotten on the forest floor.

She picked it up, just large enough to fit into the palm of her hand, and she could have sworn that she felt a slight warmth from it the moment that her fingers touched it. She went to find Minfilia, who had recovered enough to stand… and she was looking rather upset that they hadn’t found anything yet.

At least, until Claire showed her stone and Minfilia stared at her.

“Is something wrong?” Claire asked as she tucked the jade carefully into her armor to ensure that it wasn’t lost a second time.

Minfilia seemed too stunned for words for a moment, but then she smiled and shook her head.

“You know, Thancred always said you were a woman of many talents, and I think I’m beginning to understand what he meant,” Minfilia told her, and Claire was a little speechless that she would say that. “I have much to learn if I’m to be even half the hero you are. The hero she was.”

Claire cocked her head, not sure what too really think, but also a little touched that Thancred would think that highly of her. Minfilia suddenly blushed at that and looked to her feet.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” she said quickly, “Forget I said anything.”

But Claire couldn't help but glance over at Minfilia as they walked back. She seemed to sense this and she looked up and gave a rather forced smile, "There's no need to upset Thancred about all this."

"No, I was wondering about your injuries," Claire commented and Minfilia froze at that, realizing she may have said too much. Of course, Claire was worried about her wounds, but it seemed to her that the girl’s problems seemed to be revolving around Thancred and these confusing feelings. On one hand she knew that Minfilia admired and looked up to Thancred… that she truly cared about him… and she felt that he must surely feel the same way about her…?

The problem was that it wasn’t just about the two of them, was it?

***Later***

Runar was so relieved to see them returned and, in mostly one piece, and was overjoyed to see that they managed to not only slay the two eaters that were stalking about but returned Toddia's heartstone.

“By all that is dark, you found it!” he gasped as he took it from her hands and stared at it. He then gave her a beaming smile that she had yet to see before and thanked them over and over again. 

"We can proceed with her service as planned," he told her, "These blessed gems serve not only to protect us in life, but to guide our spirts unto the sunless sea in the hereafter. Even should we be felled by the sin eaters, so long as these gems are recovered, our souls are ensured peace in the dark.”

Runar was still smiling at her with gratitude, and she could have sworn she saw his eyes watering up.

“Words fail to express my gratitude for this kindness you have done for the Blessed,” he told her, “I must insist you and your friends attend Toddia’s service as honored guests."

She was so surprised by this, for she never had the chance to even meet the young girl, and she would have thought that this was something for friends and family to properly mourn the girl who knew her best. But he seemed so insistent that she nodded in agreement.

"There is still much we must do to prepare, but please go and inform the others it will be held in the Darker," he told her, "When you arrive, there should be an attendant present to explain the proceedings.”

She thanked him as he hurried off to finish preparing as she went off to find the others. Y'shtola and Urianger both seemed to still be studying the tablet, but she found Minfilia quickly enough, as well as a stern-looking Thancred who was giving them both a sharp look... as if a father had caught his daughter sneaking back inside after staying out too late with a friend—whom he saw as a bad influence on her.

Claire could tell right away that she was interrupting a scolding from Thancred, who listened to the girl give some feeble excuse to where they had been.

“Claire and I learned so much about the Night’s Blessed while you were away,” she gulped, “And we helped them recover a lost heirloom out in the woods. I know I wasn’t supposed to leave, but they really needed out help! There were sin eaters, and—”

But for once, Thancred didn't look angry. He seemed mildly annoyed, but not really angry as he listened to her explanation. He glanced up at Claire when he heard her approach and gave a slight shrug.

“As long as she accompanied you,” Thancred said calm but still on the sterner side, “But do try to be more careful. Your injuries could have been a lot worse.”

Minfilia's head jerked up at that, completely startled.

“H-How did you…?” she gasped.

“Let’s just say a little bird told me,” he answered back as he gave his hand a slight flick as if getting rid of a fly, “And it’s telling me now that Claire has business with us.”

Deciding to break up this tense mood, Claire told them what Runar had said, and they both seemed as surprised as she was to be invited to the service.

Thancred told Minfilia to inform Y'shtola and Urianger this and that they would all meet in the Darker, which the girl did without complaint... mostly looking relieved that she wasn't about to be punished for running off without his knowing.

"She's a good kid," she said to him as they watched her go and he sighed.

He confessed to Claire that the reason he knew that Minfilia had been injured was that after he left them to go on a walk and cool off, he decided to have a look around when he heard the guards talking about sin eaters. As he was patrolling the area, he saw the two of them leave and decided just to stay close by should they need help.

"Yes, she is, but still has a lot to learn," he said almost with no emotion in his tone, "When I first recused her, she honestly didn’t know how to do anything. Barely even knew how to tie her own hair up without it getting in her face. Having spent almost her whole life locked up in that cell, she couldn't remember seeing the outside world and she wasn't able to keep up for long before she got tired. The number of times I had to carry her to get somewhere...?"

But he was smiling slightly at the memories now.

“I felt like I was teaching an infant everything,” he went on, “Like she had only just begun to live her life the moment she stepped outside of Eulmore. There were plenty of times I was strict, maybe even a little harsh, but she needed to toughen up if she was going to survive outside her cell. I taught her everything she would need to know to survive… everything that I could teach her, anyway… all the while, trying to keep my promise to Minfilia.”

She didn't say anything as she watched him but his smile soon faded as a thoughtful expression came over his face.

He sighed again and explained, "I know she's not Minfilia. Our Minfilia, I mean. But every once in a while it's hard to remember that. And then I just... she gets... I'm not sure...?"

He ran his hand through his hair and was unable to really find a way to say anything else and just excused himself.

She nodded, letting him go, as she headed off to a section of Slitherbough, that was called the Darker. 

This must be so hard for him. From what she had heard, Thancred saw Minfilia as a daughter of sorts… of them. Then one day, he loses his first daughter and doesn’t know what happened to her or if he would ever see her again. Now he all but had another child, so alike to the first, all but forced upon him and he cares for her for long enough to form a bond. But then he learns that he has a chance to see his first daughter again… at the cost of the second… or vice versa.

He knew that no matter who was right or wrong, he was going to lose one forever and had no say in the matter.

She honestly couldn’t say for sure how this could end without breaking his heart.

She eventually found her way into the Darker, which was an enormous room, large enough for the entire village to sit comfortably inside, and it was filled with more of those light blue glowing candles that cast a rather eerie glow around them. While in the middle of the room was a large container filled with water.

As she looked around, an elderly woman of the Blessed was finishing up preparations when Claire greeted her. The woman just looked her up and down for a moment before handing over a small candle before pointing over to a nearby corner of the room. Though she didn’t say a word, it could not have been any clearer to what she was trying to say.

Claire nodded and she carried the small candle to join the multitude of countless others and set it down on the floor. She lit it with a small flame burning at the tip of her fingers before it cast its azure light around her. 

She offered up a small prayer to the young girl whose life was tragically cut short, and wished her peace. After a moment of silence, she stood off against the room as people began to arrive. She bowed her head respectfully as they all came in, one by one, and gathered on the floor as everyone arrived. 

Soon, Minfilia and Thancred arrived, followed by the rest of the Blessed. 

When it looked like pretty much the entire village arrived, they were ready to begin the service. Y'shtola and Urianger finally arrived mere moments before it began.

“It seemed only right that we show our faces,” Y’shtola said softly as to not disturb the rest of the mourners, “May we join you?”

Of course, she only wished that it wasn't under such a sad event.

They moved away from the door as the service began and Runar came in with an woman moving slowly behind them—their heads bowed low.

The woman came in with a small pillow and Toddia's heartstone settled upon it. No one said a word as they walked to the stone vat in the middle of the room.

With grim resignation on his face, Runar approached the dark pool at the front of the room before addressing everyone around them. 

“Let us begin," he called.

The woman came up closer to him, and Claire could not help but wonder if this woman was a relative of Toddia... possibly a sister... or her mother? Either way, her heart ached at the thought.

“I thank you all for coming to pay respects to our fallen daughter of the night,” Runar said mournfully as he addressed the room, “In the light, she was known as Toddia. But in the dark, we shall remember her always as Minnine. Let us each take a moment to offer her our prayers.”

Minnine… so that was her real name.

No one said a word as they all bowed their heads out of respect and offered a moment of silence. Runar then reached over to take the gem from the pillow and held it in his hands over the water in front of him.

“We entrust her now to the night’s sweet embrace,” he said, “In Darkness will she be free from pain and suffering, now and forevermore. May her soul find peace in the sunless sea of heaven, and in the love we bear for her in our hearts.”

He then gently lowered it into the water where she heard a light ‘thud’ sound as it sank to the bottom. That was when she saw the stone in the water began to glow with a calming light.

She didn’t know what was happening, at least until she heard Y’sthola whisper quietly into her ear, “That vessel represents the night sky. The ‘sunless sea of heaven.’”

Then many different lights began to shine from within the cauldron and for a moment she was reminded of twinkling stars in the sky.

Runar then shut his eyes as he recited reverently, “We call upon you now, O Bringer of Shadow, to lead this gentle soul unto the sea. We call upon you, O Warrior of Darkness, to deliver her unto paradise everlasting.”

Oh, how her heart ached at that.

Warrior of Darkness… the Warrior of Darkness to these people… to so many… was someone akin to a saint. Someone who was meant to guide souls to where they were supposed to be. She remembered what Tesleen had said to her before about that and she shook her head, feeling disgusted with herself for even pretending to play such a role.

No, Claire knew the truth. She was no saint or savior… just another sinner. Why could no one else see that?

Her thoughts turned grim once more as the service continued on… many different people speaking about young Minnine and how she would be remembered and that they believed she was in a better place.

Eventually though, the service wrapped up with everyone giving their final prayers and left the room. As the Blessed filed out, Claire felt Y’shtola placed a gentle hand on her back. She looked to her as Y’shtola smiled kindly and told her, “I’m told you assisted in the preparations for the service. On behalf of the Blessed, you have my sincerest thanks.”

Claire could only nod, not trusting herself to speak. She wasn’t sure she could even utter a sound at that moment even if she tried. Thankfully, Y’sthola didn’t seem to be expecting her to say something as she turned her attention to the remaining Blessed huddled around the cauldron, offering condolences to the family members.

“The enduring legend of the Warrior of Darkness owes much to the traditions of these people. And none were more ardent in their faith than Toddia,” Y’shtola declared to her, “She would have been greatly moved by your presence.”

The girl had died a couple days ago… and she died before she had a chance to meet her. Claire hated this… she wanted to get up and yell at them all that she didn’t deserve to be revered so much. She was no true Warrior of Darkness like in the stories… that was just a title that was forced upon her.

Sure she brought back the night to Lakeland and Il Mheg, but the truth was that she was just one person who was in a world that had nothing to do with her. That was it. She wanted to say this, but instead she found herself muttering, “I should like to have met her.”

She wished they came through here sooner… perhaps she could have been here to help save Toddia from the eaters if she had? While she knew that it was pointless to think such things, she could not help herself. Her heart ached and she didn’t know where to go from here.

“You might not deliver her to the heavens,” Minfilia said, breaking her own contemplative silence as they turned to look at her, “but if you could deliver the night sky to her people - the real night sky - it would be the next best thing.” Claire looked up to see that her eyes were shut tightly and she reasoned, “Their prayers would finally be answered. They could gaze up at the firmament and see their ancestors in every twinkle of the stars.”

Claire wanted to tell her that she knew that, but there was only so much that she could do. She opened her mouth to speak, but the younger girl was already spinning around to look at her and pleaded, “We cannot allow their hopes and dreams to drown in the light. We have to bring back the dark. If we don’t, who will?”

They all looked at her, unable to really say something to that. When she realized this, suddenly afraid that she overstepped herself, she looked to Thancred, who had his head down the entire time and didn’t so much as move as she croaked, “Forgive me. Thinking of all those we have lost, I…”

For those we can yet save…? How many times has she heard that and how long since she last?

Thancred shook his head and opened his eyes. “No, it’s all right. We will bring back the dark.” He looked at young Minfilia, with his jaw so tightly shut that it would be a wonder if he could ever move it again.

“Mayhap sooner than later, in fact,” Y’shtola said, breaking the uneasy tension between them. “Urianger and I have finished deciphering the tablet, and its contents were most illuminating. Let us reconvene in my chambers. We have much to discuss.”

She led them from the Darker and back to her chambers where she shut the door tightly behind them, thus ensure their privacy, before she went to address them all.

“Thanks to the Exarch’s gift, our next course of action is now clear,” Y’shtola said as she gestured to the small stone tablet on the makeshift table in front of her. “Let me begin by first explaining the origins of this tablet. I initially believed it might detail the history of the Church of the First Light. Much to my surprise, it dates back to the end of the Ronkan Empire, and was likely written under the direction of the reigning ruler. It was a time of strife and unceasing war with neighboring nations. With each passing day they yielded more and more territory to their enemies. In their desperation, petitions of raid were sent out to their allies. This was one such petition.”

“And you think this ancient petition will somehow help us get into Yx’Maja?” Minfilia asked slowly.

“Indeed we do,” Urianger nodded, “For etched into this tablet is a method by which one may prove themself an ally of the Ronkan Empire. Provided we are able to decipher said instructions, we may entreat the ruin’s protectors to grant us safe passage.”

“The problem, however, is I presently lack the resources to decipher them in their entirety,” Y’shtola frowned, a little put out by the fact that something was beyond her knowledge, “We have but one recourse: there exists a stone monument inscribed with ancient Ronkan text and translations into a more modern dialect which came into use after the fall of the empire. I am confident it will suit our purposes.”

So where was this monument? From the little that she had seen so far was that this forest was full of giant trees and old ruins. Where were they to even start? That was when Y’shtola grew more concerned.

“The good news ends there, however,” she said, “For it is in the possession of a rather radical faction of the Dark worshipers—the Children of the Everlasting Dark.”

Children of the Everlasting Dark? Whenever she heard the terms ‘radical factions’ it immediately raised red flags in her mind. There was no way this could be good.

Sure enough, Y’shtola finished, “If I am to study the monument, I must infiltrate their encampment. I have no intention of taking longer than absolutely necessary, but I will nevertheless require time to transcribe the text I need. To ensure that I will have enough, I am afraid I must ask you and Thancred to assist me.”

Claire and Thancred both nodded in agreement before he looked to Minfilia and scolded firmly, “And before you even ask, the answer is no.” She looked like she wanted to argue, but he added, “If we’re to remain unseen, our group must be as small as possible.”

Minfilia frowned at him, but the stern look in his face was enough to get her to admit defeat and she looked down to the floor.

“…All right,” she sighed, “I’ll stay here until you return.”

Satisfied, he looked to Urianger and added, “We won’t be long. If anything should happen, you keep her safe.”

Urianger promised to do so as he bowed low to him and the rest filed out. As he and Minfilia waved them off, Urianger promised to have preparations ready for them when they returned and Minfilia whished her to take care as they left the room. Y’shtola led them to the west, to where they could get a good look at where the Children had made their home and to come up with a plan.

As they travelled, Y’shtola wanted to hear more on what they had been up to since they last spoke. But it seemed to Claire that she was more interested in the defeat of the two previous Lightwardens and wanted to hear about the battle—but especially about how the Light was drawn to her and the night sky was returned.

She fell silent for a time, but did make an effort to be interested in what Thancred told her about the state of Lakeland and Il Mheg afterwards. Claire slowly stepped further ahead to get a good look around when…? She saw it in the distance, but it looked like a man was on the ground while someone stood over him.

Unable to stop herself, she ran out to see what was going on. Judging from his appearance, the man appeared to be one of the Night’s Blessed, but she didn’t recognize the man standing over him—dressed in dark and battered clothes, and tattoos on his face. She watched as he raised a staff to strike the man down, but she stepped in and took the man out before he could finish the attack. The attacker was thrown backwards before scrambling to his feet and bolted out of there before Claire turned to the injured Blessed.

“By the blessed Dark…” he wheezed as Claire helped him to stand, though he didn’t appear to be badly hurt.

The man had just caught his breath when Y’shtola and Thancred came running up to greet them.

“Thank goodness you are unharmed,” Y’shtola said in relief.

“We would have arrived sooner, but we too had a rather unwelcome visit from the Children,” Thancred said. The Watchman thanked them for their help as he told them how the Children have been acting strange of late, so he decided to take a closer look. When they pressed him, he explained that at first there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary with the Children—other than the usual gathering of ingredients for their poisons from nearby fauna and animals. But then he took notice of how they were breeding venomous spiders.

Why would anyone wish to breed venomous spiders? She and Thancred looked at Y’shtola, who seemed unsurprised by this news, but she could see the concern in her face.

“It could be anything, really,” she told them with a shrug, “If it meant the end of the Blessed, nothing would be too cruel or violent for them. But perhaps we can use their present preoccupation with spiders to our advantage.”

She then came up with the plan of threatening the nests of their spiders, this should hopefully keep the Children would be distracted long enough for them to sneak into Woven Oath and look at the monument. To that end, they decided to get their hands on the nests of bees, who would attack the spiders nest.

With the help of a couple smoke bombs from one of their outposts, Claire managed to track down some bee nests. She managed stick a couple of them into the bag while the bees were calm from the smoke, and carried them back to the others, who seemed ready to run should she drop the bag.

“For gods’ sake, don’t let them out,” Thancred said when she showed them the nests.

“This is more than enough,” Y’shtola said with a wave of her hand, “The Children are certain to be displeased.”

Claire was more than willing to get rid of the bag as soon as possible, and asked where they were to go from here.

“The Children’s settlement is to the west, a place they call Woven Oath,” Y’shtola said, gesturing for them to follow after her, “According to the guard, there is an airway apart from the entrance which leads to the spiders’ nest. If the fates are kind, the way will be clear.

They walked a little further north, where she could see a gap in the stone directly ahead of them, where several people—dressed in the same clothes as the man she saw attacked the guardsmen earlier—were stalking about like they expected to be attacked at any second.

The three of them ducked down as they watched them for about a minute before they decided to put their plan into action.

“We should move quickly, before any of the Children arrive,” Thancred whispered and Y’shtola nodded in agreement before pointing directly above them to where Claire saw a large hole in the cliff face.

“Up there is the airway,” Y’shtola exclaimed. “Do you see it?”

“A bit far, perhaps, but we should be able to toss the bag through,” Thancred said as he stretched out his arms, readying for a climb, “Though we should probably loosen the ropes keeping it closed. Enough that it falls open when it lands inside. May I do the honors?”

Claire was only too happy to hand over the bag, and he slunk around the boulder that they hid behind and out of sight. A few minutes later, she saw him appear on the cliff and began to scramble up the wall and tossed the partially open bag into the entrance before climbing back down.

He managed to get all of this done in less than five minutes, and was back with them with a slight mischievous grin on his face.

“That should do it,” Thancred said, “Now we wait…”

Sure enough, it was less than a minute later for the screaming to start.

_“What is that!?”_

_“Bees! By the abyss, they’re everywhere!”_

_“Help! Someone help! We have to save the spiders!”_

Thancred burst out laughing and Claire had to hide her own smile behind her hand.

“It sounds like our plan is working,” Y’shtola stated coolly, also grinning like the cat that got the cream. “Still, it is quite likely not all were drawn away from their posts.”

“If you should come to blows with the Children, I’ll see to it any signs of struggle are concealed,” Thancred said as he clapped a hand of Claire’s shoulder, “Falling that, I’ll create a distraction to buy Y’shtola more time. Should any get pat me, it falls to you to guard her.”

Claire nodded in agreement, but Y’shtola just waved an unconcerned hand at him and answered, “Your concern is appreciated, but I sincerely doubt it will come to that.”

“Why do I get the feeling you enjoy the idea of my loafing about bored in the shadows?” Thancred asked a little put out as Y’shtola gave him a playful wink and walked off with Claire right behind her.

“Come now, Thancred,” she teased in an affectionate voice, “The shadows are a fitting place for a Warrior of Darkness. Now, if you both are ready?”

Y’shtola led her to the far back of the many tunnels of, sneaking past the Children in the process. While the number was less than it would be since the cries of bees attacking the spiders nests quickly spread, there was still no small amount of sneaking about they had to do.

“Why do they hate the Blessed?” Claire asked at one point.

“Oh, matter of opinion,” Y’shtola sighed, “They believe that their beliefs are right and that everyone else is wrong. I have tried multiple times to reach out to them to stop this ridiculous fighting, but unlike the Blessed, they are not open to treaties.”

They went even deeper in and they came across a room much like the one where the service for Toddia was served and Y’shtola glanced around with a critical eye.

“The Font of Seeing suggests this is a chamber for prayer,” Y’shtola said quietly after getting a quick look around, “At the very least, they would not place this near potential distractions from their worship. Perhaps the monument is further in.”

So they stepped deeper into the cavern, though Claire wasn’t entirely sure what it was that they were supposed to be expecting anyway. She just made it sound like they would know it when they found it. They walked further in, sticking to the shadows, before they came out into a large cavern that had green moss growing upon the stone under their feet, more glowing candles scattered around them, and murals painted on the walls. Tucked, almost into a corner, was a tall monument akin to a tombstone, written in an ancient language that she did not recognize and she could only assume they found what they were looking for.

At the sight of it, Y’sthola hurried over to examine it.

“Yes, this is it,” she said with great interest as she ran her hands over the carved symbols as Claire caught up. Without turning to look at her, she merely instructed her, “I will be but a moment. Keep watch of the entryway.” But then Y’shtola gave a cursory glance to the murals and added, “On second thought, would you mind examine the murals on these walls while I look over this?”

Claire looked up to the paintings, realizing just how old they looked… in some places they were still very clear, while other parts looked so faded that it was a wonder if paint was ever upon the stone to begin with.

“At a glance, I can tell they are old,” Y’shtola said, “Predating the founding of the Blessed and the Children, in fact. We’re not like to come here a second time. ‘Twould behoove us to learn all that we can.”

Y’shtola went back to studying the monument and Claire went about to looking at the murals. There were three of them all together, large images depicting scenes from the past, and some were definitely older than others. She glanced to the one closes to the exit and realized that this one seemed to be rather primitive and ancient. She examined the image of what looked to be a warrior in the middle, standing triumphant over what appeared to be a creature of shadow while other figures were surrounding the warrior and rejoicing in their victory.

She gazed at it for a long moment, feeling a strange sensation of Déjà vu from the sight of it before glancing at the others. The second mural was right in front of her and didn’t seem to be as ancient as the first, but most certainly very old. It looked to be the image of a ruler sitting atop of a throne and was attended by their subjects. Again, that strange feeling that she had seen all this before returned to her but she easily brushed that off as she turned to the last one that was right behind the monument that Y’shtola was examining. Now compared to the other two, this one was so badly faded that she had a hard time making out the image.

It looked to be the pictures of warriors standing in front of an encroaching darkness… with the central figure considerably faded. But the little that she could make out…? She knew that she had seen those images before. Seen those figures before… where they possibly…?

It was a good thing that she was getting so used to Ardbert’s unexpected visits because she so much as bat an eye when he appeared next to her. She looked at him as he stared up at the murals with a mixture of surprise and recognition.

Before she could ask, he told her, “Depictions of heroes throughout history. The age of gods… the empire of Ronka… and this…”

His eyes were drawn to the faded mural, which she now understood to have been painted before the Flood and that it had been of him and his comrades. She glanced over at it as well as he explained, “There was a man. A researcher who pored over these pieces… He offered us work when we needed it. Slaying beasts, delivering provisions… a funny old bugger, he was, but he had a good heart.”

“That sounds familiar,” she said softly to him, having known those familiar pains of being treated as nothing more than an errand girl or bodyguard and he actually chuckled before his tone returned to deadly seriousness.

“He believed this first painting dated back to a time of myth and legends,” he told her as he pointed to the oldest of the murals, “A tribute to the heroes of a long-forgotten era. The story went that it was rediscovered by an explorer from Ronka, who was so struck by its majesty that a second painting was commissioned, commemorating the heroes of their day.”

He smiled faintly at the memories and she could almost picture the form of an eccentric man standing there and excitedly telling them about his discoveries.

“_‘One day, you will all be here too,’ he said. ‘Heroes immortalized forever. Maybe I’ll paint you myself!’_” Ardbert recited suddenly. “I had a good laugh at that. We were only trying to make our way, after all. Being heroes couldn’t have been further from our minds. But it seems… he actually went and did it. Before or after the Flood, I wonder…”

He seemed mesmerized by it for a moment before lowering his head and she glanced back at him.

“Rather faded, isn’t it, compared to the others,” he sighed, “Or did someone try to scrape it off the wall? Maybe the man himself, once he came to his senses…”

In truth, that is certainly what looked like what happened. Perhaps the Children or some other researcher had discovered this place and, still blaming him and his comrades for the Flood, felt that they didn’t deserve to be up here with other famed heroes of the past.

Ardbert then turned to her and asked, more out of curiosity than anything, “Do you suppose your deeds will warrant an addition to this collection? Or some other kind of monument?”

She did not know. She cannot help how she would be remembered. She did not want to think along such thoughts… she had enough to worry about without adding to it. Especially when she thought of the sacrifices that Ardbert and the others gave for their world. How was it fair that she would be remembered as a hero while they condemned when all they ever tried to do was help people?

Trying so hard to be good… to do good… only to be remembered as villains? It wasn’t fair.

Besides, she did not belong in this world. When she would leave, as she knew she would have to one day, she felt that it would be for the best that her deeds return to being just a fairy tale.

_‘I’m not worth this,’_ she thought grimly as he gazed back at her, as if he knew just what she was thinking. And perhaps he did. She never met anyone who seemed to know her thoughts as well as he did.

In that moment, she almost reached out to take his hand, forgetting that she wouldn’t be able to touch him anyway, but she just wanted to give him some form of comfort.

They didn’t want this… neither of them asked for this.

But his question did strike a chord within her. Especially with the thought of a not-so-distant future where the shadow of death was looming over her… waiting to entrap her and pull her into that permanent slumber.

What would she be leaving behind when her time finally came? What did she wish to leave behind? And most importantly, who would be there to mourn her? Not the Warrior of Light, not a savior or liberator, but as herself… as the simple adventurer that she knew she truly was? Would any remember her that way?

Or would there be others who would remember her as a villain herself one day?

“There you are,” Y’shtola said, and she broke eye content with Ardbert as she looked back to see her scholarly friend returning with a rather self-satisfied smirk on her face, “I have everything I need. Let us quit this place.”

She had approached her, but Claire found she was in no mood to talk or even to smile at this otherwise great news. Instead, she turned back to Ardbert, but was unsurprised to find that he was already gone.

And despite the fact that there was someone else here, she never felt more alone.

“Is something the matter?” Y’shtola asked her, taken-aback by her grim mood, “We should go. The others are waiting.”

Claire nodded, but not before taking a long, hard look at the faded mural one last time.

It wasn’t fair… not one bit of it was fair.

No matter what anyone else said, no one deserved to be remembered in such a poor light when the truth was that they could not have been more noble and selfless.

If Y’shtola noticed her quieter-than-usual mood, she did not ask about it as they snuck through the tunnels and made it outside again. But Claire could see how she seemed to be glancing at her in concern as they ducked behind some rocks to avoid being seen, having to take the long way around to make it back to Thancred.

“Claire… are you… feeling alright?” Y’shtola asked, giving her that piercing look as if she thought that if she looked hard enough, she would find something not right.

Claire only nodded, not being able to confess how sick to the stomach she was suddenly feeling. And that wasn’t just because of the murals either. She could feel, yet another, headache coming on and she was feeling queasy for some reason even though she hadn’t had anything to eat all day.

“I’m just… a little unwell,” she confessed as she glanced up to that hateful sky once more. She didn’t voice it out loud, but she could not help but feel that whenever she looked to the light-covered sky, she could feel herself growing ill.

“Something to do with the Light?” Y’shtola asked her obviously very interested in this and Claire sighed as she confessed that she had been feeling unwell lately and that the sky was bringing her such terrible headaches.

She rubbed her temple and confessed, “They have been growing worse lately.”

“Since your return from Il Mheg and defeating the Lightwarden?” Y’shtola questioned and Claire nodded and gave her head a shake.

“If this keeps up, I may have to speak to Urianger after all,” she said and Y’shtola actually stopped, putting out her hand to give her pause and Claire looked at her.

“You told Urianger you weren’t feeling well?” she asked, a little forcefully and she nodded.

“He noticed I wasn’t feeling myself,” she admitted slowly, wondering why Y’shtola looked alarmed about this news, “And he offered to find a way to help. I said no, but I may have to…?”

“How about I examine you when we get back?” Y’shtola cut in firmly. “Despite my current occupation with thaumaturgy, I spent most of my life learning the art healing.”

Claire was startled by this sudden offer… which sounded more like a demand than anything. In the end, she did agree, and Y’shtola seemed satisfied with that. They were silent for a few yalms before she cleared her throat and spoke up again.

“Tell me, Claire,” she suddenly asked, “Did the murals appear to be of any significance?”

Claire told her what Ardbert told her… just not how he had been the one to explain it to her. But she seemed impressed with what she had to say.

“Depictions of heroes?” she repeated thoughtfully, “From the ages of gods, the Ronkan Empire, and immediately before Flood. Very astute observations. Perhaps in another lifetime you could be a curator of antiquities.”

A curator? That actually sounded not a bad idea… if not somewhat depressing. If being a curator meant being around images of the past that made her feel this terrible then she privately thought that it would be for the best if she continued killing gods. At least then she wouldn’t have to focus on anything but the here and now.

The past brought back only pain… and the future was an uncertain shadow…?

Could she only feel free in the present?

She could suddenly understand why the pixies avoided any such thoughts.

“Though it has no bearing on the task at hand, perhaps that knowledge may prove to be of use in the future,” Y’shtola said as she touched her shoulder tenderly and they soon met up with Thancred, who greeted them quiet cheerfully.

They made a hasty retreat back to Slitherbough, ready to greet the others on what they found. Not that Y’shtola did any explaining. She left Thancred to do all the talking as she did what she promised and dragged Claire to her private chambers to give her a full medical examination. She left no room for arguments and the whole thing lasted for almost an hour where Claire was subjected to multiple different ‘tests’ that ranged from physical to merely studying aether. It was mostly her gazing at her flow of aether, or so she claimed, and asking some questions as she observed with those blank eyes.

Claire had no idea what made Y’shtola give such a thorough examination though. She could still remember, especially when she first joined the Scions, how it had usually been Y’shtola who would examine her after her major battles such as with Ifrit and Titan, but it was usually over in just a few minutes when she was satisfied that there was nothing seriously wrong.

“As far as I can tell, your body seems healthy,” Y’sthola said, and she seemed frustrated with the fact that she couldn’t find anything wrong.

“That’s good, right?” Claire asked, really getting sick of being treated as if she were closely approaching her deathbed.

“Yes, I apologize if I am causing you to worry,” Y’shtola told her, as if fearing that she was pushing this upon her, “It’s just…” She hesitated for a moment before adding, “It’s just that I fear that there is still much that we don’t know about the sin eaters and I just want to be safe than sorry.”

This sounded rational… yet Claire could not help but feel that she wasn’t being completely honest with her.

Still, Y’shtola seemed satisfied with the examination and promised her that she would make her something to help with her headache later on. But if she could endure it until after she finished translating the tablet, she would appreciate it.

Claire agreed and got up from her chair as she headed to the door.

“And Claire…?” Y’shtola called and she glanced back. Now she knew she wasn’t imagining the concern in her face. Was there something seriously wrong? “Should you feel anything… anything at all wrong, promise me that you will tell me first. I will do what I can to help.”

Claire nodded and left after that.

It was a couple hours later, having helped with many other members of the Night’s Blessed with various tasks around Slitherbough, when she came across Thancred and Minfilia again, with the latter giving her a sunny smile when she saw her. Apparently, any injuries she suffered from the sin eaters from before were already treated by Urianger, who had gone off to speak with Y’sht—Master Matoya—a little while ago when the annoyed mage stuck her head out of her room and barked for him to get over here since she needed to have a word with him.

“Nothing so unusual,” Thancred shrugged unconcerned, “I remember that whenever she had trouble with something she would very grudging ask someone else for help. Probably just wanted his second opinion on the tablet or something like that.”

“Now that you’re here, there’s something I want to ask you,” Minfilia asked Claire rather innocently, “Urianger told me that Thancred was something of a rogue in the past. As a wolf among sheep, he said. What did he mean by that? Do you know?”

Both of them froze at that and they shared a startled look with each other as the younger girl looked from one to the other and Thancred cleared his throat in a rather nervous way.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Claire promised her and Minfilia seemed more confused than before.

Thancred looked at her, as if hurt she was abandoning him in his hour of need and she shrugged back as she quickly headed off, distinctively hearing him growl under his breath about Urianger’s garrulous nature.

Hoping to find something else to do, she approached Runar, who jumped when she appeared out of nowhere.

“Claire!” Runar he said in surprise, “The guard told me you left with Master Matoya to Woven Oath. And no sooner do you return than she locks herself away in her chambers without so much as a word. She knows how I worry when she leaves without tell me.” When he said this part, she saw how he sighed and ran his massive hands over his furry face as if he was tempted to start pulling out his hair. But he settled down and said in a much brighter tone, “But she is safe, and that is all that matters. You must be hungry after such a journey. Why not have a seat there by the fire? The stew will soon be ready.”

She suddenly realized how hungry she was feeling, her queasiness having finally faded, and she took a seat on the ground near the cookfire and watched the flames danced for a few long minutes. She then found herself gazing up to the shadows of the massive trees and felt some relief from the awful glare of Light that was pressing in on her.

She breathed out deeply, smelling the wonderful scent of the trees and leaves in her lungs and found herself oddly content here. She quite enjoyed her time here even as Runar came over to finish adding some special spices and roots to the stew, telling her that it was just a simple hunters stew he was making. Nothing fancy but it was hearty and was sure to fill their bellies which she was quite eager to taste.

He said that they would eat once the guard returned from patrol. But as the minutes ticked by and he continued stirring the pot, he seemed to be growing more and more concerned by the waiting period.

“Strange…” Runar said slowly as he looked up to the sky, as if he could tell what time it was from the shine, “The others should have returned by now. Our food will be overcooked if we wait any longer.” It was clear that he was worried, but he didn’t seem to wish to bring it up… perhaps afraid he would upset or worry someone else if he mentioned it.

Instead, he said to her, in as cheerful a voice as he could, “We will just have to start without them. Would you call Master Matoya and the others?”

Feeling better thanks to her time to rest, she nodded, climbing to her feet and headed off to Y’shtola’s chambers. But when she came to the door, about to raise her hand to knock, she suddenly heard a very angry voice answer within.

“I tire of these games, Urianger!”

She paused there at Y’shtola’s furious voice and leaned her head in to listen closer.

***Y’shtola***

She could not ‘see’ like others could.

Her eyes, having been stripped of their sight after her prolonged exposure to the Lifestream, were all but useless. Still, she never had trouble being able to ‘sense’ where anything was. She could see aether in a sense.

She had been devastated at first, thinking that she would be forced to living in a world of darkness… until she reached out with her aether and suddenly she could tell where everything was. Almost like there was a black chalkboard all around her while the aether twisted around her into shapes. Aether flowed through everything, and simply by feeling where the aether was, she could find her way. Her dear sister was the first one she awoke too when she was pulled out of the Lifestream and though she could not see her face, she knew at once that it was her just by the gentle flow of color through her soul. The warm, slightly scolding, aether that always reached out to hers so eagerly… which was expected for they were sisters.

She quickly got used to it… and while it was hard at times, she didn’t regret the choices she made to get this far. Discovering that she would still be able to read again was a great relief to her; meaning that she wasn’t completely useless. Objects like the tablet were a little more difficult for her to tell, often having to rely upon her hands as much as the aether to be able to read it… but books were surprisingly easy for oftentimes there was aether infused in the ink of the books.

She eventually was able to teach herself to be able to recognize people based on the color of their aether.

Her sister’s was a calming green that reminded her of green hills and summer leaves strolling through the Twelveswood and from this she was able to discover the others aether. Such as Tataru’s bright shade of pink that would put even the brightest cherry blossom to shame, and Alphinaud’s dark blue that resembled that of the ocean or a vast sky on an autumn’s day.

Claire’s aether was always something of a marvel to her however. It was of a light shade of blue… yet infused with a brilliant light that sometimes appeared to be sparkle like one would gaze into starlight. It was soothing and calm… bringing her a source of comfort.

But now…?

Y’shtola sighed as she ran her hand through her hair in an exhausted way.

She knew she had to finish translating the tablet, but she could not help but feel anxiety stirring inside her at the state of her friend’s aether. She could see the Light coming towards them from malms away. She had been helping to prepare for Toddia’s service when she first saw it, like someone had turned on a bright light from a Lighthouse over a darkened ocean and she turned her head to sense that a powerful Light was heading towards them.

After three years of fighting and contending with sin eaters, she knew when to tell when one was nearby. They all had that infused abundance of Light that was so bright it hurt to look at. But the light she felt making its way towards them dwarfed any other sin eater she had confronted so far. It was far brighter and stronger… and she feared that a powerful eater, mayhaps even a warden, was coming towards them.

When she confronted her friends before, she could not believe that they would be in the same presence of an eater and demanded to know what was going on. And when she heard Claire’s voice coming from that light… she knew… she knew what it meant. And that thought horrified her more than anything.

When she hugged her when the reunited, she could feel the light in her very skin. But when Claire spoke to her afterwards, it soon became clear that she had no idea to what was going on. She didn’t know what was happening to her aether.

After all, twas she who was the one who first suggested bringing her into the Scions so she could not help but feel responsible for her; and this she didn’t like in the least.

When she first confronted Urianger on what was going on, he didn’t seem to be able to give her a real answer. It could not have been any more obvious that he was deliberately avoiding a certain subject about the Lightwardens, yet despite that she let the matter drop for the time being because of Toddia’s service and didn’t want to risk a fight between them in case of upsetting the other Blessed.

But what shocked her the most was the way that Urianger seemed keen to let the matter go when she confronted him earlier about it when she demanded answers. He instead told her that she had only been here a few short weeks and that they had been making steady progress on their mission to slay the wardens, for two have already been brought down. That didn’t surprise her. She wouldn’t have expected anything else from their talented friend. But that wasn’t the issue here.

But after examining Claire herself, she found that she could not contain it anymore and demanded that Urianger join her. She slammed the door to her chambers shut after Urianger sat down… as if a child had been caught misbehaving.

Y’shtola took several deep breaths before demanding that he tell her what was going on.

Urianger, to his credit, remained calm and in control as he already repeated what they told her before… but her eyes narrowed at him when he danced around the subject of Claire’s condition.

“You know something, don’t you?” she asked him coldly, her ears now flat against her head, showing just how difficult she was trying to keep her anger locked up inside.

“I have learnedth a great many things since first arriving here in the first, Master Matoya,” he answered her calmly, and she felt her tail flick about in irritation at his obvious patronizing.

“Don’t you play coy with me,” she hissed furiously. “Why are you doing this? If I discover that the Exarch put you up to this I will kill him first and then I’ll deal with what little is left of you by the time I’m done.”

He didn’t answer and she felt a muscle going in her face. Gods, why does this man have to be so infuriating to deal with?

“Urianger, you cannot tell me that you did not see it! The Light that is inside her!” she told him.

“The aether of our dearest friend is as radiant as the sun, or so you hath once confideth in me,” he answered her. She glared at him, her anger now close to boiling pint.

“I thought that you cared about her more than this,” she told him coldly, her tone now so frigid that frost was prickling upon her fingertips as she tried to hold back her own aether to prevent any accidental use of spells.

“Our friend was fully awareth of the dangers involved in our battle with the Lightwardens,” Urianger began in a voice of determined calm before she interrupted.

“Really?” Y’shtola snapped back coldly, “Of _everything_? Is she aware of the Light that is now infused with her very aether? Did you even think to warn her of any possible dangers in defeating the wardens? Do you think she would have been so eager to help if she knew _exactly_ what this could entail?”

“The circumstances are unknown to us all,” he answered back, “And so we must…?”

“And yet you didn’t warn her of any possible risks involved, did you?” Y’shtola demanded, “She is unaware of the full danger she is putting herself in. Not just the battle with the wardens themselves but the aftereffect! You and the Exarch have been lying to her from the beginning! And don’t you dare say that you did not know!”

He just looked away and she felt her anger rise at the sight of it.

“Urianger, full well do I know that she has performed miracle after miracle. I am… so proud of how far she has come and of the many remarkable feats before,” she said as she shook her head, “But even she has her limits. Even if she doesn’t show any signs right away, I had a closer look at her condition myself and there is no denying the changes that have taken root. Even if she shows no immediate danger signs, there’s no telling what kind of effect the Light will have on her? You can deny it all you want but even you cannot ignore what is happening! She is becoming corrupted by the Light! And we both have seen what happens to those who are so much as touched by that blighted Light? She is slowly becoming a sin eater. This, I’m sure you are aware of!”

“Master Matoya -” he started, but she had enough of his half-truths and lies.

“I tire of these games, Urianger!” she finally yelled out, unable to hide her frustration anymore, and wanted nothing more than to strike him for his sudden apathy. She reached over to grab the book there was in his hands and tossed it behind her as it hit the wall and fell onto the floor as she demanded, “Why do you pretend you cannot see it? The blessing might prevent her from becoming a Lightwarden, but you cannot be blind to the nascent corruption! She is not as she was in the Source.”

What was wrong with him? While it had always been difficult to figure out his emotions, she could not believe that he would have turned a blind eye to what was happening in front of him. Sure, he could not sense the aether as well as she could, but he was able to know enough of it to be able to see the danger that they were all in. He could have at least warned her of what even ‘might’ happen. While she was aware that he hadn’t been present when she defeated the first Lightwarden, surely he could have been able to sense the change that was already taking root within her and maybe said something, anything, on their way to defeat the second.

Still, he did not speak. Didn’t even look at her. Which, if anything, only infuriated her more.

“Though I have no proof, I fear the light which poured forth from the Wardens was not negated at all,” she went on, folding her arms, at least willing to give him the chance to try and justify his actions, “I fear it was absorbed - that she has been suffused with their light.”

She heard him gulp slightly before answering, forcing himself to raise his head and spoke firmly, “Though I have given thought to this possibility, I dare not speak until more is known.”

Truly? That was the best answer he could give her? She was barely able to keep her anger inside, but she could not hide the frustrated sigh that broke free from her lips.

“By the time you deign to enlighten us, it may be too late - if it is not already,” she scolded before taking a deep breath. She knew that Urianger would never bring harm to another like that, though he was secretive, he was loyal to those he saw as friends.

At least, she hoped he still was.

“Urianger - I know full well, after all these years, that you have only the best of intentions,” she said, digging deep inside for patience she didn’t know that was there, “But that does not make it any easier to put my faith in a man so infatuated with secrecy.”

She wanted to trust him; she truly wanted to trust him again. But after the stunt that he pulled before with the Ascians and the Warriors of Darkness…? That left an ugly mark on their friendship. She still cared about him, and slowly she was beginning to trust him again… but now? What was happening? Why did he not wish to talk? Why did he refuse to acknowledge what he knew was happening? Just what was he planning?

She took a deep breath and now demanded an answer, and she wasn’t planning to let this go without getting the truth.

“I have had my suspicions ever since the Exarch bade you speak that day, but now I must ask,” she said firmly, “The Eighth Umbral Calamity and all that followed; everything you claimed to have seen - did you?”

It seemed too convenient for them. That as they worked on a way to return home, Urianger came to them and explained what he had supposing seen. She could hear the fear and conviction in his voice… so she did not believe he was that good an actor… but… there was something about this that rang false. Something about the Exarch and the secrets he knew…?

She could hear it in his voice as well whenever he spoke of bringing the Warrior of Light here to this world. The way he spoke of her… as if he knew her personally. Yet, as far as she could see, Claire didn’t know him at all, nor could she see it possible that the two of them could know each other. At least, until she learned of the mirror in the Tower that the Exarch could use it to scurry images far away.

How she learned that he had been watching their friend’s life for some time now. How could he know of her from a world away? And more importantly, was Urianger working alongside him behind the scenes? Whatever their plans where, their friend was right in the middle of it… seemingly the key figure for it. And Y’shtola didn’t like this one bit.

It was one thing to use someone in their plans if they were aware of the situation. But Claire clearly didn’t know what was going on… that by her defeating the Lightwardens and absorbing their light inside her body was slowly corrupting her from the inside out. Tis true that the Blessing was preventing her from transforming… but who knew what kind of damage it could do to her either way?

Urianger was silent for a long time. She knew him enough to be able to tell if he lied… and if he so much as even hinted at being untruthful then…?

But before he could speak there was a scream from outside and their heads jerked up immediately when she heard someone shouting out, “Help! Someone help! The Eulmorans have come for us! We’re under attack!”

Y’shtola felt frustrated, but she pushed that all away for now. She had to get out there and calm the situation down before anything else happened. Still, she made sure to give Urianger a filthy look before warning him, “We will discuss this later.”

She then went sweeping from the room, her senses on high alert for danger and not really noticing the very person they were just talking about watching them.

***Eulmore***

He had almost forgotten what the city looked like, it had been so long after all. It was about… twenty years ago or so when he last set foot in the city, hoping that he could have a chance to speak with the newly appointed ruler of Eulmore, hopeful that he would be able to aid them in their continued fight with the sin eaters.

He knew that they were still in for several more difficult years of fighting for he was still struggling with his summoning spell to bring the Warrior of Light to this world. But he was hopeful that this new ruler would be as supportive of the fight as the previous leaders.

Sadly, he was greatly disappointed to learn that the new ruler was no different than an entitled child who didn’t like being told what to do. He had made several entries with him over the years, but he eventually realized that he was just wasting his words and good paper on letters. Eulmore once spearheaded the war against the sin eaters… they were a shining inspiration for many… Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

He did his best not to think too much about that as he came to the foot of Gatetown.

After he wished Claire and the others fair journey, he travelled with Alphinaud and Alisaie to the amaro landing, where they parted ways with Alisaie, who seemed to be annoyed with the pair of them for some reason.

Alphinaud shrugged, merely wishing his sister well and promising that he would return in a few days, which she returned, saying that if he got killed or worse, she would never let him hear the end of it.

“She is a spirited one, isn’t she?” the Exarch chuckled as they were loaned some amaro.

“I fear so,” Alphinaud said but he was smiling fondly. “She has always been that way since we were children. If mother and father weren’t so fond of dressing us identically growing up, one would struggle that we are twins.”

The Exarch chuckled a little as he climbed on top of the amaro and readied for takeoff. It seemed that Alphinaud had experience riding borrowed chocobos, but he confessed that he much preferred the smoothness that riding an amaro brought to him.

“If only they had them in the Source,” he sighed fondly as he climbed up onto the back of his own amaro.

“I’m sure that you would be overjoyed if I would offer you to take a few eggs home with you, but I fear that cannot happen,” he said teasingly, readjusting his robes and making sure that his hood remained down as they took off.

The pair of them had a comfortable talk as they flew off across the quiet ocean and arrived along the shores of Kholusia. When they dismounted, he staggered slightly, feeling suddenly tired. This was the greatest problem he had with his… condition. He was completely dependent on the tower and so he couldn’t be away from it for too long. His crystallization made it so that his life was extending as he hoped, but if he was away for too long, or even left it for an extended period of time, he would find himself tired and his body ached.

Still, it wasn’t so bad now as to render this as a handicap at the moment. So the two of them walked along the shore, heading to the city in the distance.

“My, I see that it has changed since I last set foot here,” he said, already hearing the music from here.

“So you’re familiar with the city?” Alphinaud asked him.

“I’ve been here many times over the years,” he confessed, “At least, I was before Lord Vauthry took the reins and enforced his own laws. Before that, the leaders of Eulmore were as a shield to the people against the sin eaters. I often met with them, especially in the beginning when we had refugees flocking to the base of the Crystal Tower. Once the Crystarium was built, we became allies and vowed to fight the eaters together. The last time I was here was almost twenty years ago.”

“When Lord Vauthry came into power?” Alphinaud asked with a frown and he nodded.

“Quite,” he said, “Needless to say, Lord Vauthry wasn’t interested in continuing to fight, especially with the strange power that he held over the sin eaters. People believed him to be some sort of savior and I fear that it had gone to his head.”

“Oh, of that I have no doubt,” Alphinaud sighed, “I have seen more than that when I was last here.”

The Exarch did warn Alphinaud when he first set off for Eulmore that the chances of him getting into the city itself would be slim to none, but that hadn’t been enough to deter the young man from doing his part.

“I know that your last visit here wasn’t a good experience, but I do hope that you lay low here for the time being,” the Exarch reminded him as the gravel beach turned into green fields and they could make out he run-down shacks of Gatetown in the distance.

“My face became well known in the area during the time that I spent here,” Alphinaud confessed, “But I doubt that anyone here would be worthy in Lord Vauthry’s eyes to get answers from. I think that I simply must keep my head down and stay away from others for the time being.”

He glanced at the bright sky and said, “I wonder how the others are doing right now?”

“I am certain they are fairing well,” the Exarch said calmly, “I do not think anything along the road would be enough to stop them. And they seem to have a good grasp on their surroundings. And I’m sure that Y’shtola will be more than able to assist them.”

“Yeah,” Alphinaud said slowly, “It will be good to see her again. I know that you both had a bit of a… disagreement before…?”

“Is that what we are calling it in company now?” the Exarch chuckled, “Aye, if you want to look at it from that angle. I suppose so. I fear though that we are so… opposite that it is only natural that we butt heads against each other. Still, I wished her well upon her journey when she first left the Crystarium, and I am very much looking forward to seeing her again. I am eager to return to hear about the journey through the Twelveswood. I am certain that Claire must be enjoying herself with the thought of heading to a new location.”

“Huh? Oh, right… she would be, wouldn’t she?” Alphinaud asked and suddenly his polite mood became rather tense and irritated.

“You seemed annoyed with me,” the Exarch pointed out as they climbed over some rocks to reach the dirt road in front of them. “Pray, was it something I said or…?”

“No, no… nothing of the sort,” Alphinaud said, looking away. “Just that… you and she seem to be getting along so well lately? Despite the fact that you both are still relatively strangers to each other.”

“I just know how to treat a guest, a hero, and a lovely lady,” he said and Alphinaud’s head jerked around at the world ‘lovely’. The Exarch just chuckled and admitted, “I was young once, and I was taught to treat a woman with respect. I have had only a few relationships in my life, though none of them lasted for too long… nothing ever serious. Ah… though I did have a rather powerful infatuation with a special, young lady long ago. But we remained good friends, nothing more than that.”

“Truly? You never told her how you felt?” Alphinaud asked and the Exarch gazed up at the sky as he thought back to those older memories.

“Twas a simple time for both of us, though we were both soon burdened with the weight of responsibility,” he confessed softly, “Nay, there was no need to confess to something I was not even convinced was there at the time. I had admired her and truly believed her to be a paragon of mankind… a kind and gentle soul… but, no. I believe that it was a different kind of love. An admiring love… mayhaps a sibling-like kind of love. She was a treasure… and looking back now, I cannot see it working out any other way other than we remaining good friends.”

“That sounds like something special,” Alphinaud said in an impressed voice, “Have you ever told her such?”

“Not… in so many words,” the Exarch said, growing a little uneasy that he was little things slip a little more than he would like. “But I did tell her how I valued her friendship. I wonder if she understood that?”

Did she? Well, even if she did, it was so long ago now that he doubted that it would mean much now. Alphinaud still watched him as the Exarch sighed and thanked him for listening before changing the subject.

He wished him well and parted ways with Alphinaud at the entrance to Gatetown, informing him to return in a few days time once he finished his search across the island. Alphinaud offered to go with him to the city, but the Exarch merely assured him that he would be able to look after himself for the time being. Besides, he didn’t want to risk him being recognized by the army.

He approached the gates to the city, where the guards were told to expect him and allowed him through, where the two young women dressed in blue and red jester outfits were waiting to take him up through the city proper.

As they guided him through the city, he took this chance to glance around and he didn’t like what he saw. It would seem that the reports that he gotten, as well as the experience that Alphinaud told him about, weren’t exaggerated.

The people here were almost dizzy with bliss… as if they were living inside their own worlds as they continued about their business. He got a good look at their faces and the slightly glazed over eyes, and he wondered if they were even fully aware of what was going on around them. He didn’t like this.

But he didn’t say a word about it as the two girls led him to the lift, telling him that they were heading straight to Lord Vauthry’s chambers, since he was so eagerly awaiting his answer.

He only nodded, doing his best to remain pleasant and polite, but he could not help but feel the growing sense of unease in the air. And that uneasy feeling only grew the moment that they stepped into Lord Vauthry’s private chambers.

He certainly had been busy growing since last he saw him. Lord Vauthry had already been more on the chubby side, but here… here he barely looked like he even was born of man. When was the last time he even left these chambers?

Still, he forced a smile as the jesters bowed low and stood off to the side.

“Lord Vauthry,” he said, really having to try to put cheer into his tone, “How good it is to see you. How long has it been? Not since your inauguration, unless I am mistaken? Too long, at any rate. May I say how humbled I am to be invited not only into your city, but your home. You are as generous as ever.”

Lord Vauthry, who had just wiped up the greasy remains of what looked like had been his dinner, just looked dully back at him.

“And you are as disingenuous,” he commented, “Let us dispense with the pleasantries. This merry band of dissidents people are calling ‘Warriors of Darkness’… they have slain sin eaters, and by all accounts the Crystarium is complicit in their villainy. And now I hear reports of your people obstructing my soldiers. So I must ask: what exactly do you think you are doing?”

Well, he certainly wasn’t dancing around the subject. If there was one good quality that he had to like about Lord Vauthry, it was that he tended to get straight to the point rather quickly.

“I might ask you the same thing,” the Exarch answered back coolly, “It should be clear even to you that defeating the Lightwardens represents the world’s only hope of survival. Even now, the people of Lakeland and Il Mheg rejoice in the return of night. For a hundred years, they yearned for a means to fight back against the sin eaters and at last they have found one. Yet you choose to stand idly by and do nothing. Why?”

That was the one thing that he found difficult to believe. Even if Lord Vauthry did have a measure of control over them, why not join hands with them now that the Warrior of Darkness was here. The proof was in the very sky themselves and none could deny what was happening… that they were slowly but surely pulling themselves back from the brink.

“Why?” he repeated, as if he thought that the answer was obvious, “Because this ‘hope’ you cling to is nothing more than a fever dream. An exercise in futility. Even should you slay the sin eaters, the world as we know it is beyond salvation. With what little land and resources remain, the people would be free only to starve. Before long they would turn to violence, then to war, and ultimately usher themselves into oblivion. They require a firm hand to shepherd them from the edge. The hand of a king—nay, a god! I will see their dreams fulfilled, their wishes granted. I will give them peace, order—and they shall never want for bliss.”

If he was a god, then the Exarch knew that there was no use in praying anymore if this was what the result got them. While he couldn’t completely deny what he said before about what could happen with some, but many more were good and were willing to help their fellow man… this he had no doubt for he had seen it again and again throughout his long years.

But seemingly misinterpreting his silence, Lord Vauthry smirked down at him as if he knew something that the Exarch didn’t know.

“Men are fickle creatures who entertain vague ideals without the faintest notion what they cost,” he went on, “But a little fear can go a long way towards helping them realize what it is they truly need. Sanctuary. And they shall find none in this world, save that which I afford them. That is why the sin eaters exist. To unite the world under my dominion!”

It was at this point, the Exarch realized that his trip to Eulmore had truly been as pointless as he dreaded it would be. There was no trying to change his mind. He had clearly decided that he was right and wasn’t willing to give up the power that he would surely have to when this was all over.

To think that the horror that was waiting in their future was because of sheer refusal to surrender what power they had. Perhaps some may see the reasoning behind this and give up all hope for a future.

But he was not one of those people and he knew what would become of both this world and the Source if he allowed it to happen.

“A paradise fit to grace the Eight Umbral Era,” he muttered, thinking to—once again—what was awaiting them if they didn’t change course now.

“What was that?” Vauthry demanded and the Exarch realized that he had spoken that part out loud, though he couldn’t hope to understand his words.

“A minor epiphany, nothing more,” the Exarch said before thumping the floor with the tip of his staff, making sure he had Lord Vauthry’s attention and was ready to say his own piece.

“You have always held sway over those around you. Those who defy you must submit or die,” the Exarch told him firmly, really venting what he was thinking since there was no need to try and play pleasantries anymore—though he still made the effort to sound calm. “What sits before me is an inevitable result of bloating privilege and unchecked power. But man is more resilient than you think. His achievements are not the product of violence and bloodshed but compassion and understanding. This calamity is but another crisis to be overcome. And we will—once we eliminate the sin eaters.”

This world was tittering upon the edge of a knife but they hadn’t tipped so far over just yet that there was no future for them. He believed in this. He was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that the people here had a future, even if it took decades or even centuries to see that come to part.

Sadly, not everyone, however, seemed as open-minded as him.

“You poor, deluded fool,” Vauthry sighed, “These people care not for the morrow. They care only for the now, and the contentment they lack. What good is a paradise to them if it is a thousand years in the making? Or even a hundred?!”

But the Exarch just smiled back as he thought over his long life. While it was true that mankind was flawed, it was because of that they were able to rise to their feet over and over and over again after each tragedy that life had to throw at them. He thought of his people at the Crystarium and of their hard work and effort to see a safe place for their children. He remembered the sacrifices made by those old friends who were willing to do anything to make the world a better place and helped him to bring the Crystal Tower here… and he thought of the one for whom he looked too for inspiration who always gave their all to help those who needed it most.

Thinking of all that, how could he dare to do anything less?

“You underestimate them, Lord Vauthry,” he told him softly, still smiling at the memories, “They see further than you think. I have beheld it in the blood and sweat and tears of those who would sacrifice everything for a future they may never know. That their children may never know. I have beheld it in the hopes and dreams of those who came before, which we bequeath to those who come after, that they might in turn build upon the foundations laid by our forebears. These are the bonds which hold man and his world together, not your gilded chains—and I will resist your every effort to shackle him.”

His words held no hint of a threat, yet Vauthry treated them as if he were preparing to attack.

“In summary, you will continue to support the villains hunting my sin eaters?” he demanded, any trace of good-will gone now from his voice.

The Exarch just grinned as he raised his head a little higher as he exclaimed proudly, “With tremendous enthusiasm, for I have faith in the future they would build.”

Vauthry just glared at him and the Exarch could sense that he would soon be leaving… and of course…?

“Why do I even bother?” Vauthry growled before he raised himself up slightly and barked smugly, “Fools the lot of you! So naïve! So painfully predictable! Did you imagine I did not know your mind? That I would wait until after this meeting to dispatch my forces? Even as we speak, they march to the sin eaters’ defense! Insurrection will not be tolerated!”

But he just grinned back, completely unafraid, as Vauthry’s hand began to glow with a bright violet-shade of aether.

“The people of this world are mind to rule, mine to command…” he said as he held it up and it looked like he held a ball of light in his palm and was preparing to throw it. “AND YOU ARE NO EXCEPTION!”

There was no need to worry though, for he allowed the spell to end and his eyes opened up as he stood upon the edge of Gatetown. Shortly after he had parted with Master Alphinaud, he had sent a glamor of himself to Vauthry, to ensure that he would be a safe enough distance away should Vauthry try something.

As he gazed upwards to the city, he could have sworn that he heard a loud voice echoing from on high, “INSOLENT SWINE! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS. DO YOU HEAR ME!?”

It was hard not to smirk at that, but the Exarch turned and left the way he came… using up a great deal of his strength by simply teleporting back to the Crystarium. He knew that he would pay later for using so much strength so far from the tower, but gods it was worth it just to see the smug look wiped off his face.

Still, he could not help but worry over what Vauthry said… how is forces were marching off to the eaters defense.

_‘I pray you are all safe,’_ he thought to himself.


	18. Not-So-Hidden-Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eulmore is coming to Rak'tika and has given them a choice. Either abandon this fool's quest, or they kill each one of the Night's Blessed. Not one to run from her troubles, Y'shtola has concluded that the only way to stop this is by defeating the Lightwarden and bringing the night sky back to the forest. So they set out in search for the means to gain an audience with the protectors of Yx'Maja. And hope that they will be willing to open the way for them to end the third Lightwarden.

If there was one thing in this world that Claire hated in this world, it was a liar.

But following after that was probably the idea of her being in the dark about some important information.

And right now, she felt her heart beating so hard that it felt like it was trying to break free of her chest.

What was happening to her?

Claire had heard Y’shtola angry before, but never like this. The way she was yelling at Urianger…? And the worst part was it was about _her_. Claire didn’t know what to think or what she could possibly say to this… only that she now felt as if she were about to be sick when she heard her say ‘it may be too late’ or ‘she has been infused with their light’. What were they trying to say? What was wrong with her?

She gulped down, trying to keep herself from thinking the worse and instead pressed her head so that her ear was flat against the door when she heard Y’shtola then demanded why Urianger pretended not to notice that something was wrong. So… Urianger knew from the beginning that something was happening to her because of her defeating the Lightwardens? Did he just think that it was nothing to be concerned with and that was why he never brought it up? Yet, Urianger had seemed concerned for her wellbeing… but never had she thought that he would purposely ignore it if her victories were causing her harm…?

But what really got her was when she heard Y’shtola demand to know if the ‘vision’ that Urianger had of the Eight Umbral Calamity was real… he didn’t answer her. That, if anything, sent a wave of cold throughout her entire body.

Why?

She wanted to burst in there and demand answers for once… but she didn’t have time to think when one of the villagers came limping into Slitherbough, crying for help. She felt as if her stomach dropped when she heard him cry out about Eulmorans, understanding immediately what was going on.

She stood back in time for Y’shtola to come marching out, looking thoroughly put out, as she all but kicked the door down, but headed straight to the villager and demanding to know what was happening.

Urianger followed much slower, and seemed a little taken aback when he almost ended up walking right into her… but Claire couldn’t even look him in the eye as she followed after Y’shtola. Fearing that she would snap at him, she instead focused on what was going on outside these walls. As they tended to the wounded guard, he quickly told her about how he and another were ambushed while on patrol and that a representative of Eulmore was here, demanding to speak with them. He explained that they were in the company of a few of the Children of the Everlasting Dark and were now holding onto their friend as a hostage until they were granted an audience.

Understanding at once, Y’shtola nodded, promising to handle this before she turned to her and the other Scions and instructed them to stay hidden.

“We can’t risk them knowing that you are here, though I think that it’s safe to say they already figured out that much,” she sighed.

There were a few feeble sounds of protest from the other Scions, but they soon agreed to let her handle this, and at least go and see what these ‘demands’ were going to be about. Runar came running up, his eyes wide and fearful; yet determined to accompany Y’shtola outside with her, for he wanted to be close at hand should they try something against her.

Y’shtola thought it over for a moment before agreeing to allow him to accompany her, and the two of them made for the entrance. She and the other Scions accompanied them in silence until they could just make out the entrance and fell back to the shadows of the tunnel as Y’shtola and Runar walked on.

Fearing that their negotiations will turn sour, Claire crouched down low, almost anxious to hear the sounds of fighting break out so that she would have an excuse to vent her frustrations.

Ran’jit’s voice suddenly spoke up and Mifnilia cowered next to her. She reached out to place a comforting hand on Minfilia’s shoulder to steady the younger girl, but her own eyes were narrowed at the entrance.

“You speak for the Night’s Blessed?” she heard him demand.

“I do,” Y’shtola answered back firmly. Ran’jit then gave her a warning when Y’shtola demanded that they hand over their hostage.

“By Lord Vauthry’s decree, Rak’tika now falls under the governances of Eulmore,” Ran’jit informed them formally, “You will henceforth answer to us.”

Under who’s right? Vauthry may think that he is this world’s master, but he has no right to force the Night’s Blessed to bend the knee.

“Is that so?” Y’shtola demanded coldly before addressing someone else, “And the Children of the Everlasting Dark have acquiesced to this madness?”

“We have reached an accord, yes,” Ran’jit answered back, “Too many times have the Night’s Blessed shunned Eulmore’s overtures of friendship. The risk that you harbor hostile intentions has grown too great to ignore. Therefore his lordship has claimed dominion over this forest, and bestowed executive authority upon the Children of the Everlasting Dark.”

“In his wisdom, Lord Vauthry has agreed to recognize ours as the only permissible expression of Dark worship—its one true faith,” another voice spoke up, one of the Children from Claire’s guess. “You and your false creed are a blight on these woods! A foul, unholy corruption that must be cleansed. Little wonder the Warrior of Darkness visits both Lakeland and Il Mheg, yet shuns Rak’tika. Your perverted teachings hold blessed shadow at bay!”

Her fists curled up tightly and she so badly wanted to hit someone. How dare they? They use her as an excuse to do what they want? Using her as a threat?

“You have accepted the yoke of Eulmore to spite us, then?” Y’shtola asked with a frozen voice, “Fools. Darkness will never return to these skies while they hold sway.”

But Ran’jit seemed to have grown tired of this and left them an ultimatum.

“Those of you minded to obey his lordship are to make for Woven Oath with all haste,” he warned and it was clear that this was not up for debate, “We will leave, that you may have time to prepare.”

“Woven Oath?!” Runar’s voice gasped, speaking at last, and unable to believe what he was hearing, “Are you suggesting we abandon our faith to join those zealots?!”

“What has your ‘faith’ afforded you thus far?” the speaker for the Children demanded, “Nothing! We will guide you along the righteous path.”

Y’shtola was silent for a moment, but Claire didn’t need to see what was happening to know that their friend was outraged about this. And this was confirmed when she asked, her voice still calm, but she could detect the cold fury there, “And should we refuse?”

Ran’jit was silent for a time before he finally answered, “Anyone found here upon our return will be considered a traitor to Eulmore, and dealt with as such.”

She then heard them leaving, once their footsteps faded away, she stood up, walking out with the others right behind her. Runar was already at the side to the injured Blessed, with Y’shtola watching on with a grim look. When she heard them appear, she turned back to speak with them and stated, “We will discuss these developments after I tended to our casually.”

They agreed and made a quick retreat back into Slitherbough as she and Runar helped carry the wounded man to their healers. Offering up his services, Urianger joined them to see if there was aught he could do to help—while she gathered with Minfilia and Thancred in Y’shtola’s chambers to see if there was anything they could come up with to help.

“Why are they doing this?” Minfilia asked, clearly upset, her eyes filled with tears. “Is it because of me?”

“Of us,” Thancred countered with a sigh, leaning up against the wall with a frown. “They want to bring you back to your cell in Eulmore, but they clearly want us all dead as well. It’s clear why they’re doing this. They suspect that we’re here and so they’re making the Night’s Blessed pay for harboring fugitives.”

“But they didn’t do anything!” Minfilia gasped.

“They don’t need to,” Thancred shrugged, “Those excuses are just that… excuses. Vauthry is using whatever he can to his advantage… and I doubt that they will think twice about killing everyone in this forest if they think it will help.”

He looked up to Claire, and they shared a silent understanding. Vauthry wanted to make sure that they didn’t find and slay the Lightwarden here in Rak’tika like with what happened in Il Mheg when his men were forced to retreat. Therefore he was resorting to desperate actions.

“That Eulmore has gained a foothold here in these woods bodes ill for the Night’s Blessed,” Thancred sighed.

“Surely there’s something we can do to help the Night’s Blessed… isn’t there?” Minfilia asked, looking from him to Claire, as if hoping that the answer would magically come to them.

Claire wasn’t sure what they could do. After all, even if they left the woods, that wouldn’t stop Eulmore and the Children. They want to rid the forest of the Night’s Blessed and her heart ached with guilt.

The doors suddenly opened and Urianger entered, looking grave, and informing them that Y’sthola would be along in a moment to discuss what they were to do next. When Claire asked him about the guard, Urianger heaved a sigh.

“The guard hath been affected with a most terrible and efficacious poison,” Urianger said solemnly, “We have attempted all manner of healing incantations. Alas, his condition remains unchanged. At present, we can but slow the poison’s advance. I pray it will afford us sufficient time to find a cure.”

Poison?

A fate that could be her own, along with the rest of the Scions and countless others, if they fail here. Remembering that, and seeing how far Eulmore was willing to go…? To the extent of poisoning innocent people? Anger boiled under her skin and she wanted to tear both Ran’jit and Vauthry apart for this.

She took a deep breath, allowing her anger to fall away; reminding herself that this wasn’t going to help anyone if she lost control. Why was she so angry these days? It took nearly all her self-control to keep such thoughts at bay but with time it just seemed to be growing worse.

A second later, Y’shtola and Runar entered, both of them looking as grim as she felt and Thancred pushed himself off the wall to approach them.

“How fareth the young guard?” he asked, clearing wanting a second opinion. But they confirmed with what Urianger said.

“The poison spread throughout his system long before he was brought here,” Y’shtola said with a miserable shake of the head, “At present, there is naught we can do but try to ease his pain.”

“Do not blame yourselves, my friends,” Runar said bracingly, which—if anything—made Claire feel even guiltier about this whole situation, “All that can be done has been done. Even had we reached him sooner, it would have made little difference. The Children employ countless poisons. Finding a suitable antidote is a night impossible task.”

Ah, now she understood. That was the reason they were so protective over their spider nests… they were breeding them for this poison.

“What of the rest of the Blessed?” Thancred questioned, “How have they taken the news of Eulmore’s generous proposition?”

Runar lowered his head, his eyes cast to the floor with a kind of despair.

“With anger and dismay,” he confessed, “We cannot hope to oppose both them and the Children. I considered a convocation of all the Night’s Blessed that we might consider their ultimatum, but I know how they will answer.”

He then turned to Y’shtola, and his eyes were now shining with a faint fondness and concern.

“Master Matoya… I am truly sorry,” he told her regretfully. “We will not—cannot—abandon our faith. But there is no reason for you to suffer for our decision. Your work is not yet done, and you still have time to flee.”

Run? Y’shtola wasn’t the type who would turn tail and run for it. And sure enough, Y’sthola folded her arms as she seemed to think it over.

“Flee?” she finally asked, “I am not wont to run from my troubles. In fact, with Claire’s arrival, I am minded to take the offensive. The Eulmorans’ presence here partly stems from a desire to protect the Lightwarden. I say we seek it out and slay the creature before they return. Were darkness to fall over Rak’tika, they would have no cause to remain.”

That was the reason they came here, but so far they had no idea of where to even find the damn thing. These forests were huge and they didn’t have much time to search for it when Eulmore was now breathing down their necks.

“All of which is rather easier said than done,” Thancred said, fully agreeing with her train of thought, “Unless, of course, you’ve finally deciphered that tablet?”

“I have, as a matter of fact,” Y’shtola nodded, “And with it we can prepare everything we need to enter Yx’Maja.” She glanced at them all and asked, “What say you all? We will need to act quickly, but I believe it can be done.”

They all looked at each other, and she didn’t need to ask how they all felt about this. They were all nodding in agreement and she wasn’t the type to run from a fight.

“For the Night’s Blessed!” she said and that earned grins from everyone.

“Good,” Y’shtola said as she turned back to Runar and informed him, “I leave the Blessed in your capable hands, Runar.”

“Very well,” he moaned out and he shook his head in his hands much like how he did before when he worried for Y’shtola, and Claire couldn’t help but smile at that as he promised, “I see there is no changing your minds. By all that is dark, I swear to keep the Blessed safe.”

He left them, returning to discuss what they should do to prepare for the Eulmorans when they returned—leaving the rest of them to discuss what their rolls would be now.

Y’shtola told them what the tablet contained, how they would first need to obtain a seal used to identify the allies of Ronka in the past. She explained that one such seal should be waiting for them in a complex of underwater ruins not far from here. Only problem? They were at the bottom of Lake Tusi Mek’ta.

Which was then that she turned to Claire, fully aware of her ability to allow her to dive for underwater exploration without fear of drowning. Claire nodded, and set off at once with her while leaving, Urianger, Thancred, and Minfilia to help shore up Slitherbough’s defenses. While it wasn’t sure to stop Eulmore and the Children for long, it would give them time.

Claire glanced over at Y’shtola from the corner of her eyes as they walked on… unable to feel anything other than worry for what was waiting for them.

“Nay, do not blame yourself for this,” Y’shtola told her, taking her by surprise, having a guess to part of the problem that was tossing about inside her like a storm, “The Children have loathed the Night’s Blessed long before even I arrived here. They would have launched an attack against us sooner or later. And from what I hear of Eulmore, especially of their Lord Vauthry, I doubt that he needed much of an excuse to rule over these woods… they have been trying for some time now. So, you need not feel that you are responsible for this.”

Claire nodded, knowing that Y’shtola wouldn’t be saying it if it was true, but she could not help but feel responsible. The only comfort she had was when she reasoned that if they could stop the attack and slay the warden, thus returning the night sky; that would be her way to make up for it as well as repay them for their kindness.

She just said they should hurry and they quicken their step towards the water’s edge of the swamp and Y’shtola pointed out over it.

“The seal we seek should be stored in a chamber somewhere inside the ruins beneath the lake,” Y’shtola declared. “However, the entrance is seemingly protected by a subtle locking mechanism rooted in the symbolism of Ronka culture.”

Claire tilted her head in confusion, and perhaps she realized this wasn’t much of an explanation other than ‘dive underwater and mess around in the ruins until something happens’ and tried again.

“The Ronka sought to live in harmony with nature, and considered certain animals to be sacred,” Y’shtola explained, “Foremost in their pantheon was the snake, portrayed as the protector of the wood, and arbiter of life and death. Below it were four others, each equal in rank: the coeurl, the colbri, the opo-opo, and the wolf, characterized as the bringers of liberty, words, enlightenment, and harmony, respectively. To open the chamber containing the seal, the tablet states that one must pay due deference to three of these beasts by placing one’s palm on monuments wrought in their image, and that this must be done in a specific sequence. If my interpretation is correct, the order can be discerned from the tree commandments which follow.”

She cleared her throat and recited:

_“Give praise unto the snake. By its strength do our lands prosper._

_Be as the opo-opo, rival thy kin. As all parts seek betterment, so too does the whole.’_

_Be as the wolf, move as one. Peace comes to all who seek harmony in their kin.”_

Well, that was as clear as the mud that they were currently ankle-deep in.

“The tablet says naught of the placement, size, or appearance of the monuments, alas,” Y’shtola finished, “Hopefully all will become clear when you reach the bottom of the lake. Go safely.”

So she wasn’t sure exactly what it was she was supposed to be looking for except that they were in the shape of a snake, the opo-opo, and the wolf… and she was supposed to find their monuments underwater and just hope that they still worked after several thousand years?

Well, she had been given tougher jobs.

So, with a shrug, she walked out into the water until she was deep enough for her feet to leave the shore behind and she dove downwards. The water was extremely murky, unlike the crystal clear water of Longmirror Lake. She could see massive plantlife growing in abundance all about her, as well as several stone pillars that were almost completely buried in mud… how was she to find anything like this?

She dove down deeper, casting her eyes over the gloom, glad that she did have enough light from the sky above to get a decent glance around. As she went further and further into the lake, skimming along the bottom, she could make out stone bricks that were set up in the walls were surprisingly intact—at least compared to the ruins of Veoburt.

She followed the wall a little deeper and after a time, she found that it led to a stone door set up right in the side. Eagerly, she swam into it and found herself in the middle of what looked to be a sort of hall with a pedestal set up right in the middle. She examined the walls around her to find the ancient carvings and carefully laid stone bricks… many of the images that were cared were worn off from time, but the structure itself was remarkably intact.

That was when she spotted the large stone doors behind the serpent and she swam over to try and open it… but she may have been trying to pull at a solid wall for all the good it did.

She then glanced up to the statue once again and drifted upwards to examine the fading carving of a serpent. She remembered what Y’sthola said about the serpent’s monument and raised a hand to touch the head, moving her hand down its entire body… before it began to glow. All at once, she felt something stir close by and she looked back out to the way she first entered and decided to see what it was. She didn’t know how she could sense it, but she just felt as if there was a strange vibration that moved through the water to reach her and she knew herself enough to know when her instincts were telling her something.

She paddled back out into the lake and began to search more through the ruins. Were she not on borrowed time, she would have liked to take her time to explore these ruins as she kept an eye out for more of those monuments.

Through the gloom, she did find a couple more doorways, even resorting to having to swim the length of the lake to find them. She did remember spotting several other monuments during her search, but those were in the form of different animals and so she chose to ignore them as she set her gaze about for the opo-opo and the wolf. Eventually, she did come across the image of the opo-opo, which had several large cracks in it, and she touched it to feel another strange sensation stir elsewhere in the lake.

As she swam back to the other side of the lake, she looked down in time to see a great hole below her that went even deeper, with more stone blocks set up neatly, signaling more man-made structures. She poked her head in to see that this part of the ruins clearly led to a room that had been built underground, with her being able to poke through the ceiling. And there was the last monument she needed though the wolf was now covered with green plantlife, and so worn that it was hard to tell the shape it had been at all.

But nevertheless, she touched it like how one would pet a dog in real life… and that was when she felt the walls around her tremble so slightly that she wasn’t sure if she just imagined it or not. But perhaps this was a sign that the chamber containing the seal was open and so she began to swim as fast as she could back to the hall which contained the serpent.

When she did return, at first, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, at least until she noticed that the great stone doors had indeed opened and there was another pedestal waiting for her, only much smaller. Excitement burned inside her as she drifted over and found what looked like a medallion resting upon it. She took it in her hand, about the same size that Seto’s had been, and knew that this had to be their ticket to finding the Lightwarden. She took one look at it before carefully tucking it safely down her front—not wishing to lose it on her way back—before she began to make her way to the surface.

When her head broke the surface of the lake, she spotted Y’sthola pacing from the shore anxiously, though she broke into a wide smile when Claire returned, feeling surprisingly drained from that little exploration. Y’shtola asked what she found and Claire took the medallion out from under her armor, wiping off some grime so that she could look at it properly in the light. A small, golden medallion bearing the elaborated image of an owl that was so realistic that she almost expected it to hoot at her.

She handed it to Y’shtola, who ran her fingers over it in examination.

“This medallion… it bears the owl insignia of the empire,” she said, “There can be no doubt—this is the seal of Ronka.”

She then gave her a beaming smile and told her, “Well done, Claire. We can begin our preparations to enter Yx’Maja in earnest. Bearing this seal, it should be possible to enter Yx’Maja unmolested by its guardians.”

Claire nodded, about to head, but swayed slightly, giving her head a shake from the sudden dizziness that took hold. Unfortunately, Y’shtola noticed this, and sternly told her to catch her breath and that she would go on ahead to inform the others. When she was ready, they would be meeting her in the cavern leading east of the village. Claire tried to reason she was fine, but Y’shtola was having none of it, merely telling her that she would have to speak to the Blessed anyway when she got back, and that she could rest here until she was ready.

Claire could only shrug and agree as she sat down at the water’s edge once Y’shtola walked off, knowing that she didn’t have much of a choice in this case. She sighed as she decided that she would at least dry off first before following, knowing that it would make them happy. But still, now that she was above water and gazing out at the lake, she found her thoughts racing through her mind once more.

What did Y’shtola and Urianger see that was such a cause for concern? What was happening to her? Was she in terrible danger? If so, of what? Could it be that she was becoming…?

“I remember this place… though it’s been awhile…”

She looked up to find Ardbert had just arrived. He walked until he stood right at the water’s edge before sitting on the forest floor with her. She gave him a faint smile before looking out at the water with him. They sat like that for only a minute before he went on, “We spent a great deal of time exploring the woods and even these ruins. Time was you couldn’t go one foot into the forest without tripping over a ruin… the empire of Ronka must have been enormous.”

He glanced down at the water and sighed before adding, “When last I stood here, these ruins weren’t yet underwater. I guess the Flood caused enough damage and change in the land to drown it.”

“You spent a lot of time here?” she asked him.

“A fair bit of it,” he admitted, “Had quite a few adventures here. In fact, this was where we first met with Brandon and Renda-Rae.”

“Renda-Rae?” Claire repeated as her memory was cast back to the other Warriors of Light she met in the Source.

“She was the bard you met before,” he reminded her, “Though, she went by the name of J'rhoomale at the time.”

“No, I remember her,” Claire nodded as the image of the miqo’te bard from before appeared in her mind’s eye, as well as with a stab of annoyance as she added, “She was the one who shot a poisoned arrow into Alisaie.”

He winced at the reminder.

“Right… sorry about that,” he confessed, “To be fair, she did feel terrible about it afterwards.”

He sighed as he rested his arms on his knees and watched the water ripple up against the edge of the shore. “She actually cried a bit after that… saying that it didn’t feel right. But at the time, we were all convinced that you were enemies, so…?”

“Why not explain to us before what was going on?” she asked him suddenly, “Told us what you were going through…? We may have been able to help…?”

“Back then, if we told you that we came from another star that was in danger of being swallowed by light and that we didn’t know how to save it, what would you have done?” he shrugged and she found herself unable to answer.

“It wasn’t anything personal,” he added sadly, “And we all hated ourselves for it. But what else could we have done? We were desperate, and didn’t know what else to do. So we listened to the Ascians and allowed ourselves to journey onto the Source in the faint hope of sparing our people a worse fate.”

He looked down at the ground and she watched as he tried to touch a flower that grew between them… but his fingers passed through as if mist and her heart clenched at the sight.

“She was so scared… we all were,” he said softly. “But when we arrived in the Source… it was both strange and miraculous at the same time. We were all eager to explore this new world but we had a job to do. I’m sure you can understand that.”

She nodded grimly and he sighed.

“I didn’t want to do it,” he told her quietly, “I really didn’t want to. I just kept wishing that there was something that we could do without causing innocent people to suffer. And when Minfilia appeared before us, offering to help, I thought to myself… ‘finally’. I was prepared to offer my all if it meant making up for all our mistakes. But in the end, she refused me and left me to wander.”

“Wait,” she said, looking at him sharply, “It was Minfilia who…?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, closing his eyes. “I remember that day so clearly. We had just returned from the Source, and we appeared as the Flood was ready to swallow up Norvrandt. She and my comrades halted it in its tracks and she used her powers to stop it while my friends all sacrificed themselves to lend her their strength. I was the last… but as I was about to make my sacrifice… she stopped me. She said that they would hold it back and the next thing I knew…?”

Claire stared at him, not truly sure what to think of that.

Suddenly the faded memory of when she first crossed the rift to come to Norvrandt appeared in her mind’s eye. When she was flying through those crystals of memory… she saw another image. She wasn’t sure about it at first, but thinking back now, she knew that it was truly Minfilia—their Minfilia—that time. And she remembered her words…?

_‘Your time has not yet come’_

She thought that it was a message from Minfilia to her or even some sort of strange dream. But could it be…?

“Why she stopped me I can’t say,” he said and she blinked as she focused on him again. “I would love a chance to ask her why she condemned me to this fate without at least explaining…?”

“I assume Hydaelyn told her to stop,” she said softly. What other explanation could there be? But still, why? And why was she the only one who had been able to see him? Minfilia had to have known something… she had to have a reason for what she did. Perhaps she hoped that he would be able to protect this world? But how can he if he was trapped as some sort of spirit? Which was another question… why did his soul linger here like a ghost rather than fade into the lifestream?

“Minfilia being the mouthpiece for the god probably gets some insider information,” he agreed grimly, but she could see the sourness in his face.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. She wasn’t even sure why she was apologizing, but she could not help but feel that Minfilia would say the same thing where she here.

“You don’t have to apologize, nothing you’ve done is your fault,” he said, and he seemed a little less upset now, “I’ll admit that it was a living hell forced to just wander all these long years, but I can’t help but feel that there must be a reason. Though, I don’t know what it could be about.”

She didn’t know either. But she felt that he was right. Just like how her instincts had told her before where monuments had been in the lake… those same instincts are now telling her that there was a very important reason that Ardbert survived until now.

“Do you have any ideas to what this… could be?” she asked softly and he shrugged.

“Believe me, I’ve thought of every theory under the sun,” he sighed, “Hells, I even came up with some that would be on the borders of insanity. But nothing I could do could bring me closer to figuring it out.”

He suddenly looked her in the eyes and she felt that he was staring straight past them and into her soul with how sharp his gaze was.

She was about to ask what he was doing when he suddenly spoke again.

“Though I have to ask, I’m not that bad of company, am I?” he asked and she actually laughed, which caused him to smile. “There we go… you’ve been looking so grim lately that I was starting to wonder if you forgot how to laugh.”

She stopped at once and turned red as he looked at her with gentle eyes.

“Of course, I understand why you would feel that way,” he said, “But you know… in a way, you’re really lucky. You aren’t here in this dying world alone.”

But was that true…? She thought about her friends and wondered how well she truly knew them. They were all determined to do whatever it took to save this world and prevent the Eighth Umbral Calamity, but at what cost would they be willing to go? Especially if it turned out that this ‘light’ that was infused with her turned out to…?

She didn’t want to think about it.

“Did… did you ever feel that you were being used?” she asked him suddenly, “As if you were just a weapon?”

She thought more of what the Children said, using her name—or rather her title—as a weapon against the Blessed, saying that it was because of them that the ‘Warrior of Darkness’ had not yet come. Then again when she thought of whatever secrets Urianger was obviously hiding. Did even those she consider friends think of her as nothing more than a tool to be used? A weapon to be honed and polished before pointed at a foe and fight? Why else would he not speak of any possible danger she could have been in?

The two looked at each other for a long moment, but an understanding passed between them. Of course he felt the same way… knew what it was like to be used by others. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling just too even think about. She wanted nothing more than to just forget what she overheard. She wanted to curl up in a dark place where this cursed light would never found her and just be left there for a time.

“Renda-Rae,” she said instead, breaking the silence, “Tell me about her.”

He blinked, but then he smiled faintly and said, “To put it simply… she was like a breath of fresh air.”

Claire sat there with Ardbert for a good while as he told her of the trouble-making Renda-Rae. Of her incredible hearing, her clumsy nature and how she could even drink Brandon, who was twice her size, under the table half the time. She found herself laughing at his stories and even shared some of her own stories, making him grin at how ridiculous they were such as the adventures she had with a certain bumbling inspector. He was roaring with laughter at some of trouble that he had gotten into before she realized her clothes had long since dried. She had to get back. When he saw her stand up, he seemed to understand that quiet time was now over and he stood as well. She had just pulled her greatsword onto her back and was about to ask if he would be following the entire way…? Only to turn around and find him gone.

Well, she was sure that he would be following after her at his own pace, and she began to walk back to Slitherbough, hoping that their defenses had been better secured should the Eulmorans come back; especially since they didn’t know when they would return.

Still… now that she was reunited with all her fellow Scions, she realized that no one else could truly see Ardbert. A part of her thought that perhaps Y’shtola would be able to with how she was able to sense where aether was… but it could not have been any clearer that she truly was the only one who could see and hear Ardbert. Why? What was her connection to him that allowed her, and her alone, to see him?

Again, she would have to save that thought when this was over. She wasted enough time resting, and she was sure that the others were waiting for her.

She found her way back to Slitherbough quickly enough, and she found them in the tunnel that led to the eastern part of the forest… a part that none of them had ventured to before apparently. The others were waiting and they pushed aside her apologizes for keeping them waiting.

“We just finished doing what we could with the defenses,” Thancred reassured her, though he added that they could only hope that it would be enough.

Minfilia’s bright blue eyes gazed up at her, and she smiled warmly as she told her that she was just glad she was safe and that they were ready if she was. At that, Y’shtola and Urianger, who looked to be in the middle of a quiet argument finally looked up to see that she had arrived.

“Good, you’re here,” Y’shtola said urgently, shooting Urianger another annoyed look before addressing her like he wasn’t even there, “Runar opened the gate for us but moments ago. Beyond lies Yx’Maja, and presumably the Lightwarden. It did not take long for the wood’s protectors to find me when last I came here, and I expect them to fall upon us just as quickly this time. Though we carry the seal, that is no reason for us to let down our guard.”

She nodded and so they headed down the pathway… though she paused for a moment as she looked back… and sure enough, there he was. Ardbert just gave her a cheeky smile as he faded from view once more, but she was grinning back, finding a strange comfort in knowing that he was watching over her. Feeling a tiny bit better, she stepped up with the others and followed them through the gate and right into a patch of azure flowers.

***Y’shtola***

It was hard to leave the Blessed behind, with her only promising that they had a plan to drive the Eulmorans back. Even though she knew that there was no guarantee that it would work… well, she was sure it would, but only if they could do it before Eulmore returned.

So the people that she had become so fond of, who had opened her up into their home as if she were one of them, were now in terrible danger, while she was heading off with the dearest of friends to hunt down a Lightwarden—with her angry at Urianger on top of it all…? Needless to say, she was close to tearing out her own hair in frustration.

After Claire found the medallion for her, she made sure to have it cleaned up so that none could miss the emblem of the owl upon it. When they waited for Claire to join them in the tunnel she had allowed Thancred and Minfilia headed ahead of them as she strayed back. When Urianger about to follow, she reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked back in surprise, but froze at the sight of her deadly serious face.

“Don’t think that we are through with our discussion from before. We will talk about this later,” she said in warning, “I am prepared to hear your side of this. I will give you that much to try and defend your actions. But I am going to make sure that she is aware of the possible danger she is in. Do you understand?”

He did not speak for a moment, and for that split second of silence, she thought that he would come clean and confess something… but then he seemed to change his mind as he lowered his head.

“Understood…” he acknowledged.

She frowned at him, still irritated, but she let it go for the time being as she followed after the other two. Thankfully, less than ten minutes later, Claire had joined them and they stepped out into the eastern part of the forest. She had only been here once or twice before… and needless to say that it didn’t end well. She almost got an arrow between the eyes for her trouble, and she knew that she didn’t stand much of a chance on her own.

They walked out among the shade of the trees, and soon enough Minfilia cooed at the sight of the pretty blue flowers.

She wished she could see them other than just their shapes in the aether. But that wasn’t important now and she kept her senses on high alert for trouble. And sure enough…?

Three arrows suddenly were shot from the trees, barely missing Y’shtola by inches… she could feel the wind when they brushed by, as well as hear the whistling they made as they flew through the air. She looked up to the direction that they came from, and sure enough, she could see the faint outlines of three figures standing among the branches. Judging from their size and shapes… she could tell that they were Viera… or Viis as they were known in the First.

“‘Twould seem we have found them,” Y’shtola said, slightly amused at how quickly they found the protectors. And judging from the arrows, she could tell that their weapons were drawn.

“You trespass upon sacred ground,” one of them called in warning, and she heard the sounds of a bow being pulled back as she warned, “Begone.”

Without hesitation she fired another volley of arrows and Y’shtola moved back to avoid it. Thancred pulled his gunblade and knocked aside the few that flew at him while defending Minfilia and Claire pulled out her greatsword so that a couple arrows bounced right off it as effectively as any shield. Arrows were falling like rain now as another of the figures was rushing at her, with a lance firmly in hand… and heading right for her.

“Wait!” she cried, “We did not come to--!”

Too late, the warrior slashed at her with the spear, almost impaling her, but able to sense the movements she was able to dodge them… though she could feel the wind from how close the weapons came. As she dodge them, Y’shtola then pulled her staff and held it up in time as the spear clashed with her. She could feel the strength behind the spear as they were locked in a stalemate.

Urianger defended her by throwing a few of his cards, forcing the Viis to leap out of the way and hop through the air.

“Stop! We mean you no harm!” Y’shtola cried out when she felt the Viis rushing at her again. But this time, she was ready, and she quickly pulled out the medallion and held it up so that their attackers could not hope to miss it. At the sight of it, the spear-wielding Viis skidded to a stop and she could feel that everyone was staring at her. She could even hear traces of conversations being murmured to each other from the two still up in the trees.

She didn’t care though. Now that she had their attention she announced with fierce determination, “We are allies of the empire of Ronka. As is customary, we come bearing the seal of the emperor.”

She was breathing hard as everyone seemed too shocked to even move. Finally, the spear-wielder, who had been ready to continue attacking her, began to examine the seal from different angles and paces away—as if trying to determine if she was seeing things correctly. After a few moments she heard a gasp of delight and began to spin about happily as she called up to the others, “It appears to be genuine!”

The two on the branch spoke to each other for a moment, clearly discussing what they should do. Y’shtola did not dare lower her arm and the medallion until she heard the woman, who appeared to be their leader, call out, “We acknowledge your seal, but we must be certain of its authenticity.” She gestured to the path of blooms beneath their feet and called, “Follow the azure flowers to our village. There we will judge if you are friend or foe.”

“Try not to stray from the path, alright?” the spear-wielder called tauntingly as she ran on ahead after the other two Viis and Y’shtola could not help but feel put out.

“Follow the flowers,” she grumbled under her breath. “Would it kill them to escort us?”

Oh gods… she just realized how similar she sounded to Master Matoya and she quickly shook her head. Her worst nightmare was coming true… she was becoming like her mentor. Fighting the urge to go and jump in a lake or a river, she put the medallion back into her pocket and grumbled, “But… if it affords us an opportunity to investigate Yx’Maja… fine.”

She led the way down the trail, following the trail of aether that was left behind in their wake. They walked on for a fair distance to the north before they came across some wooden steps that led up into the trees and, what Thancred called, looked like a city of giant treehouses. They were high up in the branches, dangling over a massive cliff with the forest floor directly below them that was so far down that the others had trouble trying to see the bottom. Meaning that if they wanted to, they could toss them over the ledge and be rid of them all in one go.

But she held her eyes forward and held high as they walked up the steps to be greeted by the three sentinels in the forest.

“You outsiders are a strange lot, aren’t you?” the staff wielding one said as the spear-weaving one waved happily in greeting. But the bow-wielding one was all business as she held out her hand and asked about the seal to confirm it was authentic. Y’sthola handed it over as the three examined it from every angle before they had to confirm that it was the crest of the royal family of Ronka.

“For three thousand years we have waited for this moment, and now you are finally here,” the bow-wielding sentinel stated respectfully, “I bid you welcome, allies of Ronka. I am Almet, chieftainess of Fanow.”

“Uimet, her younger sister,” the spear-wielder said gleefully.

“Cymet,” the staff-wielder added, somewhat shyly, “A pleasure. We were beginning to lose hope that you would come.”

“I beg your pardon?” Y’shtola asked in confusion, wondering what they were talking about whey they said that they were expecting them?

“These are troubled times for my people,” Almet answered, “Though I can but imagine what compelled you to venture into our woods. You must be tired after your journey. Come, take your ease.”

Uimet was kind enough to take them on a tour through the village while the rest of the Viis looked at them with amazement. Though she did find some amusement when Cymet and Claire were having a conversation right next to her. When Claire told Cymet her name, she could sense the light irritation coming from Claire when Cymet questioned it, asking if it was a rally common one and that times certainly have changed.

Claire fell silent after that as Cymet then began to ask the others for their names.

“You ok?” she asked and Claire sighed, suddenly whispering that she was wishing that her mother had given her a different name because of all the grief she had been given and Y’shtola could not help but snort at that.

“It’s a pretty name, but I can see why you would be made fun over it,” Y’shtola teased as they climbed up to the top steps and tried to ignore the shocked expressions from the other Viis, “Why not change it if it bothers you so?”

Claire shrugged and merely said that it was a family name and could never find the heart to change it. She let the matter drop as they arrived outside one of the structures and were greeted by the three sisters once again.

“As bearer of the seal, you have a right to know what became of the empire, and my people’s purpose here,” Almet told them and then she explained their story. That they were actually descendants of the palace guard, who served under the last emperor. To this day they carry on their duty, the final decree from the Emperor before Ronka fell, that they must protect the ruins and the secrets of Ronka until their allies arrived. Only then could they share the mysteries of Ronka with the rest of the world. But their duty had grown difficult since the Flood for many of their settlements were destroyed afterwards until only Fanow remained and their numbers dwindled every year.

“Before long, there will be no one left to honor the emperor’s wishes,” Almet finished bitterly.

“And you believe we are the allies for whom you have waited?” Y’shtola asked, finding it somewhat ironic that they were the Viis waiting for all this time.

“You have the seal, do you not?” Uimet asked as if it was obvious, “After three millennia of waiting, that alone is nothing short of a miracle! Truth be told, I had begun to think you would never come!”

“Sister!” Cymet scolded her, which caused Uimet to look down, taking on a mournful face and sulked.

“We are glad of your presence here in the Greatwood,” Almet said professionally, ignoring her sisters antics, “The wisdom of Ronka is yours should you wish it. You need only ask.”

They thanked her and Y’shtola then took control as she quickly summed up the reason they were here, to hunt down the warden.

“You come in search of the Lightwarden…” Almet said slowly. “My apologies, but I do not know where it makes its lair.” She looked to her sisters and asked, “Uimet, do you recall any sightings of this creature?

“Hmmmm… not these past thirty summers,” she said cheerfully.

“Thirty?!” Minfilia gasped, her eyes wide and unable to keep quiet, “But that would mean… how old are you, exactly?”

They all looked to her, who was turning red when she realized how rude that sounded, as Uimet grinned and answered in a good-natured way, “Young enough to remember!”

“With age comes knowledge,” Almet answered, as Minfilia mumbled a quiet apology, “There may yet be one among us who has seen or heard of the abomination you seek.”

So they split up and began to look around. In the name of Ronka and the late emperor they vowed to assist in any way they could. But after a little while of questioning villagers, she had yet to meet anyone who had even seen the Lightwarden… let alone know where to find it. She thought of the blessed still back at Slitherbough and refused to just accept that no one here could help them. Thankfully, when she regrouped with the others, it was Claire who had come through. She told them about how she spoke with a couple Viis who gave her a clue to where the warden was. The Viis told her how her mother talked about it... though she only got a glimpse of it. Before coming to Fanow, she lived in a village near Rak’tika Falls—until it was destroyed by eaters. While out on patrol, she spotted a large eater that towered over the others of its ilk and how they seemed to revere it. After that, this seemed confirmed with another Viis mentioned that she had seen lesser eaters hunt in packs near that location and carry their victims off rather than consume their aether, signaling that they were bringing food back for the warden.

“Near Rak’tika Falls?!” Almet demanded, startled at this, “Why was I not told of this?”

“I think I see now why it has never been spotted on our patrols,” Uimet said thoughtfully.

“I have never heard of this Rak’tika Falls,” Y’shtola said to them urgently, “I can but assume it lies deep within the woods of Yx’Maja.”

“Just so,” Cymet confirmed, “But the tunnel which leads there collapsed after a rather bloody battle with the eaters, and has not been passable for many years. We have made several attempts to clear away the rubble, yet each time we were driven back. In the end, we were forced to give it up as lost.”

“Thereby making it a suitable place for the Warden to take sanctuary,” Almet finished in understanding, “There is perhaps one way to enter. Though it would be at great peril to you and your companions. It has been sealed for centuries, but within is a path that leads to the falls.”

So it looks like the path would soon be opened then. At least she hoped so, and so she asked, “Can it be opened?”

Almet nodded and reassured her, “For the allies of Ronka, it can. First we must go to K’mul Astropolis. Once the flow of magic is restored there, the path through the Qitana Ravel can be opened.”

“This may sound a simple task, but there are certain… obstacles which prevent us from attending to it ourselves,” Uimet added in.

Well, surely they could aid them by explaining how to move pass these obstacles. At least until…?

“The emperor never granted our forebears leave to look upon the secrets we are charged with protecting,” Cymet explained, “That we might not be tempted, the means to do so were withheld from us. We can but show you the way. The rest will be up to you.”

Of course things weren’t that easy. Still, she had to admire the Viis and their dedication to their duty. Looks like they were to head in completely blind and hope that they weren’t killed by some three thousand year old traps. What better way to spend the afternoon?

She looked to the others as she decided on their best course of action. While she was willing to bet that this was where the Lightwarden was, she had to cover their ground on the chance that it wasn’t. The last thing that she wanted was for them to spend so much time and effort into opening up a way only to get in to find that nothing was there.

“It would seem we have our work cut out for us, then,” she said, “Shall we?”

“Did you have to ask?” Claire asked and Y’shtola grinned back, recognizing a woman after her own heart.

“Let us be about it then,” she said.

“If that is your wish, it is my duty to escort you,” Almet said and Y’shtola thanked them for that as she gave out the orders of what to do now. In the end, while Y’shtola, Almet, and her headed to the K’mul Astropolis, Cymet and Uimet accompanied Urianger and the others to look around and learn what they could of the woods should it turn out that the Lightwarden isn’t at the falls.

It was decided and they set about their tasks, ready to continue on with this next step of the plan. As they headed off to the ruins, Almet explained a little more about where they were going, to the heart of K’mul Astropolis. But thousands of years ago, it was sealed shut by powerful magicks by the last emperor and if they were to open it they first had to head to the Morning Stars.

They left the treetops behind and moved deeper into the forest where they could see many more ruins.

“Looking upon these structures, I cannot help but be reminded of ruins in Gyr Abania,” Y’shtola told her quietly as she ran her hands across the stones as the towering structures stood above them all, “Yet the manner in which they appear to be suppressing the natural flow of aether is more akin to the Allagan pillars of the House of the Crooked Coin.”

She was so happy having this chance to look around such a valuable part of history. Almet, who seemed impressed they were able to keep up, pointed to the four pyramid-like structures and explained that these four monuments were the Morning Stars that were built in tribute to the guardians of Rak’tika. While the largest pyramid behind them was the Great Pyramid of Ux’ner, where the flow of magic must be restored if they were to safely pass through. Apparently the monuments are the keys to opening the pyramid though Almet had no idea how to do such a thing.

“Another puzzle,” she groaned out, “Wonderful. I would have a closer look.” And without another word, Y’shtola began to look around the remains of Ronka.

“It is indeed another puzzle, but for a blessing, it appears to be similar to the one we encountered at the lake,” she told Claire after a few minutes of basic studying. “These statues are all depictions of the divine beasts mentioned on the tablet. No doubt they will open the way into the pyramid in like manner. We have but to discern the correct order. Let’s split up and search the area for clues.”

“These ruins are covered in ancient inscriptions,” Almet explained, “The answer may well be hiding among them.”

“Indeed,” she agreed, “It may be best to transcribe them if they are as numerous as you say. Better that than risk overlooking something.” That was when she remembered something and added to Claire, “Though transcriptions would prove impractical for you, not being versed in Ronkan script… no matter. You will employ a different approach: impressions.”

She then gave her several small clay tablets to record any imagery she found and that she was just to bring them to her so that she could translate them. So they separated and began to examine the ruins. In truth, were the situation not so rushed, she would be savoring this chance to explore the ruins and explore each piece one at a time.

With so many inscriptions, she didn’t even know where to start. She managed to learn a great deal though with what little she did read though, but so far she didn’t find any clue to ow to actually get into the pyramid.

After nearly an hour long search though, she met up with the other two at the entrance to the great pyramid, eager to see what they found.

Almet did manage to find some very interesting pieces, but of course it was their very own Warrior of Darkness who pulled through and showed her the impressions she made of the inscriptions made at the very top of each monument.

It took her only a few minutes to translate them, but when she did, she learned something very important.

“Nothing we saw at the base of the pyramids gave any hint as to the solution of the puzzle, focusing instead on how to proceed having solved it,” she said, “Your findings, on the other hand, appear to form a riddle. Once assembled, it reads as follows…”

She then held up the clay tablets and read out:

_“Come together, share despair._

_Go thy ways, dread burdens bear._

_Mark the crown, heed its call._

_Avert they gaze, forever fall.”_

Just what they didn’t need. She shook her head and sighed, “I had assumed that the puzzle would involve a sequence, but from what Almet and I were able to gather, it is but a matter of suffusing one of the statues with aether.”

They looked down between the four great monuments to see the smaller statues that flanked the road and the images of a creature carved atop of each. She looked to see that there were six: the serpent, the coeurl, the colibri, the owl, the wolf, and the opo-opo.

“The question being: which one?” she sighed. “Well, there’s nothing to it, I suppose. Claire? If you would be so kind as the decide which one?”

Claire jumped at that, and asked, “Why do you wish for me to choose?”

Y’shtola shrugged back and teased lightly, “Give your talent for finding solutions to vexatious problems, I think it best that you choose the statue.” Claire raised her eyebrows at her, and Y’shtola grinned back as she asked, “What say you, Claire?”

Claire thought it over and decided she would look over each one first, and she wandered off to have a look at each statue. When she returned, she said that she made up her mind and she nodded, ready to find out if she was right. After careful examination, Claire decided to place her faith in the owl statue. When Y’shtola asked why she picked that one, she answered that the riddle mentions a crown and the owl was the symbol of the royal family, as well as seeing how the statue of the owl was the only one of the statues that was staring directly at the temple—for the others were looking in other directions.

“All right,” Y’shtola nodded, “I pray this works.”

She put her aether into the statue and she felt the ground shake before being swallowed up into the statue. Ah, that worked out better than they had hoped.

“The aether has been absorbed…” she said before grinning at her and added, “You really do have a talent for these things. Mayhaps when this is over, you can join me in my research here?”

Claire blinked before laughing, whispering she would give it some thought. Right, first thing first… they had to take care of the sky. Y’shtola made to move, but she wheezed, realizing just how much more taxing than she first thought it would be.

She reassured the others that she was fine, ready to move on, and brushed off their concerns as she made towards the pyramid.

“The way should be clear now,” Almet said, “Come, let us…” But she stopped dead, her eyes widening, and her head turning sharply back towards the forest as she cried, “Someone approaches!”

They all drew their weapons and spun around, but it turned out to be Cymet racing towards them. “Sister!” she cried, panting as she doubled over to catch her breath, “Sister!”

“Cymet?” Almet demanded as she sheathed her bow and they relaxed, “What are you doing here? What has happened?”

“Eulmoran soldiers,” she answered urgently and Y’shtola felt as if her blood had freeze when she heard, “They have entered Yx’Maja!”

No, they couldn’t have… there was only one way to get through to Yx’Maja and that was through Slitherbough! Which means…?

“Eulmoran soldiers!?” she demanded, “And what of the Blessed?”

“Nothing specific, but it seems the Eulmorans had little interest in Slitherbough or its people,” Cymet answered, “According to our scouts, their general and his men made all haste for the gate to Yx’Maja upon finding it. Together with Thancred, Ulmet and some few others have engaged them at the border.”

“You are to return and assist Uimet at once,” Almet commanded, “They are not to set foot near the ruins or Fanow. We will see to matters here and return as quickly as we can. Understood?”

“Yes, sister,” Cymet said in understanding, “Be careful!”

She raced off as Almet and Claire looked to her, wondering what she would want to do. She wanted to rush back to Slitherbough and tend to the people—make sure that everyone was alright. But she knew that they had their duty here… for it was their only chance of being able to save them.

She shook her head and said bitterly, “Though I knew time was short, I did not expect the Eulmorans to move so swiftly… but we have come too far to turn back now.”

“You sure?” Claire asked, and Y’shtola recognized that tone. Meaning that Claire was prepared to go back with them to Slitherbough if that was what she wanted. She appreciated it, but she knew that this was their best option. They just couldn’t waste any more time here. She nodded and reassured them that this was the best way forward. But as she walked on, she growled to herself, making a silent vow, “I swear, if the Eulmorans harm so much as a hair on the heads of the Blessed…”

And she meant it. She would curse each and every single soldier if any of the Blessed were harmed.

“Quickly, into the pyramid,” Almet said, and they reached up the giant vines and to the front where they saw that the doorway that had been there before had magically disappeared and they were in the middle of a long tunnel. After knocking some bats aside, they came to a series of rooms filled with statues of owls. They looked about curiously, trying to avoid the beasts that lurked inside, and through the twisting tunnels and up flights stairs, they searched, though she wasn’t sure she even was convinced they were looking for.

But at last, in one of the rooms, they found an impressive stone doorway, and she was sure that this was the way in.

“Our way has been barred… again,” Y’sthola hissed, “I am beginning to lose my patience.”

They searched about desperately for a couple minutes to try and either force it open or find a switch, but Almet shook her head and explained that this was the way they needed, the Confessional of Toupasa the Elder, yet she didn’t understand why it wouldn’t open for them.

“Magick appears to be flowing through the walls, but it’s being obstructed as it approaches the door,” she explained as she examined it. She then noticed the two small pedestals in front of it, flanking the doorway. One of them held a small statuette of an owl, but the other was empty.

“Is it not strange that only one of these pedestals bears an owl statue?” she asked, and as the other two looked, Almet nodded.

“Strange indeed,” Y’shtola agreed, “The second statue was likely hidden to keep the door sealed.”

And so they quickly spit up, looking all over for the owl statue the same size and shape as the one they left behind. But, of course, it was their Warrior friend who was able to track it down inside one of the other rooms, and was still intact and in good shape.

“It looks light enough,” Almet said glancing at the statue, “We need but return it to the other altar, no?”

“One might assume so, but nothing about these ruins has ever been quiet so simple,” Y’shtola warned before they moved it from its place. “I sense a strange energy emitting from the eyes of the statues in the corridors of this place. Should this figure be moved, it would not surprise me for them to suddenly stir to life.”

She then asked that Claire be the one to carry it back to the chamber. She would have done it herself, yet she was having difficulties trying to see in this place for the magic flowing through the walls. Claire, on the other hand, would be able to see where the traps would be while she and Almet guarded her on the way back.

Claire agreed in the end, and she heaved the statue from its place as Y’sthola warned, “Beware the stare of those statues, Claire. I dare not think what will happen should they catch sight of you.”

At the end of their delivery, Claire was able to properly see which direction that the statues were facing and was able to avoid the trouble long enough to ensure that it was returned to the altar in just one go.

“The statue has been returned but was that enough?” Almet asked worriedly as Claire set it back onto its rightful place.

“I believe it was,” Y’shtola confirmed, her eyes now able to follow the magical flow from the walls and straight to the doorway as if it had been unblocked, “I can see aether flowing to the door now.” No sooner did she say it did the doors open, taking them all by surprise and jumping slightly as the stone doors slowly creaked open. She took a deep breath and sighed, “I pray this means an end to the tricks and traps of these ruins. Well done.”

But Almet didn’t seem convinced, for they were so close now to entering the Qitana Ravel. And this last step should be the most perilous yet, without question. Which caused Y’shtola to shake her head again in despair and she wanted to know if the emperor always take pleasure in wasting the time of his allies. But they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

“Before we enter, I would tell you of the trial that awaits you,” Almet warned as they helped the doors move a little bit wider so that they could step inside, “The chamber is said to be filled with all manner of devices to keep trespassers away from the switch. The most potent being wards of displacement. They may very well force you into danger. Should we become separated, please use these.”

She then handed them each a strange type of a flowering weed. Y’shtola examined it in her hands for a moment before Almet explained what these were for.

“Whisperweeds,” she replied as she showed them how to tuck them behind their ears, “They will allow us to communicate no matter where we may find ourselves.”

Ah, like a more natural version of the linkpearl then? Alright, this should help make things easier for them.

“I think Claire and I can work out how to use these well enough,” Y’shtola reassured her as she tucked it inside one of her own ears, and was now practically begging to get going. But not enough that her manners suffered as she added quietly, “Thank you.”

At last, they stepped inside and immediately found themselves in another room flanked with owls on either side of them.

“We must hurry,” Y’shtola said, pressing forward, “Before the Eulmoran soldiers gain any ground.”

But almost at once, their way was blocked by giant moving stone sentinels—identical to the ones that they saw wandering about the outside among the ruins. They were pacing around the room and they had to stop at once to see what was going on.

“They are made to curse any who enter the pyramid,” Almet explained in a whisper as the giant security system lumbered back and forth, “It is said to be seen by them is to be seen by death. Beware their gaze.”

It took a minute, but Claire was able to time when to move. She then led them around, right behind the statue until they came to another door and were able to break away safely. At the foot of the door, they found what could only be described as a magicked knot, and simply by pouring some aether into it, it faded and the door opened.

As they were about to move forward though, she heard Uimet’s voice cry in her ear, _“Sister! Sister, can you hear me? Two soldiers have broken through our defenses!”_

What? Already? They had just barely begun making their way through the temple!

“Follow them! They are not to reach this temple, understood?” Almet answered back before looking to them and warning them of the danger.

They had to hurry. But the next room had two of the sentinels and they had to time it once more to be able to get around them without being seen by those stone eyes. They slipped by without much trouble, but the problem got big when they came to an enormous room with now four giant sentinels, larger than the last few, and all looking directly at the door—and judging from their lack of movement, they weren’t going to be as easy to slip around.

“They are massive… how are we to get around them?” Almet asked, pointing at the other end of the room where they could see that the hall continued on. All they had to do was slip past the guards to get there… and that was when an old memory came back to her. When she was much younger and still under the strict tutelage of the real Master Matoya, she had often liked to take walks outside and get some fresh air away from that dank cave. So, she would sometimes cast a glamour of herself, making it look like she was still sleeping in bed or quietly studying, before slipping outside.

She remembered how hard she had worked to ensure that her glamour’s were perfect copies of her, and was incredibly proud of them… only for her to now seriously doubt that any true master of magic could have been fooled by those for long. And, the more she thought, the more she could remember the amused look in her mentor’s face when she did return from her little ‘walks’ and quickly hurried to her corner of the cave and pretended that nothing happened.

Ah, how homesick she was suddenly feeling.

“I will draw their attention with a glamour. It will not last long. The moment they are distracted we must run with all haste,” she told them, and returned to the matter at hand. She pulled out her staff and quickly cast the four perfect images of herself and sent each one out into the room and got their attention.

The three of them ran past them all and straight to the room at the other end of the hall where there was another Magicked knot waiting for them. But as soon as she touched it, the platform began to glow with a very specific type of magic. Now she had seen this spell enough times to recognize what it was and warned her friends, “A teleportation device? This should end well…”

But they each stepped up to it and allowed themselves to wash away upon its current for there was no turning back now. It was much smoother than a regular teleportation spell, which she suspected since this was not going very far and had a very specific destination in mind; even though she did not know where that would led her to. The first thing that she felt when she stepped out was her throat burning and she struggled to breath. She couldn’t really see what was going on, but she could smell a strange smell in the air that was making her cough and choke as she struggled for air.

“Claire? Almet?” she called through the Whisperweeds as she clawed at her neck, “Can anyone hear me?”

_“We have been sent to…”_ Almet’s voice began before she was also coughing, _“…separate chambers. This mist…”_

“Poison,” she finished for her, as she then heard Claire also starting to cough. Y’shtola reached deep inside to find her familiar spells of healing… only to realize that her own magicks were nullified by this damn poison.

She was lost for a moment until Almet pointed out the strange images on the floor and that they may hold the key to escaping from this. She then looked down and could see the aether flowing through a certain pattern on the floor and she promised to follow it there and hoped she would find the others afterwards. As soon as she stepped onto the tile, it carried her along the current of aether until it came to a stop and a certain kind of crossroad and she had to pick another path to continue on from there. It was twisting and turning, and once she was teleported back to the beginning again, before figuring out how to reach the end. She came out into a steep slope that headed down a long hallway so long that she had trouble making out where the aether went at the end of it.

But the air was free of the poison and she coughed and gagged until the poison was out of her system.

“Finally, fresh air,” she wheezed as she wiped her mouth and waited. Soon enough, Almet joined her, followed by Claire, both of them coughing desperately to get that disgusting poison out of their lungs. One would have hoped that was the end of their troubles… but oh no. No sooner did they start making their way down the slope did another statue of an owl began to glow and a large door directly behind them opened up. She looked around, not liking the sound of that deep rumble that reminded her of the footsteps of Titan and her spirits sank when she guest what was coming.

“What was that noise?” she asked in dread, and sure enough…?

“By the gods…!” Almet cried as an enormous boulder began to roll towards them. “RUN!!!”

She did not need to be told twice and they all bolted down the slope, but the boulder was faster and unless they figured something out they would soon be flattened. There was no way that she could cast a spell in time to shatter the boulder, and it wasn’t like they could punch a hole through it—though she had a feeling that if Lyse were here, she would be willing to try. It all looked bad at least until she spotted a crevice in the wall and she cried to the others who dove for it. It was small and they were barely able to squeeze inside with all three of them together, but they were out of the way of the boulder as it rolled past them. She sighed in relief… but then the rumble started up again and another boulder came immediately afterwards.

“We have no choice! We have got to move!” she cried, not willing to wait around for the rocks to simply run out.

So they bolted after the next boulder to roll past them and sprinted downwards again. Thankfully, they found another crevice for them to duck into when the one right behind them threatened to roll over them. They kept this up until they reached the end… when she felt the bottom of her stomach drop when she saw the massive cliff.

“We have to jump!” Almet cried, with yet another round stone almost on top of them.

So with a quick curse to the gods in her mind, they made a desperate leap right off the ledge and fell… and fell… and fell. And then they came to a splash when they hit a small waterway beneath them. It broke the fall for them, but she felt as if every bone in her body had threatened to break under that massive drop and she almost past out. She nursed her aching legs as Claire checked on Almet, who was catching her breath.

“You sure you are alright?” she asked Claire, who was as stoic as ever. If she was hurt at all, she was handling it very well, and merely nodded to show that she was well enough.

“Well, there is no going back now,” Almet said once her lungs were filled with air again, “I pray it is not much further.”

That made two of them. Yet as they were getting ready to go, they heard Uimet cry over the Whisperweeds once more.

_“Sister!” _Uimet cried urgently,_ “They have reached the temple! If ear they are too fast for us.”_

Almet froze at that before giving her head a hard shake as if to snap her out of any shock.

“Be careful of the traps inside,” Almet warned, “We are nearly there.” Once she finished, she looked back to them and said, “It is unheard of for anyone to outpace the Viis. What is this man who comes after you?”

She couldn’t be sure, but there was one in mind. She had heard more than her fair share of rumors of General Ran’jit, and no small amount of complaints from Thancred as he told her what they knew of him. If there was anyone out there who would be capable of this then…?

“Could it be Ran’jit?” Y’shtola asked, “If so, we have precious little time.”

They ran down the waterway and through another stone door that led to a hallway. But that was when another stone door opposite them opened and two appeared figures appeared and she wanted to cry out with fury.

“There you are!” Ran’jit cried as he and another of the soldiers with him charged—with both Cymet and Uimet racing behind them to catch up.

“Impossible!” Almet cried before it suddenly broke into a fight between all seven of them. She battled the second soldier while with both Cymet and Uimet while Claire took Ran’jit head on with Almet. It was a bitter struggle as both sides were struggling to get anywhere.

“My lord demands retribution!” Ran’jit cried and she could feel the strength in some of his blows when she wasn’t even the one battling him. Oh, she was now close to losing it here. They were so close and she was not going to be stopped by an old man who seemed determined to make himself a pain in the arse.

Gods… why was she becoming more and more like her old mentor with every passing second?

“Uimet! Cymet!” Almet cried, “You know what to do!”

At once, both sisters leapt into action and they created a series of aetherial chains to bind their foes up. Both her and Claire were taken aback by this, but the girls clearly had this trick up their sleeves and were now bravely holding them off.

“We will hold him here,” Alemt cried urgently to them, “Quickly, make for the Heart of Toupasa.”

Right, they would be back to help them once they finished what they started. They turned and ran down the side corridor where there was another door waiting. This time, they had to force them open… only to find two more sentinels waiting.

“More sentinels?” Y’shtola demanded in a shriek, but spotting where the aether coincided at the other end of the room and knew that they found the right place. She held her staff high and got the stone guards attention before yelling at her friend, “Go, Claire, I will draw their attention.”

She led the two guards away, leaving Claire time to race by them and up to the pedestal at the other end where there was a glowing sphere waiting for her. It only took her a few minutes to battle with the sentinels before the magic holding them faded and they fell to pieces. She did not expect that, but it was a welcomed relief as she replaced her staff upon her back and sighed in relief, glad that they had finally made it. her eyes then looked around them quickly, and she could see the aether having been opened once more and flowing freely much like it did when they first opened the door.

This had to be it and the way through the Ravel must be opened now.

“It seems to be working,” she smiled. Now it was time to make a hasty retreat and then plan their next move once she was sure that the Blessed were safe. Just then, they heard screams and they looked up in time to see Ran’jit had just knocked all three sisters down, having broken free of his chains, and he was now standing over them.

“Leave them alone!” Claire cried out, who so rarely shouted, and showing her just how angry she was at that moment. The woman had barely ever shouted in all the time that she had known her, after all—so it seemed that she was not the only one who was put out by what just happened. Her cry certainly got Ran’jit’s attention as he turned his cold empty eyes to her now. Y’shtola could sense what was happening before actually ‘witnessing’ what he was doing. With a great burst of strength, he was rocketing towards them, his hand outstretched, as if waiting to wrap around her friend’s throat.

Like hells she was going to let him get away with that.

“I think not!” Y’shtola cried as she stood protectively in front of Claire and cast a barrier… an old favorite, and blocked him. But just barely. She could feel the raw power behind his punch as he clashed with the barrier, determined to break it, and it was all she could do to keep him out. The only other time that she sense something even remotely similar was when Zenos shattered her barrier with his blade and she was suddenly hoping that would not happen again for she was still carrying around an ugly scar from that event. She held her breath, standing strong, but she could feel her barrier starting to crack like glass.

“General! Hold on!”

The Eulmoran soldier who had been with them was racing inside the room to help and she gritted her teeth. This was the last thing that they needed. She was preparing to tell Claire to run when he went and did something that was both very distracting and exceedingly stupid and stepped onto a tile that was now beginning to glow.

It seemed that not all the traps were deactivated the moment that the aether was flowing again, in fact, it seemed that this was the last trap that the Emperor of Ronka had planned for them should they have managed to make it this far. The floor began to rumble and cracks began to form before it broke open. She could feel the floor falling away from them in giant pieces, forcing them to move back farther and farther to the wall and away from danger as the floor soon opened up to a massive hole below them. It wasn’t until the soldier made a wild leap and made it to the ledge that they were on in time did the trembling stop. But now, here they were, all four of them stuck on a tiny ledge on the opposite side of the room with a massive gap between them and no way out.

Now angry, she marched forward as the soldier slowly got to his feet, panting hard in panic. She just folded her arms and scolded him, “Expertly done.”

“How was I to know that that would happen?” he demanded, his voice cracking, “It looked like any other part of the floor!”

Great, now what were they to do? It wasn’t like they could continue fighting on this tiny space, and so they were now stuck here until help arrived. The soldier seemed to realize this right away as he gazed down into the hold, but she didn’t need to physically look to be able to tell that it went down far… very, very far. So far that she couldn’t even find a bottom that it leveled out to.

She heard the man gulp and turn back to them.

“Might now be an opportune time to strike a bargain?” he asked hurriedly, and then he explained, “We poisoned a number of villagers in Slitherbough with a toxin brewed for us by the Children.”

Her heart stopped at that as she remembered the guard whom they were unable to find a cure before and thought of how many others were to soon die because of these cowards. She was all about ready to push him into the hole for even daring to say such a thing when she saw him suddenly pull out a large bottle from his belt and held it up for them to see as he illuminated, “This is the antidote. I daresay you know how potent their concoctions are—and the futility of trying to counteract their effects.”

Alright, she will take the bottle and then tear him limb from limb before tossing him over the side then. She took a step closer, all but daring him to try something when he held the bottle over the ledge in warning.

“Now, now,” he warned, “Try anything here and we’re all likely to fall. Eventually, someone will come to our rescue. Or yours. Promise us safe passage and we’ll give you the antidote! Do we have a deal?”

She thought it over.

It could be that they were lying… that the bottle was filled with nothing but water or something unless like that. But if not…? She was prepared to take that chance if they were willing to hand it over to them, but before she could say anything, Ran’jit interrupted. He was now glaring at his soldier as if disgusted that he would make such a deal.

“We do not negotiate with the enemy,” Ran’jit said bitterly, “The villagers’ lives are forfeit. As is yours…”

And to their shock, he went and kicked him off. The man just stared at him, too stunned to believe what was happening as he asked, in a voice that was more surprise than fear, “General?”

But as he fell over the side, the bottle was flung out of his hands and she was focused entirely upon it. She acted purely on impulse after that. Didn’t even think about what she was doing until it was too late. She leapt off the edge and made a wild grab for the bottle. She felt its weight in her hands for a moment and decided to place all her bets on this and spun about to throw it to Claire. She heard Claire catch it as she gazed at the blinding light that was trapped inside her… which had once brought so much joy and comfort to her. She didn’t know what was going on with all that light trapped inside her, but if this was to be the end…?

“Do not fall…” she whispered, placing all her trust into her friend to get the bottle to the Blessed and to slay the Lightwarden.

She smiled at her as she heard Claire’s voice scream out, “Y’SHTOLA!”

It would be alright… she trusted her… she never failed them before. She knew that she would make sure that the antidote was brought to the Night’s Blessed and they would recover. And with that, she closed her eyes as she gave into her impulse and muttered the one spell that may be able to save her… she felt a mighty wind rise up around her… and then she was gone…?

She would never be able to explain where she was or what was happening… only that she was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Like the deepest of connections, the most intimate of embraces with all of everything…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Claire’s got some issues that she’s struggling to come up with. Just so much happening at once, only to hear that her friends—or maybe just one—may be hiding secrets about her? That would be enough to make anyone second-guess themselves. Especially when they are feeling sick and tired all the time with constant headaches. The stress is really starting to build inside her and she is now struggling with the weight of expectations. Ran’jit is now determined to make things even more difficult for them by even willing to attack innocent people all for the faint hope of being able to get to them. She is feeling tired, short-tempered, and guilty all at once while her emotions are being stretched to the breaking point. And now she just watched a friend fall seemingly to her death… how will that affect her now? I had planned on this chapter being much longer, including the run through the Ravel, but it got to be so long that I just had to break it up into two chapters. But good news is that most of the next chapter is already done and it will be going up before next weekend, as well as a very special bonus chapter after that in honor of Little Ladies Day. Can you guess who it will be about? No, sadly, no sweet Alphinaud/Claire moments yet. But pretty soon the two of them will start to press certain boundaries. Look forward to it.)


	19. The Burden of Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the departure of one friend, brings the reunion of another... or is the same? Hard to say at this point. But the time has finally come for them to brave the Qitana Ravel and confront the Lightwarden once and for all. But as they venture through the ruins, secrets are quickly laid bare and now the Warrior of Darkness feels as if everything she thought she knew was a lie and her world is shattering around her.

She couldn’t believe it.

It didn’t just happen, it couldn’t have happened…?

It was so fast that if one blinked then it was all over before they even had a chance to fully grasp the situation of all that took place in the span of a few heartbeats. Ran’jit had knocked one of his own men off the platform and down into a seemingly bottomless hole all because he had tried to strike a bargain to secure safe passage. They would have agreed to such demands if the bottle held such an antidote… but judging from how Ran’jit reacted, she had to suspect that it was real.

Rather than admit that they made a deal with the ‘enemy’ he took care of him himself… causing the bottle to fly out of his own soldier’s hands and possibly risk the lives of countless innocent people in the process. Y’shtola leapt into action and caught the bottle in midair before tossing it too her. Claire just had enough time to catch it, purely out of instinct, trying to think of something she could do to help… but then she was gone. When Claire looked over the ledge, there were no signs of her friend.

Her heart shattered at that… how… how could they? Did she truly did just lose another friend right before her eyes and did nothing to save her? She was too stunned to even cry, not sure how to process this…?

“How noble,” Ran’jit said, “And pointless.”

Fury rose up inside her as she slowly got to her feet and glared at him.

“Why?” she asked coldly. “You truly are willing to kill countless others for no other reason than your wretch of a master?”

He raised his eyebrows at her.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” he snarled just as coldly, “I told you before that this was not a place for you to be. You should have left while you still had the chance.”

Her eyes narrowed and she suddenly wished for nothing more than to throw him off the ledge here for what he did. How dare he…?

She could hear a growl in the back of her mind, and for the first time in a long time, she paused at the unexpected feeling rising up inside her.

_‘How dare he…? How dare he…? If I can just knock him off here that will solve it all wouldn’t it?’_

Fray? No… that didn’t sound like Fray… but then… who was that voice…?

Before she could react though, she heard the echoing steps of someone racing towards them and Minfilia’s voice called out anxiously, “Is—is everyone all right?”

Both of them turned at once to the entrance to find Minfilia having just made it to the room and skidded to a stop when she saw the hole.

“What in the—” she gasped, and Claire turned back in time to see Ran’jit’s eyes flashing.

She made to yell for Minfilia to run when the rest of their backup arrived. Thancred and Urianger were making their way towards them when they spotted the giant hole, and saw her standing at the opposite end with Ran’jit. Thancred called to Urianger, who cast a spell and shot what looked like a golden rope around Ran’jit and pulled him forward and Thancred leapt off the edge with his gunblade held high.

“Down with you!” Thancred yelled as he brought the blade down. Ran’jit, who was knocked off balance, was able to turn around in time, but was unable to defend himself properly when Thancred struck. Claire felt her rage fade but it was with no small amount of satisfaction when she saw the miserable old man fall down the pit while Thancred rammed his blade just below her in the wall to catch himself.

She let out a shaky breath, still shaking from all that just happened as they took a minute to fully register what they just saw. At least, until Minfilia asked slowly, “Where… where is Y’sthola?”

Both of the men were also looking around, expecting their sarcastic friend to appear out of nowhere… but Claire couldn’t bring herself to speak as she just looked at the bottle that Y’sthola sacrificed herself for. She helped Thancred up, and Urianger rescued them from the room with the same trick he used to pull Ran’jit over the hole. Only then, after awakening Almet and her sisters, who were dazed and bruised but still alive, thank goodness, did she reveal what happened. She showed them the bottle and told them what Y’shtola did as well as her last words.

They were all so shocked by what she said that they didn’t seem able to speak… Thancred actually tried to laugh and said that he knows that she doesn’t have a sense of humor but her joke surely can’t be that bad.

She didn’t even look at him, and that seemed to really cement what she said. That Y’shtola was… she was truly…?

No one spoke a word as they exited the ruins, heading back outside of the Temple after following the trail that the rest of them used to get down here. It turned out that there was another way inside the temple once they unlocked the first door… and eventually found their way out of the maze-like ruins and back outside the temple.

Along the way, everyone was looking down every corner, in every tiny crack, as if they thought that Y’shtola could have found her way through here after she fell. Claire didn’t speak at all even as they demanded more answers and she honestly didn’t know what else she could tell them. She just held the antidote tightly in her hands, determined to get it back to the Blessed, for that was what Y’shtola would want to do. She could only hope that the antidote was what they hoped it would be… if it turned out that it had been a ruse she didn’t know if she could take it.

The sisters were taking this almost as hard as they were.

“I have failed you,” Almet added with her head held low as if she felt she didn’t even deserve to look them in the eye, “Words fail to express my shame…”

Claire tried to comfort them, reassuring them that it wasn’t their fault. All the while, she could hear the others trying to come to grips with what happened and how it could have come to this. Thankfully for them, the rest of Ran’jit’s men, whom he hadn’t killed with his own hands, had the good sense to fall back. Uimet told them all to wait here while she went to investigate what happened.

As they waited, Thancred looked to Almet and asked once more if they knew if that hole might lead out into the words somewhere; where she just shook her head in a lost way.

“Were there another means of exiting the temple, there is no question that we would know of it,” she answered. “But I fear that is of little consequence, for we have tried to mark the depth of the pit. And failed. She looked down, her face forlorn. “To fall from such a height…”

They all lowered their heads in grief as her words washed over them. Claire had seen that hole, could see that it was so dark that it didn’t seem to have a bottom; and even if it did, she could not see how anyone could survive a fall from such a height.

“Sister! I come bearing news!”

Uimet had returned, getting their attention as she called, “The Eulmoran soldiers and the Children have fled Yx’Maja. They abandoned Slitherbough as well, though they yet remain in the swamps near Lakeland.”

And the Night’s Blessed? Claire didn’t think she could handle more tragedy if something happened to the people, and Uimet lowered her head as she added, “Unfortunately, a number of the Blessed were poisoned while fending off the soldiers. One we believe to be of their order was found lost in Yx’Maja, feverish and badly wounded. He was taken to Fanow for treatment, but I fear there is little we can do for him. He and the other Blessed will not last long without an antidote.”

Claire felt her hands clench tightly and she was silently hoping that Ran’jit survived the fall just so that she could kill him again for what he did. She bit her tongue, trying to keep that anger under control and reminded herself that she had more important things to remember than revenge. But killing the Lightwarden didn’t seem so important to her at that moment than making all who hurt her and the others pay for their cruelty.

Thancred seemed to struggle within himself for a moment before he turned to her with a hardened expression.

“Then we must act quickly,” he said, “If you’ve a spare vial, Minfilia and I can deliver it to the Blessed at Slitherbough. You and Urianger should return to Fanow and tend to the wounded villager there.”

She agreed to this and they all pulled out water pouches and emptied them out before she filled them all up with the antidote. She gave them to Thancred, keeping only a portion of the antidote with her to give to the poisoned Blessed resting at Fanow.

Thancred thanked her and stored them away, but she could see him fighting the grief as he did so, and she wondered if he was fighting with his own rage at that moment. If he wanted to hunt down those who caused this and make them pay?

“What about Y’shtola…?” Minfilia asked anxiously and Thancred’s anger seemed to fade as he looked to her.

Though it was in a voice of calm, he said it so firmly that there was no dismissing what he said, “I know it seems callous of us to leave, but she leapt into that hole for a reason. We have to save the Blessed. Whatever it takes.”

She looked like she might cry, but the young girl nodded in agreement and she joined him as they ran off into the direction of Slitherbough. Claire was left alone with Urianger, Almet, and her sisters—though the three of them promised to remain here to ensure that no other soldiers were still here. If there were, they would not hesitate to kill them.

Claire let them do what they wanted, but only wished that they be careful. She didn’t want anyone else to die for them.

She still was having such a hard time believing this and she could not help but stare at the mostly empty bottle now… as if hoping that it had the answers she sought. She then felt a comforting hand upon her shoulder and Urianger’s kind voice say, “Come Claire. Let not Y’shtola’s sacrifice be in vain. To Fanow.”

She didn’t speak, but he didn’t press the matter as he gently guided her back through the forest and to the village. She was still in such a state of shock that she had momentarily forgotten that she was annoyed with him for whatever secrets he was keeping from here. But at that moment, that didn’t seem important.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, and she wasn’t sure who she was apologizing to. To Urianger for not begin able to save her, to the whole world that this had to happen, to the Blessed who would surely be heartbroken when they learned the news… or to Y’shtola herself for not being able to save her.

“Nay, do not apologize,” Urianger said firmly, pausing for a moment, resting both hands on her shoulders and kindly forced her to look up at him. She could see the redness of his eyes as if he were holding back tears and she knew that despite any ‘secrets’ he was keeping, she knew that he cared for them.

In that moment, she felt her heart torn. Does she trust this man or not? She didn’t know what to do right then.

“We… we will figure out what to do when… when we hath helped the Night’s Blessed,” he promised her, his voice cracking slightly as he took a deep breath. “For now, we must focus upon that what only we can do and that is to helpth the Blessed. As that would be what Y’sthola would say where she still here.”

She forced herself to nod, knowing that he was right, but she still felt horrible about it. He nodded back in a determined way, before continuing on in front of them. But as she made to follow, she paused and listened to the silence all around her… broken only by Urianger’s steps.

“Fray…?” she whispered, her hand pressed over her heart, as if she could suddenly force the darkest part of her to emerge and speak. But she heard nothing. For some reason, this upset her even more, and she had to slap her own cheeks to wake herself up and continue on to the village.

Thankfully, it turned out that all of Fanow’s residents had survived, though many of them were injured in their scuffle with the Eulmorans. They were led to one of the hanging structures, where there were several hammocks strung up for the wounded. And lying in one of them was certainly a member of the Night’s Blessed, unconscious and struggling to breath, but miraculously alive.

“Heavens forfend,” Urianger murmured as he quickly went to the poisoned man’s side, “Runar… ‘Twas he who forestalled the Eulmorans’ procession. And in so doing, afforded thee time to lay low the Lightwarden. Quickly, the antidote.”

She agreed and joined him, gently holding his head up as she dribbled some of the antidote into his mouth. At first, she feared that the bottle was not the cure that they hoped for, but after several more treatments of the potion, she could see Runar’s breathing ease up and he seemed to regain some color… though it was hard to tell with his furry face.

After a short time, he was breathing normally and seemed to be peacefully sleeping, and she looked to Urianger for confirmation that this was working.

“It would appear the worst hath passed, though his wounds yet want for mending,” he said lowering his hand as he began to allow healing magicks to flow from his fingertips and into Runar’s body, “I shall minister to him forthwith. Rest, I prithee. I shall attend to Runar’s ministrations.”

But she couldn’t rest. She didn’t think she could ever bring herself to relax again after all that happened.

“I didn’t know that you were so gifted in healing,” she said to him and he chuckled slightly, smiling for the first time all day.

“Not truly,” he confessed, “I learned nothing more than the basics while learning under the sage tutelage of Master Louisoix; but it was not till I found myself stranded upon these distant shores did I devote mine time into mastering the art. I feared that thine skills in battle would not be enough to protect thee. So did I then vow to master healing no matter the cost.”

“Protect me…?” she whispered and she saw him freeze up for a moment when she spoke. It looked like he was struggling to want to tell her something, but if he did, it passed very quickly when he turned back to her and answered, “Thou art more dear to us than thee seem prepared to accept. Why is that?”

Why? Why indeed?

She did not answer as she thought that over, not sure why the question caused her to pause like this. Instead, she just looked at the now empty bottle and could not help but think back to Y’shtola’s last moments… her words…

_“Do not fail…”_

What was she to tell Alphinaud and Alisaie? Her heart broke once more at the thought of their crushed expressions when they learned the truth. The sound of nearby footsteps drew both their attention as Minfilia and Thancred came onto the platform—both looking tired but satisfied.

“Runar,” Minfilia gasped when she saw him lying there, “Thank goodness.”

“We delivered the antidote to Slitherbough,” Thancred announced, getting their attention and reassuring them that they did all they could to help the people there, before finishing, “and from what we could gather on the way here, the Eulmorans have had the good manners to withdraw.” He looked down at Runar on the hammock with nothing short of respect and added, “Thank the gods they did, or we would never have made it here in time. I’m told we have Runar and his comrades to thank for keeping the soldiers occupied prior to their retreat.”

Urianger nodded to that while he focused back on Runar and Thancred turned to her as he finished, “They were preparing to come for you and Y’shtola, it seems, when Runar rallied the villagers and pursued them out of Slitherbough.”

She actually felt a slight smile return and a great deal of respect and gratitude seemed to fill her, though not enough to block out the pain that was still so fresh and raw in her mind. A minute later, Runar stirred.

“I must…” Runar mumbled in his sleep, “I-I must…” And finally his eyes opened up slowly, blinking a few times before looking around curiously. He sat up, staring at a smiling Urianger, and asked as if afraid to hear the truth, “Where… am I?”

“Yx’Maja, in the care of the Viis,” he reassured him as Runar slowly sat up, shaking his great shaggy head, “Thou art safe now, friend. Pray, rest thee awhile longer.”

“No… no. I am all right,” Runar countered, “Somewhat heavy of limb, perhaps, but otherwise well, I assure you.” He smiled warmly at them all and glanced around at each of them as he added, “I am glad to see you are all safe. When we realized where the soldiers were headed, we knew something had to be done.”

But once he looked at them all, she saw his smile turn into a frown and confusion settled in as he asked anxiously, “I… do not see Master Matoya. She was with you, yes? What happened to her?”

She was dreading this moment.

But knowing what had to be done, she took a deep breath and answered softly, a part of her refusing to say it out loud that she was truly gone, “I cannot say for certain—but it was she who secured the antidote…”

She wanted to say more, but her words would not obey and she felt as if they were strangling her own throat just by speaking it. Like the very blackest of blasphemy.

“Spare me your riddles and speak plain!” Runar snapped. “Where is Master Matoya?”

Hating herself for this, she told him what happened in the temple and of what Y’shtola did to secure the antidote for them. She tried to cushion the blow by reassuring him that the antidote was being administered to the rest of the Night’s Blessed and they were hopeful that everyone who was effected would recover.

It didn’t help by much.

He looked as shocked as she felt.

“No… No… No, that cannot be…” he whispered in shock to himself, “Why would she do such a thing?” A silence fell across the group again, and Runar’s voice shook as he demanded. “Was there no other way? I… I cannot believe that she… that she…” It was clear that he was not accepting this and glared at her in fierce determination as he declared, “We must begin the search immediately! I will come with you!”

He was fighting to get out of bed, but was having trouble getting his heavy limbs to work correctly. She did not move, her thoughts drifting back to that scene once more… trying to think of someway, anyway, she could still be alive.

“What are you waiting for? We must find her! She could be trapped or hurt or…” Runar demanded when she did not speak or even move, and the shock seemed to be too much for him as reality began to settle in and he was now weeping into his hands. “She is alive. She is alive damn you!”

No one spoke as he cried, offering him that moment of silence that they all felt.

What were they to do now?

They needed to make plans, needed to keep moving, but no one seemed remotely interested in discussing such topics at the moment. Not that she could blame them. She didn’t feel any better about this than they did. Thankfully a distraction came in the form of Almet, freshly returned form the temple, and she called out to them still somewhat nervously, as if they were going to blame her as much as she blamed herself for being unable to stop this.

“Forgive me for interrupting, but our scouts have apprehended an intruder,” she called, “We thought perhaps he might be an associate of yours…”

She looked up, expecting to see a Eulmoran solider that had been captured or even another of the Night’s Blessed. But instead, she was startled to find that Cymet was there, leading a slouching figure.

Oh, they had to deal with him now of all times?

“Oh, look who it is,” Thancred said sarcastically as none other than Emet-Selch appeared before them, looking completely disinterested in everything around him. In fact, he looked like he was just rudely awoken from a nap.

“Well…” Emet-Selch said with a slight yawn in his voice, “This is embarrassing. In my defense, they are surprisingly tenacious.” He looked around at them, and it wasn’t long before he noticed their grim expressions and asked, with some slight more interest in his voice, “So - what trouble have you gotten yourselves into this time?”

They all looked to her, and she was suddenly not in the mood to discuss this, but she did give him a brief rundown of what happened. But as she said it again, she felt her thoughts looking at it once more… trying to put the pieces together… something… something was wrong here…?

“Well, well,” the Ascian stated as Runar kept his head lowered miserably. “What an intriguing turn of events. My condolences, by the way. ‘Tis never easy to lose the ones we love.”

His voice was cold and disinterested as it usually was… but that last part didn’t hold any such tone. She would probably have questioned it more if her thoughts weren’t so lost in her own memories at the moment. But Thancred wasn’t going to stand there and take it as he glared at him. Emet-Selch tried to remind him that if she was dead there was nothing more they could do about it. But Thancred boldly proclaimed that he wasn’t surprised to see his indifference, but to them she was a dear friend. In fact, it looked like he was about to punch the Ascian for his heartless words… if Minfilia didn’t speak up.

“You have something on your mind,” she asked Claire beside her. “What is it?”

Claire didn’t speak for a moment as her mind replayed that moment in her mind. Y’shtola fell and a great wind blew up before she was gone. Wait… that was it… that was what was bothering her.

“Wind…” she whispered. “I’m beginning to wonder what really happened when she fell.”

Everyone froze at that, and Urianger turned to her, asking, “Pray, recount to us again that which thou witnessed in the ruins, omitting not the slightest detail.”

So she did. She told them how the trap had accidently activated to the moment when Ran’jit kicked his soldier off the ledge to how Y’shtola jumped after him to grab the bottle. But then…? Where did all that wind come from? There was none of it when the first victim fell, so why with Y’shtola? And when Claire looked over the ledge… she didn’t see her… could she have fallen that fast?

It was like she was just there… and then she wasn’t…?

“Flow…”

She looked to Thancred, whose eyes were wide and he was sharing a look with Urianger, who seemed to realize something as well.

A new fire blazed inside Thancred as he told them, “The teleportation magic she used to spirit us away from Ul’dah after the bloody banquet! I recall a similar gale in the tunnel before it took effect.”

So she teleported herself out of there as the last moment? Could it be that she was still…?

“Interesting,” the Ascian said casually, “I thought I sensed a brief disturbance in the Lifestream. How reassuring to know it was not my imagination.”

Everyone stared at him at those words and after a moment Emet-Selch shrugged back and looked away. The look on his face… he seemed almost embarrassed at what he said with a slight hint of annoyance when he added, “I felt it only once, I should mention. Which would suggest she is still adrift on its currents.”

She felt her spirits sink once more as that fragile flame of hope was snuffed out. She remembered how hard it had bene for them to pull Y’sthola out of the Lifestream before… and this time they didn’t have the Elder Seedseer and the Elementals to help them, this that Urianger seemed to confirm for them.

“Then I fear say may yet be lost to us,” he said, his voice rough, “For it was only by the grace of the elementals that she was plucked from that great aetherial river.”

More silence and she was starting to wonder if they would ever be able to speak normally again. But she could not blame them for this… just when they thought that there was still a chance… they had no way of continuing with it. Their last hope was gone.

“Oh… very well,” Emet-Selch sighed when he realized that no one was going to make any other suggestions. “I’ll go and fetch her…”

Their heads all shot up, startled at what he said. He didn’t seem to be too bothered by this outcome, but the way he was looking at her…? The way that his eyes never once left her, as he explained, “Perhaps a clear and unambiguous act of kindness will serve to win the trust you seem so determined to deny me.”

Could he really help them? The Ascians weren’t known for being honest… and she could not see how he would wish to help them when he stood to gain so little from this. But as she looked at him, really looked, she saw that the mocking disinterest he so often held for the others was not there. It was only when he was looking at her did he show any signs of notice… but this time, there was something different. He seemed to stand up a little straighter and his expression… it looked so… kind… even gentle when he looked at her.

And that was when she realized that he wasn’t doing this for Y’sthola or any of the others, or even because he felt that it was right. He was doing this for her, wasn’t he? Why? What did he expect from them?

She did not look away from him as she gazed back into those eyes, a deep golden shade that reminded her of a beaming sunset. Those eyes… they were so old despite his otherwise youthful appearance. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t seem to notice what the others were saying behind her.

“Could it truly be within his power to pluck Y’shtola from the Lifestream as he claimeth?” Urianger asked, “Tis a feat beyond even the greatest practitioners of the arcane. Yet if he would attempt it, we cannot well stand in his way.”

The others seemed hesitant to accept his help, but Runar gasped, “By the blessed Dark, there is yet hope!”

“Though I am loathed to trust him, I suppose we have no choice,” Thancred decided, finally causing her to turn away from the Ascian and back to them, “For now, at least.”

“Alright,” she said, prepared to make a deal with a demon here if it meant getting their friend back now that they had the tiniest bit of hope she could still be saved. She looked to Emet-Selch and asked, “What do I do?”

The other Scions were tense behind her as he walked over to her and actually took her hands in his own.

“Now then,” he said slowly. “If I’m to fetch her for you, I will require a suitable place to work. We must find somewhere that resonates strongly with the Lifestream. And by we, I mean you. To that end, I give you this - an aetherial lamp of my own design.” And out of nowhere, a tiny lantern about the size of a loaf of bread appeared in her hands. She examined it curiously as he let her go and gave further instructions, telling her to find a place in the woods where the lantern reacted to it, and they would need a place where the Lifestream was resonance with strongly. All she had to do after that was whistle to get them to come running.

“You do know how to whistle, don’t you? Just put your lips together and blow,” he teased and Thancred snarled at him to behave if he knew what was good for him. Emet-Selch just shrugged back as she quickly hurried off as the others were trying to get Runar to stay here and rest, but he was having none of it.

She travelled through the forest, looking for any location that would seem promising, and after a lot of trial and error, she came to the edge of a cliff that was surrounded by azure flowers, and the lantern was glowing so brightly that it was hurting her eyes to look at it as it cast shadows all about them. She then whistled and waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the other were there, following after Emet-Selch, and a slightly queasy-looking Runar bringing up the rear.

Emet-Selch looked around with a critical eye, and seemed rather impressed with her choosing the location.

“Yes,” he said approvingly, “this place should serve well enough.” He then glanced sideways at her and asked in a teasing tone, “Might I have a little space? I need to concentrate.”

She still held some doubts, but she nodded and did what she was told as she joined the others and they watched him work—almost expecting something bad to happen.

“Now then…” he said, more to himself than them again, “What color was her soul again?”

He closed his eyes as he lifted his hand, pointing in the air as aether began to spark and twinkle with energy. She felt herself holding her breath as she prayed to whichever gods were listening to bring Y’shtola back to them. If they could do this for her, she swore that she would take back… 75% of the many awful things she thought about Emet-Selch.

Well, it seemed that the gods heard that prayer.

“Ah…” Emet-Selch said as he opened his eyes again, “There you are.” With a snap, the aether coalesced into a glowing ball. The light glowed brighter and brighter before growing to large size… and then a shape appeared through it… much like the last time…? Her eyes widened as she realized that it was working; and sure enough, she saw a figure appear from within the light. First a hand emerged, followed by an arm… and then her entire head… as if she was coming out of a tight tunnel and Y’sthola appeared in the air right before them.

Clare gasped, not realizing how her lungs were starving for air, and Runar cried out, “He-He’s done it! He’s brought her back!”

Before the light completely died down, Emet-Selch snapped his fingers a second time and Y’shtola was suddenly clothed once again before she collapsed into a heap on the ground. They ran to her, crouching down to see how she was.

“Y’shtola, are you all right?” Thancred cried, looking ready to slap her awake if he had to. Thankfully, he was spared that when their friend stirred and then began to groan.

Her glassy eyes opened and she seemed disorientated as she tried to grasp what happened. When she turned to them and saw them all gathered around her, she slowly pushed herself up and said in a hoarse voice, “Yes. Though I cannot imagine how. What happened?”

“Thou didst invoke the power of Flow, which thence did usher thy soul unto the Livestream,” Urianger explained, his voice unable to contain the joy he was feeling as he beamed at her in a way that they so rarely had seen before.

Y’shtola blinked slowly and it was clear she was trying to remember what happened. “I wanted to save the antidote, and after that…” she whispered and then, without warning, burst out laughing.

“I did something exceedingly reckless,” she said, “For which you will just have to forgive me.”

What? That was it? She almost destroyed herself and that was all she had to say for herself? Claire didn’t know whether to laugh or not. But it seemed that there was one among them who was happier than he could say. Once he fully registered that Y’sthola was alive and well, Runar bolted past them, and actually lifted her up in his arms. Y’sthola was surprised by this, but he was already spinning her around and bouncing her in his arm in delight.

“Master Matoya! Oh thank the heavens you’re all right,” everyone seemed just as shocked by this, staring at the pair of them, wondering what was happening. Even Y’shtola was completely taken aback by this reaction, as Runar then looked away, his voice breaking as he admitted, “I had nearly given up hope.”

He suddenly seemed to realize what he was doing and he looked away in embarrassment. But once Y’shtola saw this, Claire saw their friend giving Runar such a warm, affectionate smile, that it was like she was a different person.

“Please, Runar, dry your tears. What would the others think if they saw you like this?” she asked and he looked down at her in surprise as she chuckled at the look he was giving her and added, “Come now - did you really think I would go gently into that dark night with so much left undone? So many mysteries left unsolved?”

Ah, there was the Y’shtola that they all knew and loved.

Runar only beamed at her as he finally set her onto the ground. That was when Emet-Selch coughed behind them, getting their attention when he asked, “Ahem. Is there aught you wish to say to me? A word of thanks, perhaps?”

They all looked at him, and Y’shtola seemed confused who he was when Urianger quickly explained, “Emet-Selch, the Ascian of whom I spoke. ‘Twas he who plucked thee from the Lifestream.”

Y’shtola was clearly on guard, but otherwise her face held no emotion. Still, she did say, “I see. Thank you. Differences notwithstanding, you saved my life, and for that I am grateful.”

The Ascian shrugged, and Y’shtola turned her attention to the rest of them, and Claire suspected that she wasn’t interested in speaking to Emet-Selch any more than she had to. She just cleared her voice and said with them getting back to the matter at hand as she explained, “But let us turn our attention to more important matters, such as the Qitana Ravel.” She then glanced over at Claire and asked with a slight tease, “You had better not have explored its depths without me.”

Claire just chuckled back and reassured her, “Heavens no. In fact, I was awaiting your return.”

In all the time that she had known her, Claire didn’t think she had ever seen Y’shtola smile as widely as she did here. Thancred then clapped his hands together as he said that Almet and the others would be pleased to see her alive and well so they best return to Fanow to make plans for their upcoming expedition into the Ravel—which everyone agreed to.

They headed off, with the others quickly catching Y’shtola up on what she missed out on, and reassured her that the rest of the Nights Blessed were given the antidote. Hopefully, a little rest and they should make full recoveries.

Claire made to follow behind them when she noticed that Emet-Selch hadn’t moved from his spot, and was watching after them with a rather curious expression.

“What a touching reunion that was,” he said very slowly, “It fair brought a tear to the eye.” He then turned to her, realizing that she was looking at him as he added, “But as we both know, such tender moments are nothing if not momentary. Before long, they will remember their many differences, and return to squabbling.”

True, there will always be moments where they disagree and argue… and she was still having a hard time trying to get out of her head of the ‘disagreement’ she heard Y’shtola and Urianger have earlier. But in the end, she realized that whatever else happened, no matter how much they may disagree with each other, they were still determined to stand by each other. It was with that in mind did she find an answer.

“You’re wrong,” she said, “They’re better than that.”

“Oh, if I had a gil for every time one of you heroes made that claim…” he sighed with a shrug, and—she wasn’t sure he was aware that he was doing this—but once more his eyes suddenly gazing deeper into her eyes, as if he was looking past them and focus on something else inside her. She did not turn away, refusing to let him see how uncomfortable he made her whenever he did it. “But seriously, we Ascians do what we do for the greater good. For the Rejoining. Though we may sow the seeds of chaos, it is man who tends them, he who reaps their bountiful harvest. But I grow tired of these arguments. If you would kindly refrain from retorting and return to your customary brooding silence, I will take it as thanks for rescuing your companion and leave it at that.”

She couldn’t figure him out. She really couldn’t.

But she did walk back with him the rest of the way to Fanow, mostly in silence, but there was suddenly a thought that she had been curious about and she glanced back at him, who walked right beside her.

“I told you, I tire of these inane argument,” he sighed, sensing that she wanting to ask him somenting, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready to slay the next Lightwarden or something?”

“What of you?” she asked back, who merely gave her a slight shrug.

“Lest you doubt, I won’t be helping you do battle with the Lightwarden,” he reminded her, “To accompany you thus is quite taxing enough. Now, if you’ve no further questions…?”

“Actually, there is,” she said, wondering if he would answer her while he was in a mood to talk, “Are there any other Ascians here on the First?”

“Not a single one,” he confessed, stretching out his arms as if he was just getting up and ready for the day, “Happily, I am quite content to mingle with the masses. And even if I did crave the company of my own kind, one might say we’re understaffed at present. There are no strict rules governing how we work, though that has not been without its consequences.”

“You mean… with what happened to the Thirteenth?” she asked suddenly and he nodded.

“In the beginning, we were each responsible for a shard, and free to do as we wished, but Igeyorhm’s impetuous temperament showed us the folly in that,” he informed her. Ah, there was a name she hadn’t heard in a while. She remembered her helping Lahabrea with teaching the archbishop the secrets of summoning and that was how he later became the primal Thordan.

“In light of her failings, we took to working in tandem as the situation demanded,” Emet-Selch informed her casually, as if he didn’t care less that he was walking besides the woman who finished off the same person he just mentioned. “Mitron and Loghriff were supposed to take care of the First, of course. Alas, they were slain by the champions of this realm shortly before the Flood. Expendable though they were, I found them quite useful.”

What he just said triggered another memory. Back when she first met Ardbert and his friends in the Source, right after they defeated Ravana, she had a glimpse into his past… and she saw him and the others facing down an Ascian… whom she could only assume to be Mitron or Loghriff.

“You must hate us for that,” she informed him calmly.

“Well, it was a shame that we lost them in such a way,” Emet-Selch shrugged back, as if he could not care less, “But bearing a grudge against you now will not change anything. No, best to cut our loses and just continue on with the plan.”

“For what it’s worth,” she said slowly, “Thank you for saving Y’shtola. We could not have saved her without you. But I hope you can understand our distrust of you as well. I fear that your ‘kind’ as you put it has given us little reason to trust you.”

“Now, now,” he said, “There are plenty of ‘your kind’ who are untrustworthy and have committed many unspeakable horrors, have they not? So by that logic, because we cannot trust some, your entire race is untrustworthy.”

Claire gave him an irritated look as he gave her a bow.

“Some among ‘your kind’ show promise,” he agreed as he looked at her, and even paused walking for a moment, “But if you were to know the whole truth, perhaps you would be questioning everything you thought you knew, including yourself.”

“Oh?” she asked, “And what truth is this?”

But he just gave her a mysterious smile as he walked on. Now she was annoyed, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of making her curious. Indeed, she suspected that even if she were to ask, he would purposely change the subject just to keep her in line.

Rather, they continued the rest of the way back to Fanow without another word and she regrouped with the others, who were still savoring the fact that Y’shtola was brought back to them.

Once Claire had joined them, she gathered them all around as if to make a speech.

“My apologies for having put you all through such an ordeal,” she said told them a little bashfully, “I could see no other way to save the Night’s Blessed. Happily, both they and I yet live—thanks to you. But our work here is not yet done. We must make ready to enter the Ravel, and put the Lightwarden to the sword.”

That was true. Though Eulmore had retreated, and the unknown status of losing their leader… though if she had to be honest, she was finding the idea of Ran’jit being killed off so easily a little too good to be true… she knew that this brief respite was only temporary. With Eulmore leaving them time to breathe, now was the time for them to move forward and continue on with slaying the warden. With the aether flowing through the pyramid, the way through the Ravel was open and they saw no other traces of the Lightwarden anywhere else—so it had to be hiding in the temple somewhere.

Almet agreed with this and instructed them to head out to the entrance, but warned that there were surely to be traps inside and to be careful. Runar, who since they rescued Y’sthola and had been acting as if all the worries of the world had been solved, knew that he couldn’t dissuade Y’sthola from going but made her promise to return safely. For the Night’s Blessed needed her.

Claire clearly heard this last part, and know she didn’t miss the guilt that was written upon Y’shtola’s face at the worry she was causing. But she promised that they would return soon; and even said that she would be bringing something back that the Blessed had been wishing for. He seemed confused by this, but Claire could not help but wonder just if there was more than she thought.

Well, no time to wonder now. They had to head out and the five of them left together, taking the azure flowers east until they came to a side of the cliff with a stone door standing in the way. With no idea what could be waiting for them, they had to best figure out how to proceed from here. In the end, Claire would lead the charge, with Urianger, Y’shtola, and Minfilia directly behind her and Thancred would bring up the rear and make sure that the pathway behind them was cleared and that nothing came after them.

Though before they stepped inside, he did pull her aside and whispered, “Keep an eye on Y’shtola and Urianger, would you? It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if one of them wandered off to inspect the temple’s relics.”

She gave him a friendly smile, promising to keep that in mind, and he clapped a hand on her shoulder before he turned to Minfilia, ready to give her advice and to watch herself while she was in there.

As he did this, Urianger told them that he did speak to the same Viis before, whose mother first spotted the Warden several decades before. Apparently, according to her, that it was a feathered beast of three heads which looked both simian and canine at once. Well, it didn’t sound like they would have much trouble in recognizing it when they found the damn thing. But gods, did she hate having to fight things with multiple heads… they were so hard to deal with because when you have your attention on one mouth, another would be trying to bite your head off.

But she thanked him anyway for this information before they opened the doors and stepped inside. They were immediately surrounded on all sides with stone, much like in the pyramid before, and they walked through the halls until they came to a large room that was filled with large owl statues on either side with glowing violet eyes… and some kind of skeletal creature waiting for them in the middle.

What was it?

_“Guardians of the Ravel—in the name of the emperor, I bid you awaken!”_ it called as the eyes of the owls began to glow.

“Have care,” Y’shtola warned as she ran forward with them, “I sense aether emanating from the statues…”

“Right!” Minfilia stuttered out as they began to battle with the strange creature and it shrieked out, _“Open your eyes, and purge the Ravel of this taint!”_

They could not move forward with the magical wall that stood in their way until the creature was brought down. It was tricky, for they were forced to watch the light of the eyes glow and know when to hide behind broken walls to avoid getting shocked with a burst of energy. They continued on, finding more sentinels and idols of stone waiting for them; though thankfully, they weren’t too tough to kill once they were able to shatter their stone bodies. After making their way through the elaborated passageways, she was able to admire the history around them… and funnily like how Thancred predicted, more than once, she had to pull their two scholars away from examining an interesting piece of the wall or stone statue. Eventually though, they come across another of those skeletal mage-like creatures guarding another sealed door.

They fought it, remembering their battle from the first, and then brought that one down as well, which opened the door for them to step into the room where another beast was waiting for them.

“More statues,” Y’shtola sighed, “Another trap, I should think.”

Oh, it wasn’t a statue… it was a hulking giant of stone, massive like Titan only with club-like arms, small head, and rounded spikes bursting from its shoulders as it tilted its head as it gazed at them.

“The Ronkans guard their secrets well,” Urianger complimented.

“Its designs call to mind the Ronkan legends of giants,” Y’shtola said, staff already in hand, “Fascinating…”

Let’s see if she still thinks that way after it attacks them. They charged and the creature roared out, _“CRUSH… INTRUDERS… RAAAAAAARGH!”_

It was swinging its massive arms around, smashing all in its wake. Steam would burst out of its shoulders where there were holes and it glowed red with heat before a burst of hot air hit them. It didn’t help when it turned out that there were a few pedestals with more owls standing at either side of the door and they would occasionally blast out power from their eyes as well.

Claire was able to deal the final blow to the monster to bring it down before they moved on through the opening door.

“Truly a fascinating specimen of Ronkan ingenuity,” Urianger said as they stepped over the legs of the fallen beast and continued through the opening doors.

“Though thankfully nowhere near as the fabled might of Lozatl,” Y’shtola added as they slipped on the stone. Unlike the rest of the ruins, this place was clearly part of a cave, looking partly natural and some parts actually having been carved out. As soon as their footsteps echoed off the walls, an army of bats appeared and attacked them as they flew about their heads.

As they smashed the bats out of the air and left them in heaps on the ground, they heard a faint cry, sounding like a massive bat, echoing through the temple.

“What’s that?” Minfilia asked in worry.

“Something big,” Claire said as they came across several large snakes waiting for them. Moving onwards, and finishing up a quick fight with some gators that were lurking within the shallow pools, they were now moving through water as another unsettling cry rang out through the temple… but this time it was much louder.

“There it is again!” Minfilia gasped, wincing at the loud noise and dust fell from the ceiling.

“Stay on your guard,” Y’shtola said seriously, “We near the tremors’ source.”

The cave twisted and turned until they came into a large opening filled with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. There were massive murals painted upon the stone walls around them, not unlike the ones that she had seen earlier when they snuck into Woven Oath. But she didn’t pay much attention to them because her eyes were drawn immediately to the creature that was bound in magical chains in the center of a platform.

“By the gods! It’s hideous!” Minfilia shivered.

It looked like a cross between an Ahriman and a furry bat with massive feet… and that somehow resulted in this ugly creature. As soon as it saw them, it let out a loud cream that made the walls shake around them and the floor beneath them tremble… in fact it was so loud that the glowing aetherial chains that held it in place broke free and it was now glaring at them.

“That such a best could survive down here all this time…” Y’shtola said, sounding more impressed than afraid—rubbing her ears from the sound that it was making.

Claire launched the first attack as it swiped at her with a massive mouth and claws as it continued to shriek out shockwaves that made the entire cave feel like it was about to collapse upon itself. At times it would stamp down upon the floor and she felt as if she was being crushed from the shocks. In fact, its voice was able to cause stalactites to fall from the ceiling and plant themselves in the ground before falling over like a tree being cut down.

She rammed her blade up through its one eye as it let out one last shriek before collapsing in a heap on the ground. She could have sworn that her eardrums had begun bleeding at this point and she couldn’t really hear anything.

“Would that we could stop and rest, but we must press on,” Y’shtola said, but she was also looking deeply uncomfortable about this whole thing.

“What?” Claire asked, unable to hear anything but the ringing until Urianger stepped in and placed his hands over each of their ears as he worked on healing any damaged done. Once she could hear normally again, they ran out of the cave and through another tunnel where she could see light blazing inside from the other end and knew they must be outside again.

As soon as they stepped outside, she could only think of how beautiful it was here even though she needed a few seconds for her eyes to readjust to the bright light. They were standing at the end of the cave at the top of the cliff while water rushed past their feet. At the top of a cliff with the water rushing past them and down the slope, leading into more ruins that were entangled with the roots and vines. Far ahead, she could see a massive tree that dwarfed all others that she had ever seen, and it seemed to stand at the heart of the ruins, it’s vines and roots crossing over the land underneath that blazing sky.

“At last,” Y’shtola said, bending down to feel the water with her hands, “Rak’tika Falls…”

“And below awaiteth the Lightwarden,” Urianger added.

He seemed to be right, for after they let the water carry them down the falls, they were faced off with sin eaters instead of beasts or ancient traps. They were prowling about the large vines and began lashing at them with mad hunger when they spotted them there.

How she hated these things.

They climbed up the massive roots and through more of the ruins where the eaters were waiting for them… especially for one… she could feel it. She wasn’t sure how she knew for sure… only that she suddenly became aware that there was a strong light was lurking just up ahead. Meanwhile, the light that was inside her seemed to beat like a heart at this revelation and seemed almost ravenous for her to add to it… like it wanted to grow.

She paused for a moment as the others caught up, but she didn’t bring it up. She shook her head and pressed on, climbing over the crumbling stone and fighting her way past the large ape-like eaters that were throwing boulders at them.

They were nearly at the base of the tree when she felt the Light flicker and then turned into a blazing sun. She knew that they were close. She called a warning to her friends before kicking down another wall and making it to a thick, mossy root that was so slippery, that she slid down it like a slide the moment she stepped foot on it. She managed to regain her balance as she slid though, allowing it to carry her to a stone platform, that resembled the top of a roof, at the base of the tree.

And there it was… a creature just as Urianger described before. The closest that she could ever describe it was like the light-version of Cerberus from the World of Darkness. It was a like a massive hound had a second head with a more ape-like head sewed on between them. Each one of its four paws were large enough to step on any one of them and flatten them to pieces—while the tail wasn’t a normal tail and rather it had the mouth of a serpent at the very tip and hissed whenever it moved. It was bright white with its fore in more like feathered scales, with sword-long fangs dripped from its three slobbering mouths and dead eyes from their rather colorful faces as it made its way towards them.

_Eros…_ whispered a voice inside her. She didn’t know where that came from, but she felt the others appear next to her as six pairs of eyes glared on at them. Where did the designs for these creatures come from? Did the larger the eaters get the more messed up they became?

“The Lightwarden of Rak’tika,” Y’shtola whispered, and for the first time, she sounded nervous.

“Tis more terrible than the Viis described,” Urianger stated with a nod.

But Claire was no longer thinking as she charged in. It snapped at her with all three heads as she ducked around the razor-sharp teeth. It then roared out and fire burst from its fur while the tail reared up and spit up pools of green poison. While trying to avoid the pools, it blasted them with a burst of wind that sent them skidded backwards and she knew that a couple of them were forced to touch the poison, which was like acid on their skin.

Urianger went to work curing them while she made sure to keep Eros on her and away from the others.

It then began to breathe out fire from its middle mouth while the other two heads shot out lightning. It would charge across the roof, burning anyone who was foolish enough to stand in its way before later causing more poison puddles around them once more as they were pulled to it and then with a roar, blasted backwards by wind.

She could feel her arms burning as more poison was filling the air from the fumes. She was able to get them all to stand together and show them how to avoid the poison all together long enough for them to breathe out of their systems. The others were struggling to keep up, but she could see how this worked and was able to stand outside of it so that when she was shot backwards she could avoid the poison. The battle went back and forth like this for some time, as just trying to find a safe place to stand where they didn’t need to worry about being fried or burned.

At last though, she had managed to make it through to its underbelly and rammed her blade straight upwards and through the thick muscles that blocked its heart.

She rolled out of the way as it roared out in pain before it fell and collapsed into a heap on the ground. She was panting hard as she stood up, feeling her body already covered in bruises and they heard a shout as Thancred caught up to them, his coat torn and face dirty from where he was fighting whatever remained in the forest behind them. It seemed that he caught up to them in time to see the thing defeated. Yet as she looked at the dead creature, she could not deny that she felt true pity for the poor thing.

“So the Warden of the wood falls,” Y’shtola panted, coughing up the remains of poison in her lungs, as Thancred was already asking how everyone was, and they were reassuring him that everyone was alive and in one piece.

But there was no time to focus on them as she stepped forward, knowing what was about to happen. The light in her called to the light from the warden as it began to dissolve. It left the body behind until a blinding light appeared and everything faded around her. She gulped down, fighting the wave of nausea that rose up as the sphere of light lifted up into the air.

She heard the others gasp behind her, none of them having seen this before, and they watched as the light broke into several smaller orbs and then flew straight at her. If her friends called out to her, she no longer heard them as she focused on just standing upright, feeling as if she was being punched over and over in the chest by fireballs. She bit down on her lip to fight the pain as it flowed through her body before settling within her chest… where the rest of the light had already settled.

The Light seemed to hum… almost purr… before it settled and quieted down. But once again, she heard the music inside her head—louder than before as if a choir was singing to her.

_One brings shadow, one brings light  
To this riddle all souls are tied  
Brief our moments, brazen and bright  
Forged in fury, tempered in ice  
Hindmost devils, early to rise  
Sing come twilight, sleep when they die  
Heaven's banquet leavened with lies  
Sating honor, envy, and pride  
One brings shadow, one brings light  
Run from the light_

But why run? Why was this happening? Someone was singing to her, trying to warn her of something, she knew that much, but she could not figure out who it was who was or what they were trying to tell her.

She forced herself to take it all as the music would fade in and out so that at times it was so quiet that she couldn’t make out the words, but other times it was so loud that it was a scream:

_We fall  
We fall  
We fall  
We fall unto the end_

She gasped for air when the light finally settled inside her and her head felt like someone had hit her with a giant hammer or something heavy. She saw stars and swayed where she stood for a moment before her vision cleared and she looked up to see darkness right above her and real stars twinkling down.

It happened so quickly she didn’t even realize the light had already evaporated, and stared at the stars as it seemed to soothe some of the pain that she was already in.

“The Lightwarden is dead,” she heard Minfilia whisper behind her, her eyes fixed on the sky. “The Blessed’s prayers have been answered.”

“Aye, that they have,” Thancred replied in smug satisfaction.

She focused on making sure the ground under her feet was steady before she felt it was safe enough to look around. She could hear some of them whisper behind her, but she didn’t truly focus on it until she felt Y’shtola’s hand on her shoulder and she looked at her.

“Well fought,” Y’shtola told her kindly, “Let us return home.”

She could only nod, but she swayed slightly in turning, which brought them all to her side immediately, asking if she was hurt. Claire shook her head, reassuring them that she was just tired, and that she just needed some food and a good night’s sleep. Well, half of that was true, she wasn’t sure she could eat anything here and keep it down for long but she wanted nothing more than to collapse where she stood. Y’shtola didn’t look convinced, but she nodded in understanding and they made their way back to through the forest and into the caves… though it was a nightmare having to climb up the waterfall this time around.

Wearily they all began to head back through the now empty temple. Claire didn’t speak, feeling as if she would truly be sick if she opened her mouth again. She felt much better after Urianger helped to heal any cuts she had, though she noticed that Y'shtola, who was still speaking friendly to him, was giving him a slightly disapproving look. But she didn't say anything, which Claire was grateful for. She didn't want to be fussed over and couldn't stand the thought of fighting right now.

Once they were up the waterfall, they made their way back through the caves, already wondering how the Viis and the Blessed were reacting to the sight of the night sky.

As they proceeded through the caves to find their way back, they came across the beautifully painted murals that she hadn't had time to stop and examine. With the danger having passed, she was able to relax slightly and got a good look at them as they walked by. 

“The murals…” Y’shtola said, pausing to look at the closest one to them, “If I am not mistaken, they predate the empire.”

“How can you tell?” Minfilia asked.

“A peculiarity of the paint,” Y’shtola said critically, frowning slightly as if confused by what she was suddenly seeing, and explained, "Most are made from mineral based pigments, but whatever was used here is older than anything I have ever seen.” 

That much Claire believed. They seemed to very similar to the murals that were in Woven Oath... just even older than any of the ones that Ardbert told her about. But despite that, they were remarkably intact... and she had to wonder how long it had been since any other living being had been in this cave? Wait, was this why the temple was built? To protect the murals that they found here?

Y’shtola looked down at the ground, her brow furrowed as if she were trying to solve a particularly difficult problem as she added, “According to Almet, this sanctuary was built to preserve the wisdom of the ancients. What events do these murals commemorate, I wonder?”

Claire’s eyes soon found them and she also looked around… there was something so familiar about each of them…? Like a whisper in her gut trying to remind her of something she forgotten, but her mind was drawing a blank to it all. Did she see these images before? She felt that she had from somewhere, but could not, for the life of her, recall from where.

Light footfalls echoed around them and they saw that Emet-Selch had reappeared. It seemed that he had chosen to follow after them after all... but she reasoned with herself that he must already had been aware of that they defeated the Warden when the sky grew dark.

“Must you always linger after defeating your enemies?” Emet-Selch said as he strolled through the cave as if he were merely going through a stroll through the markets instead of an ancient cave that was once filled with traps. He then accused them, as if it were their fault for taking so long, “Navigating these halls on foot is exhausting.”

Thancred scowled at him, but he said in a surprisingly polite tone, “Come to lead us to safety, have you?”

“I was bored,” the Ascian countered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world that that he was amazed that they were even asking him otherwise. “But how is the hero of the hour?”

There it was, he had come here to look for her.

She looked straight back into his eyes, not trying to show him any signs of discomfort or pain she was feeling. Sure she was feeling as if a spike was shoved between her eyes and straight through her head, but she wasn't going to show any signs of weakness in front of him.

“Hmm, fighting fit, I see," he answered coolly as he looked her over, as if a farmer would examine their prize horse before deciding to sell her at market, "Keep up the good work.”

“You’re plotting something,” Y’shtola said, with her blank eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Emet-Selch barely glanced at her as he answered light-heartedly, “Every hour of every day. But never you mind about that. As I have told you a thousand times before… I like to watch. Nothing more." He then clapped his hands together and called, "Well! I would quit this place, and I suggest you do the same. There is yet work to be done.”

She could not hide the relief she felt when he turned, ready to leave... but as he did so, the murals caught his eye and he stopped to look.

“Ah… there is a sight to bring a tear to the eye," he said and this time, a whole new expression came over his face as he turned his full attention to the paintings on the wall. She struggled at first to find a name for that look and the only thing she could come up with that was even close was... nostalgic. 

“You recognize these scenes?” Minfilia asked him with cautious curiosity.

“That I do. Indeed, there was a time when anyone and everyone would," he said slowly, “Until one calamitous day when the world was divided across ten and three reflections, sundering the land and all who dwelled upon it.” 

His tone... while quiet... almost mournful. As if to merely speak of all this was painful for him to do.

“And the worst part?" he sighed, "No one could remember it. Not really. Just fragments, and fleeting memories of an achingly familiar world.” 

So the worlds were once one world. And something calamitous happened near the very beginning that cause reality to crack and created the Source as well as the other thirteen worlds. But what was it? What could have caused such damage as to cause this?

“A vision shared of a paradise lost, preserved only in song and scripture and paint…" Emet-Selch finished, "Once upon a time…”

He then glanced at them all, his expression betraying nothing, and said, "Yet here we find ourselves again. To look, learn, and remember…”

“Then share with us the stories you know so well,” Y’shtola stated, her attention entirely upon him, and looking eager for any kind of news that he had to this 'forgotten paradise', “We are listening.”

Emet-Selch seemed as if he doubted very much that they were fully able to comprehend what he knew. But he did give it thought before pointing to the first mural, which held the image a spiraling city awashed with flames as what looked to be meteors falling from the sky.

“Before the great sundering, there was one world,” he recited, “A world that knew naught but peace and prosperity. Until it was faced with a crisis. Unprecedented, terrifying. Civilization found itself perched upon a precipice, staring into oblivion.”

Truly? She wanted to ask more questions, but he was already pointing to the second mural, which was the image of a giant entity painted in black and dark purple, with the images of what seemed like people kneeling before it in reverence.

"But through prayer and sacrifice, the will of the star was made manifest,” he said. “Zodiark was His name, and by His grace was the calamity averted.”

“Zodiark?” Y’shtola gasped, but he ignored her as he pointed to the third painting, which was similar to the one with Zodiark and the praying figures… but this time there was another entity that was painted identically to him, only of white and light blue. Both of them were painted in a shape similar to an elemental… with no distinctive form... but she already guessed who the second figure was.

“A savior mighty and magnificent, deserving of reverence and gratitude… one would have thought,” Emet-Selch answered, with a tone of bitterness sprinkled among his words, “yet some thought otherwise. From the fears of these naysayers would rise Hydaelyn—She who was to serve as His shackles. To bind Him and hold Him in check.”

So the reason that Hydealyn exists... was because she was meant to keep Zodiark's powers in check. But... wait...? So then these two beings didn't exist until this moment? Then how did they come to be...? The way that Emet-Selch was describing them was... he was making them sound like...?

But he had already moved on to the final mural at the end, that held the figure of Hydaelyn stomping down upon Zodiark and his body seemed to be cracking apart from the impact.

“And so they fought, and they fought, and they fought,” Emet-Selch explained, his voice now becoming hardly more than a whisper and a hiss, “And in the end… Hydaelyn was victorious. With all Her strength She smote Him—dealing a blow so devastating that it split the very fabric of reality. And thus was Zodiark banished and His being divided.”

He then sighed as he lowered his hand.

“That concludes today’s lesson on long-forgotten history,” he said, “Though I imagine your Mother would offer a rather contradictory account. As is your wont."

It took a moment for everything he said to fully sink in. She wasn't sure what to think... it all sounded too incredible to be true... and yet... she somehow knew that he wasn't lying to her.

It was Thancred who was the first to break the awkward silence.

“I’m sorry - I can only assume I misheard," he said, his brow furrowed in doubt, "But it sounded an awful lot like you were implying both Zodiark and Hydaelyn are not gods, but -”

His voice trailed off after that, as if too scared to finish speaking...?

“What?” Emet-Selch asked him softly, with an unbiased shrug, “Not gods of the First? Is that what you thought these paintings depicted? Or…? Oh! Ohhh...”

He suddenly realized what he was trying to say at the same time that she figured it out. That same thought was now racing across her own mind and making her feel even sicker and dizzier if that was possible. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming it out until...?

“They are gods after a fashion, yes, but no different from the kind with which you are so intimately acquainted," Emet-Selch purred out, "Formed of faith and prayer, of conviction and devotion…” he looked back up with a faint sadness and finished, “The eldest and most powerful of primals.”

It was as if her entire world came crashing down around her. She could not speak... could not move... the only thing she felt was shock and horror at what he was even suggesting. She wanted to forget, to just erase this revelation from her mind... and it seemed that the others felt the same.

Y’shtola’s voice quivered slightly as she tried to get more answers from him, “You have spun quite a tale. Yet you have not explained the role of the Ascians in all of this. How is it you are privy to ancient secrets lost to time?”

Emet-Selch laughed bitterly before he finally looked her full in the face.

“Finally,” he said, “Finally, you ask the right question! And shrewd questions warrant honest answers…” But she knew that when he next spoke, he was speaking, not to Y'shtola, but back to her as if she were the one to ask.

“We Ascians, know because it is our history," he answered simply, "Our story. It was we who summoned Zodiark - we natives of that sundered paradise.”

They stared at him with stunned silence as he shrugged once more.

“Now do you see why we yearn for the Great Rejoining?” he asked before he slowly turned away so that they couldn’t see his face, “For our world. For our people… for all creation to be made whole again. Wouldn’t you wish for the same?”

He then left them, merely giving his hand a flamboyant wave, but his shoulders were slumped over as ever before, and merely left them alone in the dark.

No one spoke a word... merely standing there as if they had been turned to stone.

It was some time before they remembered where they were and that they had to leave. The entire way back outside was a blur to be honest since no one knew what to make of their newfound information.

It wasn’t until they were outside again did someone speak.

“The eldest and most powerful of primals…” Thancred said with a croak, “Gods, if that were Hydaelyn’s origin, then what would that make—No. No, I will not take the words of an Ascian on trust. It has to be a lie.”

But he looked deeply bothered by all of this and she had a suspicion why... he was looking to Minfilia, who was having the bruises on her arm to be tended to by Urianger. That's right, Minfilia is also one of Hydealyn's... chosen.

Meanwhile, Y’shtola and Urianger were deep in conversation about this unexpected turn. 

“That was an enlightening experience,” Y'shtola whispered, from behind her, “Though not in the way I had hoped. Do you suppose there is any truth in Emet-Selch’s claims?”

“Tis oft said truth is a matter of perspective,” Urianger answered slowly, “Yet upon this matter, there can be but one truth. I only pray it is not his.”

They talked more about this as Thancred sulked over several yalms away, pacing around irritably and Minfilia just looked completely lost in thought.

Claire could only excuse herself for a moment, saying she wanted to go clean the blood and gore off her armor from the creak.

She walked over through the trees a fair distance away, and after making sure that they couldn't possibly see or hear her, wretched until everything in her stomach was brought up.

Her body shook and her limbs ached as if she had just gotten over a severe sickness. But she made sure to wipe her mouth and clean up in the babbling brook before returning to the others so that they did not worry.

***Fanow***

When they arrived, everyone was focused upon the sky, staring at it as if they had never seen anything so beautiful before. Some of them were even dancing in joy at the sight of the dark sky with the splash of stars.

Almet and her sisters welcomed them warmly when they arrived, and they could not help but beam at the news that the Lightwarden is dead.

“That the death of a single sin eater should make such a difference…” Almet whispered in awe. “As our numbers waned, so too did our hope that the ruins we have devoted our lives to guarding would ever find purpose. Yet here you are, the allies for whom we have waited these many centuries. And with your arrival came the chance to pass on our legacy—the ancient wisdom of the empire.”

They all smiled as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she finished, “That alone would have been rewarded enough…” she said, “Never did we imagine it would serve to banish the Light that pervaded these woods.”

Suddenly the three of them looked to Claire, as if they somehow knew that she had been the one who brought the warden down, though they didn’t tell them exactly how the beast had been killed. But they didn’t seem to care about that as they looked at her so warmly that it made her blush.

“On behalf of the Viis, our forebears, and the late emperor of Ronka, you have our deepest thanks,” she said and they all bowed their heads respectfully. Claire forced a smile back, silently grateful for their help, and silently pleased with how happy they all were.

“It is we who should be thanking you,” Y’shtola said, “Our journey through the Qitana Ravel proved… most enlightening. To be privy to such knowledge is an honor. One for which we never hoped…”

But they laughed and told her that they didn’t need to be so humble for they just did what was decreed by the late emperor, and only wished that he was here to express his gratitude as well. But that got Uimet thinking and she looked to her elder sister and asked, “But sister, does this not mean our duty is fulfilled?”

“To our allies, perhaps, but the ruins cannot be left unguarded,” Almet answered knowingly, “So long as we live here in these woods, the secrets of Ronka must not fall into the wrong hands.”

They nodded in understanding, and the pair seemed relieved at such an answer and the reassurance that they were still needed here.

“Is Runar still here?” Minfilia asked curiously and Almet confirmed that he had returned to Slitherbough shortly after they left for the ruins. Y’shtola wanted to return as well, especially after hearing that the people seemed to be in good spirits.

She then finished, “Thank you, Almet. I look forward to a day when we might share a more leisurely visit to the ruins of Ronka.”

“We will await your return then. Should you have need of the wisdom of Ronka again, you know where to find us,” Almet said graciously, and when they left, they were treated with a round of applause from just about every Viis in the village and joyful expressions.

***Slitherbough***

Runar was waiting for them just inside Slitherbough. After getting a good look around, Claire realized that the damage seemed to have been minimal… a few broken weapons and a smashed barrel or two with the footprints of armored feet here and there… but otherwise no permanent damage done.

Everyone seemed to be outside though, even those who had been poisoned and should be in bed, staring up at the sky with wide eyes and in unrestrained joy. When Runar heard them approach, he let out a cry of delight and raced over to meet them.

“Ah, you are returned! And none the worse for wear, I see,” he said, beaming so wide that she had to wonder if his face was hurting from it.

“You needn’t worry about us,” Y’shtola reassured him before asking, “What became of the Eulmoran soldiers, more importantly?”

Runar smiled even wider, if that was possible, and explained, “They turned tail and fled at the sight of the night sky. The Children of the Everlasting Dark have also retreated back to Woven Oath. Try as they might, they could not deny the truth of their own eyes.”

He turned to look up at the night sky before he bowed his head in prayer, he whispered in unsuppressed reverence, “The sunless sea of heaven, full of love and grace, where none need know pain or suffering.” He looked up again, his voice impassioned, “In that moment, when the sky’s light began to wane, I knew our prayers had been answered. That we were doomed to face oblivion at life’s end no longer.”

And then, like with Almet and the other Viis, he looked directly to her even though none of them came out and said that she had been the one who brought the Lightwarden down and absorbed that cursed light. Instead, he just said shrewdly, “When first we met, I harbored certain suspicions about you. Now I see that I was right.” He took in the group of them, looking at each of their faces, before answering, “You are the Bringers of Shadow. The Warriors of Darkness. The saviors for whom we have prayed for so long.”

Claire shared a look with Y’shtola, who grinned back.

“I suppose you’re not entirely wrong,” Y’shtola admitted slowly and a shine appeared in Runar’s eyes at the confirmation, before she added, “But we are not worthy of your reverence, nor have we any desire to be worshipped. If you would pray, pray for your children, that they may one day know a better world.”

Runar bowed his head respectfully at the request.

“I will do as you say, but please, let us at least hold a feast to celebrate your victory,” he said, “You deserve that much.”

At that, it was like the happiness faded from Y’shtola’s face for just a moment before she looked down.

“I’m sorry, Runar,” Y’shtola began, “but there is still much to be done, and scant time in which to do it. We must go—all of us. For we share the same path and the same fate.”

Claire then glanced over at Runar, who didn’t look surprised by this news, but she could see how his fists were curled up tightly, as if he was in terrible pain. She then looked back up into Runar’s face and a suspicion began to form in her mind… but she did not dare say anything about that as Runar merely forced a smile and nodded in understanding.

“So be it,” he said, “I ask only that you hold us in your hearts, as we will hold you in ours, now and ever after. By the boundless dark, this I swear.”

He then bowed low with his hands over his eyes, which Y’shtola copied, and Claire came to learn that this was a blessing of the Night’s Blessed… a sign that is given to anyone who is to leave on a long journey, or just returning from one… it was their way of saying ‘have a safe journey’ and also repeated as a way of saying ‘welcome back’.

Claire watched them as Y’shtola then began to go around to each of the villagers, wanting to make sure that they were all recovering well before they left. That was when Claire felt someone’s eyes on the back of her head and she turned around to find Ardbert standing a fair distance away. He didn’t approach her or say a word, but he was also smiling, which she returned before he vanished.

As it turned out that many were upset to hear that Y’shtola was going to be leaving, but they understood why she was doing so. They only requested that they remain for the night when the roads were so dark, and set out in the morning… in the end she agreed, but made it plain that she would leave with the others as soon as the sun rose. That got everyone’s attention since they had never seen the sun before and were worried what that would mean.

Y’shtola only laughed and reassured them that it was a good thing. It would be bright outside, but the light would be far safer than what they had all grown up with and unlike the glare from before, it was only temporary. She told them that they would find the sunrise beautiful through the trees, and they had calmed down to really wonder what it would look like with the sky so many different colors.

In the meantime, a small celebration was happening as wine and food were brought out—it turned out that Eulmore brought some supplies with them and were hurriedly abandoned when forced to retreat and so the people indulged a little more than they normally would in honor of such a special occasion. Claire hung out with the people for most of the rest of the night, but her head was aching once again—something that she was growing constantly sick of—and when she could no longer ignore it, she left the party.

She didn’t really think about telling anyone where she was going, since she had no idea where that would be. She just went through the tunnel to the forest and walked a short distance away so that she was still in view of the tunnel opening, but she was away from the noise.

She didn’t wish to ruin the celebration for everyone else with her sudden gloomy mood. She wasn’t sure why she craved it all of a sudden, she just desperately needed space from the others and have a quiet moment to think. She could not explain, even to herself, why she was feeling so low at this possible moment. But she placed her hand over her chest where the Light had been absorbed into her very skin and winced slightly. She could feel it… she could hardly notice it before, but now… with so much added to that ball of Light from these last few battles… it didn’t just feel like it was flowing through her veins here, now it felt like the Light had taken on a more solid form and was moving about inside her chest… making her feel as if she had swallowed a live serpent.

It sent shivers up her spine just thinking about it and she began to cough violently, as if she had something caught in her throat and she was trying to get rid of it.

“Gods…” she hissed to herself as she went to a nearby tree trunk and leaned up against it so that it was supporting most of her weight, “I feel terrible.”

And that wasn’t a lie… she honestly felt like she had been beaten to within an inch of her life while fighting off a serious illness. She spent several minutes coughing and retching into the grass before she was able to regain control of herself and stood up. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, still shaking slightly, as she tried to master the dread inside her head.

This was the third Lightwarden that was defeated and now they were more than halfway there to saving Norvrandt. While she did suffer some misgivings at first, she truly believed that they were well on their way to putting an end to this eternal daylight to this world. But this was also the first time that she felt true doubt fill her heart as she looked up to the sky and the twinkling stars. For the first time since arriving in this world, the sight brought no comfort to her this time.

She just could not stop thinking about all that happened, all that she learned, and tried to make sense of it all. Up till now, she always trusted Hydaelyn… always believed that she was the embodiment of goodness and hope… but now her faith had been deeply shaken.

Was it all true? That the one being whom she had always did her best to follow was truly no different than the countless other false ‘gods’ that she had defeated in the past.

She did not know… she felt that she had reached a crossroad in the dark and could not see which path would take her where.

“There you are,” said Y’shtola’s voice from behind her, “Everyone noticed that the hero of the hour had disappeared, so this is where you have been sulking.”

Claire didn’t really pay attention to her words, but she did turn her head to greet her before looking up to the sky again. Y’shtola drew up next to her as Claire mumbled an apology for worrying anyone, saying that she just wanted a moment alone.

“Now why would you want to be alone out here at this time?” Y’shtola asked causally, “The party is in full swing by now and I think that some of them are starting to get drunk. You wouldn’t want to miss seeing them make fools of themselves, would you?”

“Hmmm,” she answered back.

“Well, if you prefer to be out here all on your own, instead of being admired and thanked over by the Blessed, it leaves me to believe that something is troubling you,” Y’shtola said, and her light tease faded to become much more serious.

Claire kept her eyes on the stars as she thought it all over. If nothing else, she did appreciate that Y’shtola was getting straight to the heart of what was bothering her instead of dancing around it.

She thought for a moment, trying to find the best way to word what was bothering her.

“Y’shtola,” she finally began slowly, “Do I still have a will of my own?”

Y’shtola seemed struck dumb by the question as she stared at her. There was a long moment of silence that was so tense that one could practically cut it with a knife, and she could hear the confusion in Y’shtola’s voice when she asked, “Why would you ask something like that?”

“Do you remember what Emet-Selch said earlier?” she asked, finally glancing back down at her as the images of the murals on the wall appeared before her eyes and she had to clench her hands tightly to stop them from shaking.

“I am touched by Hydaelyn…” she went on, “And if Hydaelyn is truly a primal… then doesn’t that make me a…?”

Her voice caught as Y’shtola folded her arms and shook her head firmly before she could finish saying it. Though it was seer determination—or mayhaps just stubbornness—there was no hiding the concern in her face completely.

“The Ascians are well known for secrets and lies,” Y’shtola answered her firmly, “I do think it much more likely that when he revealed the ‘truth’ as he so called it, that it was an attempt to shake our resolve. Mayhaps that was what he was planning all along. We do not know if it was what really happed or if there is any truth in it. I would not let his words distract…?”

“But everyone else is thinking that, aren’t they?” she interrupted and Y’shtola’s voice seemed to be the one caught this time as Claire looked away. No one wanted to admit to it, to say it out loud, but she wasn’t fooled and could recognize that they were all thinking along those same thoughts.

“And it does make a lot of sense,” Claire answered back softly, “For one thing, it would explain why no other primal can make a ‘thrall’ out of me. Because a person can’t be tempered more than once.”

The silence between them was so heavy that it was almost suffocating. In that moment, she yearned for someone else to come and take up her accursed role as a Warrior of Light and Darkness and just let her fade away.

Y’shtola was looking deeply concerned, and Claire could see how her ears were now bent slightly downwards, a sign that she was deeply troubled by what they were saying. Still, she shook her head firmly, though there was not as much conviction there as Claire would have liked to have seen.

“Even if what he said had a spark of truth in it, you can’t be a thrall,” Y’shtola answered back, “You do not drop in worship of Her for one thing. Not only that, you still have your own free will. That should be proof enough that you can’t be one of her tempered.”

Claire turned away from her and gazed back to the sky.

One would have thought that her words would have comforted her… made her realize that she was right. But that wasn’t true was it? Ever since she was ‘chosen’ she had done what Hydealyn wanted. Her chosen, her champion, her servant… always doing what she could to help for that was what Hydealyn wanted. She could not say no… she fought for them, bled for them, been prepared to die for others… and she believed that it was for the sake of a greater purpose. The memories of all the many lives she had taken began to march across her mind’s eye in sorrowful procession.

She never complained. Not once. She always did what others asked, allowing herself to be used and manipulated for the sake of the job that she was given.

Then she thought of when she saw Hydealyn… the beautiful towering crystal…? Just after defeating the Ultimate Weapon and she was fleeing with a battered Thancred on the back of some Magitek armor, and were trying to make it to the exit. Hydealyn chose that moment to appear before and spoke… whispering words of love and devotion before she began to… she backed away from her and seemed to fade as she left her in the darkness.

_The Darkness hath fled before the unclosed brilliance of thy spirit. Yet it lingereth still beyond the sight of men, in forgotten corners of the world. In the depths of the abyss yet resideth the Dark One, watchful ever. Till this evil be cast out, never shall the world know aught but a passing peace._

Zodiark. That was who she meant.

But… Emet-Selch had said that Zodiark had saved them and that Hydealyn was not only summoned because she was to keep Zodiark in line… but she was somehow the one who spilt the worlds?

_Yet for the present, a gentle light shineth o’er the realm of Eorzea. With thee at its heart. From sparkling mote shall it swell to glorious sun, and all the world shall bask in its warmth. Blessings and joy be upon thee. Go forth, my child, and be as a beacon of hope for Eorzea and the lands beyond, through all the days of they life._

But she had now seen how dangerous the Light could be. Light was just as deadly as darkness if allowed to spread without being kept in check. She had seen what had become of the Thirteenth first-hand when it became an empty void… proof of what allowing Darkness to spread. So in that sense, she could understand why the ancient summoners of Hydealyn summoned her… they must have been afraid of what Zodiark could do if he was Darkness incarnate. Yet, she had seen the Empty and everyone knew of what the Flood had done. She had seen what could happen if Light was allowed to grow unchecked so who did the ancients have to keep Hydealyn in check?

There were pieces to this puzzle that she still needed to find if she ever hoped to make sense of what was going on here and what this was about. And most importantly, what her role was in all of this. Because no matter what she said or did, it seemed that she was the key to something much larger than all of this and she was desperate for answers.

She looked down at her hands… truly realizing for the first time that she was really no different than a slave to these two gods. No… she was something much worse. She was a weapon. A weapon that did not think, did not question, just obeyed what she was told to do and fought whoever she was pointed at. A weapon of Light… a weapon of Darkness… was that all she ever had been?

And yet, she knew that she could not stop. She could not turn her back on all that they had done so far. She could not abandon her course now.

Did she truly have a will of her own?

A light breeze came through and tickled her hair… blowing about gently in her face and from the light of the crescent moon above them, she could see that half of her former pink locks were now white as snow.

She heard the sounds of crickets chirping from the nearby swamp, and she wrapped her arms around her, as if she was suddenly cold. Her thoughts continuing to drift away from her in a spiral of confusion and taking her someplace so far away that she did not even notice that Y’shtola was speaking to her for a moment. Not until she felt her hand on her shoulder and she finally glanced back at her to see the concern in her friend’s face.

“Claire,” she said softly, “Are you feeling well? You are not acting like yourself?”

“In truth, I do not feel like myself,” she confessed softly to the endless darkness that stretched out before her. In truth… she had gone so long like this now that… that she was faced with the reality that all she thought was a lie before… she felt like a complete stranger to herself. All of a sudden, she felt like she did not have a clue who she was or didn’t even know herself at all.

She hated feeling like this.

“Claire,” Y’shtola said, her tone a little more sharp, “Please tell me. What is troubling you? You look like you have so much to say? Is there anything that we can do to…?”

But Claire was shaking her head. While she appreciated her concern, she did not like probing. The truth was, she didn’t know how to bring all this up to Y’shtola because the memory of first arriving in these woods left a bad taste in her mouth. How Y’sthola could not tell the difference between her and a sin eater.

Tempered… a thrall… a sin eater…? Weren’t they all the same thing really?

Even if she was able to avoid the fate that awaited her with Black Rose… was there a worse fate waiting for her here in this world? It took all she had to stop herself from trembling as she gazed back to the sky once more, wishing that they could speak to her and tell her what was going to happen. But the thought of suffering such an end… to become some mindless creature like that…? She felt that taking her chances in a possible future where she died of poison may not be so bad. At least it would be quick and she did not need to worry about hurting anyone else if she fell.

Perhaps she would finally be allowed to rest.

“Claire?” Y’shtola repeated again, and she was now pressing for an answer, “Is there anything I can get you? Did you want to talk…?”

“No,” she replied calmly, but also lying through her teeth.

She just wished to be left alone right now.

Y’shtola seemed to sense this and gave a sigh before saying, “Very well. I’ll leave you for now, but please feel free to join us when you are suddenly craving our company.”

Claire could only nod, and Y’shtola seemed truly concerned with her sudden dour mood, but didn’t seem willing to press it when she was obviously wishing to be left alone. She only gripped her shoulder in a reassuring way before she finally turned and began to make her way back to Slitherbough.

She made to leave but paused as she added, “I would not let what Emet-Selch said trouble you overmuch. But if something happens, or if you want to talk… we’ll be right inside.”

She nodded again as Y’sthola left her and once her footsteps faded, Claire could hear nothing but the crickets again. Now that she was alone, she suddenly wished she had company… but she didn’t want someone to fret or fuss over her. That was when she suddenly realized where she wanted to be at that moment.

She pulled out her drawing journal and tore out a blank page to write a quick message upon it. She did return to Slitherbough, but only for a moment… she managed to slip inside while the party was going on and slipped inside Y’shtola’s chambers as she left the message saying that she would be back soon and not to worry about her.

She knew that she would get told off for pulling this stunt here, but she needed this desperately, just so that she would have time to really think about what she would do. But she made sure to write in the note of her promising to return once she got her thoughts sorted out… and then she teleported away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Where is she going? Well, that’s my secret. Let’s just say that this will be leading up to the very special Little Ladies Day chapter I’ve been working on. Now I know that Little Ladies Day is over in Eorzea right now, but hey, my schedule got turned around completely at my job and now everything is in chaos. Besides, my last chapter just got so long that I didn’t think that I would be able to put it all in and not make it feel ‘too much’. But there will be one last chapter, a special bonus one, for this month while we visit an old ‘friend’ and get a much needed pep talk. Because let’s face it, Claire is having a rough time and depression is quickly settling in. She needs someone special to talk to and this is the perfect person in mind. Hope you will all be looking forward to it. It will be a heavily emotional and feely chapter! And no, it is neither Alphinaud nor Alisaie. Who is it? I think you’re gonna like it.)


	20. Bonus Chapter 17.5: Pretty in Peaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire needed some time away from saving the world and so she pays a quick visit back to the Source to clear her head. While she arrives, she is surprised to learn that it's time for Little Ladies Day. But who will be the seneschal for this little lady this year?

It wasn’t snowing when she arrived… which was unique in and of itself.

It had been so long since she last visited here that she could feel guilt rising inside her. As if her prolonged time away from here somehow meant she had been neglecting her friend. Though, how much time had it been really? Sure it had been weeks in the First, but in the Source it was much less than that, wasn't it?

Either way, when she next opened her eyes, she was standing among the frozen, grey stones of Camp Dragonhead. She gazed around wearily at the familiar sights, feeling oddly comfortable now that she was back in an area that she knew and didn’t need to fear becoming lost.

She thought that she heard a couple guards speaking on the battlements above her, but she didn’t stay long enough to find out as she headed out to the northern exit—only one destination in mind.

She didn’t know why she had come here. It was just the first thing that popped into her head when she was leaving the Greatwood behind, and she was too weary to think of anywhere else. Besides, she managed to pick a few of the ‘foreign’ flowers before leaving Rak’tika and felt that it would be good for her to visit and see if how things were faring while she was here.

That was how she found her steps carrying her across the snow to a familiar ledge that overlooked Ishgard in the distance. She arrived at the gravestone, the metal from the broken shield starting to show the tiniest hint of rust around the edges... she would have to fix that when she had time. But she then set the otherworldly flowers at the foot of the grave, knowing that he would have liked them.

She then sat down in the snow as she observed the memorial, reading the words etched upon the stone, and felt herself sigh.

“You would have loved to hear the tales I have to say about the First,” she whispered softly as she gazed at the name before looking sadly to the broken shield.

She sat like that for a few minutes before her eyes turned to the distant horizon and could see the sky lighting up with warm oranges and reds as gold lined the very horizon. She had arrived just after sunrise, it would seem. Somehow, she felt much better being here with normal day and night… where she didn’t have to look to the sky before wincing away in pain; somehow, as fond of the First that she was becoming, she could not deny the comfort she got from the idea of a brand new day with bright azure skies and white, fluffy clouds.

A sharp wind suddenly blew through and she shivered.

Shivered? That’s something that hadn’t happened in a long time… she had long since gotten used to the cold of Ishgard and she could handle it even in the middle of a blizzard. As one of the many inhabitants of Camp Dragonhead once said to her, she was like a snow wolf, for the cold didn’t bother her.

Well, so much bothered her these days and she supposed that this was just one added thing to them.

She hid her face in her arms, wrapping them around her legs as she felt her knees pressing up against her forehead.

She was so tired... all the time...? And now all of this was tormenting her. There were so many thoughts racing around inside her head... and of right now she didn't know how to handle them.

Was it all true? Was Hydaelyn... a primal? It would explain much but...? What did that make her then?

Y'shtola argued that there was no possible way she could be a thrall because she didn't act like one. After all, aren't Hydaelyn's words: 'Hear, feel, think' the complete opposite of being tempered? But until now, Hydaelyn never directly ordered her to do anything. She gave onto her a blessing that was more of a tool to achieve her own goals rather than they be of Hydaelyn's own command.

She then remembered so long ago when she was first confronted with the primal Ifrit and how he had tried to 'claim' her as his own.

Ifrit said he can't smell the taint of another upon her but therefore she must be of the ‘godless blessed's number’. And then later on when Garuda tried the same thing; she say that she could smell 'her foul stench' and that 'she has touched her'. She could only assume that they meant Hydaelyn.

The more she thought about it, the more she began to wonder. She didn't just have the Echo... after all she had also had the Crystals of Light, which supposing possess a tiny fragment of her power. She then remembered when Ysayle used her Crystal of Light and the power that it contained... and that was with just a fraction of her strength. It made her shudder to think of what her full strength was.

She reached inside to pull out the remaining crystals she had. The sixth having lost almost all trace of power from before when she confronted the Warriors of Darkness with the other Scions... before that power seemed to have been given back to Hydaelyn so that she would be able to release Minfilia and then send her to the First.

As for the Warriors of Darkness… they had turned their backs on Hydaelyn, believing that she had forsaken them. She could still recall Ardbert's fury as he tried to attack Minfilia and would have if she had not stopped him.

The five of them were furious with Hydaelyn because of the Flood of Light and believed that She had abandoned them. They had turned against Her so much so, that they sought the aid of Ascians and then gave up their mortal bodies in order to then go to the Source and cause a Rejoining. Their reasons were mostly to try and undue their mistakes and make things right… but she also had a feeling that it was also partially just to spite Hydaelyn.

So those chosen by Hydaelyn had to be more than tempered, right? They still had a will of their own…?

But she could never seem to say no… was that the reason? Does being tempered by Hydaelyn simply meant that she cannot say no to someone?

These thoughts continued to swirl about her mind like a ship out on troubled waters. She just wanted to scream out all the anxiety that was inside her... to do something so that she was no longer suspended in this misery and confusion.

In fact, she was so lost in thought, that she didn't register the slight crunch of footsteps in the snow from behind her…?

She didn’t even look up, even as she felt the slight shiver of cold from another gust of wind, until she felt something warm and heavy being draped across her shoulders.

Her head jerked up in shock, and her eyes widened to find none other than Lord Edmont there with her, and having wrapped a thick quilted blanket around her to guard against the wind.

"Lord Edmont?" she asked in surprise as he gave her a kind smile.

"I had just come to check on how my youngest son was fairing at his new position here," he told her, "Imagine my surprise when I heard from one of the guards say they saw you arrive just as I was preparing to leave. When they said that you were heading up near the Stone Vigil, I knew why."

Claire felt herself turn red at that, though she hoped that he would pass it off as merely the result of the weather. If he noticed, he didn't say anything, but she could have sworn she saw him smiling as he sat on the snow besides her. It was a strange thing to see a man clothed in such fine garments sitting in the cold snow cross-legged like he did this every day, but she greatly appreciated his company.

"I am told that you come here from time to time," he commented as they looked to the grave together.

"When I am able," she confessed softly as she tightened the blanket around her shoulders.

"Full glad I am to see you this day," he commented, "You should hear the rumors that are being said about you. I would be afraid to believe in even half of them.”

"Oh, I can imagine," she sighed.

"I listen in from time to time just to hear what kind of theories are going around," he chuckled and she shook her head, half smiling at that.

They sat there together in silence as they stared at the memorial. Neither of them seemed able to find something to say for some time... just enjoying the time here as the sun rose up full into the sky. It was some time later before their silence was broken.

“What was he like?” she asked softly, “When he was younger?”

She wasn’t sure why she asked that now of all times, but the idea simply drifted across her thoughts and her mouth seemed to open without her realizing.

“Haurchefant?” he sighed as he gave it a moment to think it over before finding an answer. “A bright and eager lad. Stubborn as a Chocobo though… once he made up his mind, there was no unmaking it. He had decided from a young age that he would become a knight, and so when I first gave him my blessing to begin his training, he would practice all day with that little wooden sword of his in the practice yard. Always the first one in and the last to leave. He became very good with it at an early age.”

She smiled at the thought. She could just picture a young Elezen boy with silver hair swinging a sword around with reckless abandon.

“After he became friends with young Francel, the two of them would spirit away on some grand adventure,” Lord Edmont chuckled, “Francel always followed him around though, even though he was half his age at the time. Oh, the trouble my son got them into… but he was always there to help get him out. Defending the people of Ishgard was his greatest ambition… and so when he earned his knighthood… words cannot say how proud I was.”

He sighed again and she watched how he gazed towards the city in the distance.

“So much change has come to Ishgard… I come here from time to time to tell my son of it,” he told her, “He would have loved to have seen how far we’ve come. So I do my best to keep him updated on all the changes.”

Silence feel between them for a moment before he gazed back at her.

“But what of you?” he asked, “I was informed that you were away on an important mission to see if you can awaken your fellow Scions?”

She looked down at her feet, resting her chin upon her knees again as she thought of all that had happened.

“So much has happened,” she told him quietly, “I know not how to begin.”

“I see,” he said quietly and seemed to wonder how best to respond to that before asking, “Why don’t we return to camp and I’ll make you some hot chocolate while you tell me?”

Because how cold she was feeling all of a sudden, such a thought didn’t sound like a bad idea at all, and she nodded in agreement. He stood up and offered his hand to her, like the gentleman he was, and pulled her up to her feet.

She took another hard look at the grave before she took the arm that he offered her, and looped her own arm through his as he led the way back to Camp Dragonhead.

That was how she found herself in the affectional dubbed ‘Falling Snows’ and watched as he brought a steaming mug before her.

She took a sip and a familiar warmth washed through her at the taste.

“I’m not sure if you told me this… but it was you who taught Lord Haurchefant how to make hot chocolate?” she asked him and he seemed surprised by the question.

“Yes? He had a slight sweet tooth when he was younger,” he answered and she just smiled back.

“It tastes just like how he used to make it,” she said and a warm look came into his eyes as he gathered a few logs for the fireplace.

“I am flattered that you said that,” he chuckled, “And even more so that you seem to be enjoying it?”

She took a few sips and felt waves of nostalgia washing over her... which seemed to bring her back to when her life wasn't so complicated... or rather not as complicated as it was now.

"Now then," Lord Edmont said as he pulled up a chair next to her after he finished stacking the fireplace, which cast a soothing warmth over the entire room. "Why don't we talk about what is troubling you so?"

She wasn't sure how much to tell him, but before she knew it, she found herself speaking more and more than she had for a while. She told him of the reason the Scions were seemingly locked in slumber, traveling to the First, the sin eaters, the Flood, what she was doing over there... and once she was talking she found it hard to stop. Lord Edmont's eyes grew larger with every passing minute that she did speak, but he did not say anything until she caught him up on her adventures in Rak'tika.

She paused there as he seemed to struggle digesting what he just learned.

“Were it to be anyone else who told me this tale, I would find myself concerned for their state of mind,” he confessed, “But I can see the way that you look as you speak of it, and I have no reason to doubt you. Especially, when the proof is right in front of me.”

He then reached over to gently tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, and she saw how he let the pink and white strands slip from his fingers and she gazed back sadly.

“You are hurting, aren’t you?” he asked in concern, and she let out a sigh as she looked to the mug still clenched in her hands tightly… holding onto it as if it was the only thing that was keeping her grounded.

"You were never one to do anything by halves are you?" he then asked. She couldn’t help it, but she laughed, and the sound seemed to bring a smile to his face.

"That's the smile I was missing," he told her kindly. But he ran a hand through his graying hair as he struggled to figure out what to say.

"Where do I even start?" he asked as she returned to her usual silent state. "I am aware of what Ser Aymeric told me of what happened at the front lines... as well as being aware of your sudden disappearance."

"How long have I been gone?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"Only a few days," he reassured her, "The rumor now is that you are on a secret mission. Most seem to believe that you are under another quest to save the world. Well, they weren't entirely wrong, are they?"

She felt her lips twitch slightly before nodding and asked, "How is the fighting at the borders?”

"It has reached a stalemate and neither side seems eager to engage in a fight right now. Or so my eldest has written to me,” he declared. And seeing her questioning look, he reassured her, "Artoirel is doing very well. Aside from some minor injuries, he has pulled through and is continuing to lead his knights bravely. Any spare knight here at Camp Dragonhead has answered the call, so we are short-handed for the time being. Emmanellain has be holding up well, all things considering. Though I believe we have young Honoroit to thank for that. Full glad I am that my son has such an invaluable assistant in such matters."

Claire was relieved to hear that both of his sons were doing well. She wouldn't know what to say if something had happened.

"And the city itself?" she asked.

"Ah, yes," he said, "The people are continuing to improve with every passing day and we are ensuring that supplies are heading to the front lines. Anything that can be spared, which, sadly leaves the rebuilding of the city delayed for the time being. Though there is talk about asking if we reach out to experienced adventurers to aid in the reconstruction effort. We shall see."

She would love to see that, see them able to rebuild the city. She wondered how it would look?

“All in all, it sounds like we are holding the line as well as can be expected for the time being,” he told her before he gazed down at his drink. “But now you are telling me that Garlemald is planning to unleash poison… this Black Rose, upon our forces there? And that is what will lead to the Eighth Umbral Calamity.”

“That was what the Exarch said,” she confirmed, “And we do know that Black Rose is real enough. We are doing what we can to try and ensure that doesn’t happen, but…?”

"But everything is up in the air at the moment," he finished for her grimly. "I see. Just one more thing to pray for, I suppose."

Prayer... why did it feel that praying only made things worse?

"So where are you planning to go to after here?" he asked curiously and she blinked before confessing that she left without explaining to anyone and that she knew that her time was limited. She was sure that she would be told off for this later on.

"In that case, if you think you can spare a moment, why not accompany me back to Ishgard?" he asked and she looked up in surprise. "I will need to return to the manor tonight, and though the roads are not as dangerous as they once were, I would much appreciate an escort. And I was quite loathed at the thought of asking one of the knights here when we were already short-staffed. That is, if you think you can spare the time?"

She wasn't sure if he was being completely honest about that, but the idea of going back to the First with all of this hanging over her head like a blade about to be brought down was enough to make her want to scream, and she agreed. Once she finished her hot chocolate, she walked with Lord Edmont back the roads that headed straight for the city. Perhaps he sensed that she was too drained to speak after all that she told him, and so he did much of the talking on the way back.

He was more than willing to talk enough for them both as he took her on a tour throughout the city after crossing the bridge and the changes that are already taking shape. He explained that he found himself walking through the city streets, sometimes one or both of his sons would join him, other times with Ser Aymeric as they looked into matters that needed to be changed or improved. Or to simply ensure that Ser Aymeric didn't spend all his time locked up inside and chained to his desk.

But he did confess that he quite enjoyed the walks alone as he wandered through the Pillars, the markets, even down to Foundation if his mind wandered long enough for him.

That was when she noticed the brightly colored flowers here and there... peach and cherry blossoms? Flowers, in general, were a rare sight in Ishgard, and she had to wonder why there were so many scattered about.

When she pointed the flowers out to Lord Edmont, he gaze down at her with mild surprise and said, "In honor of Little Ladies Day, of course. Since opening up their borders, Ishgard is able to relax and enjoy the celebrations much more openly than before. And so it seemed a fine idea to celebrate such an innocent event, especially in light of the fighting at the borders."

Goodness, was it already that time of the year? She had almost completely forgotten. She wished she could pay a visit to the city states and see their decorations; if only she had the time...?

But she pushed that out of her mind as she enjoyed the walk through the city again. She could see the places that were slowly being rebuilt, and seeing the people walking about. The people here seemed to be so much... happier... freer... and more than a couple waved at her when she passed.

She did enjoy it for the most part, able to forget the darker parts of her mind when she was appreciating the bright sky, the chatter and noise coming from the streets, and even the tolling of the cathedral bells. But as they wandered over the Brume, Lord Edmont pointed out to explain what the Firmament was and what they were planning to do with it.

"So they're going to start the rebuilding with the Firmament?" she asked him wondrously, already curious to see how it will turn out.

"Yes, well, like I said before, we are short with able working hands and so there is talking of having Adventurers aid us," he confessed, "But Lord Francel is still working on the blueprints and preparations. So it may be some time before the entire project takes off. At the moment he is working on the designs for a centerpiece with a fountain in the square and he's trying to decide the final look for it.”

"What has he come up with so far?" she asked curiously.

"Well, he has designed four smaller statues around the fountain, and he's wondering if he should make it an elaborated fountain or a statue instead for the centerpiece," he stated, "You should hear some of the suggestions he's heard. Some of the people have even been asking to have one built in your image.”

She stared up at him in horror and he laughed once again at the look she was giving him.

"Rest assure that Lord Francel talked them out of it, knowing that you may become uncomfortable about it," he reassured her. She let out a relieved sigh as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her off towards the markets. The markets, who have always been busy, were now near to overflowing with shoppers and stalls. With Ishgard open to the rest of Eorzea, the marketplace has truly blossomed and everyone was enjoying the benefits with what came with it.

She couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride go through her at the sight of it all as they strolled by the stalls, not really paying too much attention of what was being sold. At least until they passed by one particular stall, where a familiar woman named Elde all but leaned out to wave to her. That was when they got the logo of the store out front and Lord Edmont's eyes rose slightly at the sight of it.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked as they looked at her name upon the sign.

"No," she said, but she was fighting a smile as she said that.

But all the way through the Crozier, she ended up coming across other familiar faces, all of whom were waving to her. When she spotted young Lady Laurisse and Fremondain, she went over to speak to them, who were more than thrilled to see her, and with the swords she had made for them each hanging at their sides.

They spent a few minutes catching up, before informing her that they sadly had to leave for now, but hoped to see her again soon.

She waved them off, only to look around and found that Lord Edmont was gone. Thankfully, she found him a short distance away at another stall and was speaking with the merchant.

When she strolled over to him, ready to apologize if she kept him waiting, she overheard a part of their conversation.

"Oh, yes... I think we can have it delivered as early as tomorrow morning, Lord Edmont," the merchant promised as she filled out a notepad.

"Wonderful," he said, "Now I understand it is such short notice, but I am willing to pay extra if you can get it to me on time."

He stopped immediately when he heard her approach and he seemed slightly taken aback by that.

"What are you up to?" she asked him suspiciously, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"What makes you think I was up to anything?" he asked with a smile playing on his mouth this time. He then turned to the merchant and added, "You will receive your payment in the morning, as agreed."

"Yes, my lord!" the young merchant said happily as he led her away from the stall, and Claire had the impression that he was eager to press on and changed the subject. While curious, she didn't think it polite to ask. 

By the time that they left the markets behind, the sun was already halfway across the sky and it looked like an early evening was coming when the snow clouds came rolling in. She was startled at how fast that the day seemed to be moving—even more so when she heard the people in the market getting ready to head home before another snowstorm hit.

Upon noticing this, Lord Edmont suggested that they return to the manor and warm up after they finished their stroll around the city, and she nodded in agreement.

They spent most of the rest of the day outside, while he seemed to be enjoying the part of a tour guide, and pointed out both the history of certain places and buildings that they passed before they finally made their way back up to the Last Vigil.

They crossed over the plaza, his hand resting upon the railing for the staircases that led them ever upwards so that they were overlooking the Jeweled Crozier, where most of the shops were closing a little early so that they could head home safely. The sun was beginning to dip below the mountains in the sky at this point and so the reds turning more too purple and shadows were deepening around them before the sky was covered completely by thick clouds—casting them almost entirely in darkness.

Though, by this point, they were within sight of the manor and hurried the last few yalms to the front door.

She had been hoping to talk to Lord Edmont a little more, but sadly, there was urgent business waiting for him. According to one of the knights stationed outside the doors, after greeting them, he explained that some of the other nobles were waiting for him in the drawing room to discuss 'urgent' business and she heard Lord Edmont audibly sigh.

"With my eldest on the front lines, I have taken over all household work for the time being," he explained to her apologetically. He offered for him to send them away until tomorrow, but she shook his head, reassuring him that she understood, and that he should do what he needs to. 

He looked really apologetic before calling over another servant and explained the situation to him before asking to escort Claire to her room and bring some food up for her since he did not think that this meeting would be ending anytime soon.

Claire was alright with this because she could feel exhaustion settling in. Now that she thought of it, she realized that she had been up now for the last few days—at least she felt like she did. It was hard to tell with the Light-filled sky back in the First. But she was grateful for his hospitality as she was taken to her room.

She merely requested something light and to bring it up whenever he had time, which he bowed low before leaving her to her own devices. 

She dropped her travel bag with a loud noise on the stone floor before collapsing upon the soft bed. As soon as she hit the mattress she was already straying in and out of focus, despite the slight chill in the room and the darkness outside the window was broken up by large flakes beginning to drift about… the beginning of a heavy snowstorm.

She didn't even realize how long she laid like that, only that after what felt like a few minutes, she heard a knock at the door and she wearily got up to see who it was. 

The servant from before had just returned with a tray of some bread, cheese and fruit. She was grateful to have something more in her stomach and she thanked him as he also stacked the hearth with wood to warm the room.

"Is Lord Edmont still in his meeting?" she asked as she bit into an apple.

"I am afraid so," he chuckled, "Old men know how to argue, I fear. I don't think that they will finish until long after midnight tonight."

She was disappointed but she thanked him once more as she waved him off and finished her meal quietly. 

She also made the effort to change out of her armor and into a much lighter tunic and kecks before finally lying down... feeling so comfortable at that moment that she drifted off almost instantly.

She wished that she could say that she had peaceful dreams that night. But that was far from true.

She had many nightmares over the years, but this ranked easily as one of the worst ones she could ever remember having.

** _*Dream*_ **

_There was nothing but darkness all around her. It was as if she had fallen into a pit of ink, that was how thick and dark everything was around her. But she could still see herself through the gloom... glancing down at her hands which she could seep perfectly. It was as if she had stepped into a chalkboard or something similiar. She didn't glow, but she could feel the light shining from within her skin._

_No sooner did she realize this did her arms and legs were suddenly snapped out and froze. She let out a startled gasp as she began to struggle, trying to get her limbs to move… but there was no point… it was as if she was suddenly chained up and she could not move an ilm._

_She tugged at her arms and legs, trying to get them to be more lifelike than a statue when something in the gloominess around her began to glow. She stopped struggling long enough to gaze at the faint light that was slowly making its way towards her. One would think that light would be welcomed in this dark place… but instead it was just causing her to grow more and more anxious as it continued to grow brighter and larger. She then felt the slight gust being blown to her face… and the sounds of beating wings. She gulped and felt a cold sweat at the sight of the creature appearing… elegant and graceful all in one… but she recognized the pure white of the wings and the oddly empty feeling that it seemed to radiate. _

_It was a sin eater._

_The sin eater was both beautiful and terrible all at once. A tall, slim figure dressed head to toe in shining armor that was as white as marble. Its helmet opened in the back so that long white hair cascaded down their back in full and thick waves while wings as white as a doves, cast the dark shadows around her away so that she was bathed in their light. The only part of this figure that wasn't coated in armor were the eyes... which were looking at her through the helm. She closed her own eyes, turning her head away, not wishing to see those empty, sightless eyes looking back._

_She felt the cold armor on her skin as the eater grabbed her chin and forced her to turn her head back so that it was staring straight forward._

_'Look at me...'_

_The eater was speaking to her. But still, Claire did not dare open her eyes. She fought harder than ever to try and free herself from her bounds, but she felt as if she were held bound by steel restraints for all the good it did._

_"Look at me..." the eater demanded in a firmer tone. _

_Again she kept her eyes tightly closed, and refused to give in as she struggled more, thinking that if she could just free one of her arms then she may have a chance...?_

_But this eater was very strong, she could feel that in just the grip... knowing that it could crush her skull if it chose to._

_"LOOK AT ME!" it finally shrieked and Claire pulled her head back as far as it could go, and suddenly it was as if the spell holding her shattered and she was falling backwards. She was so shocked that when her eyes next snapped open, she could see the eater directly above her as it let her fall backwards—appearing as some sort of angel of death cloaked in the dark—and she felt herself land somewhere very cold. _

_She gasped for air as she something grabbing at her, once again, holding her as if bound. And again, she struggled and fought, but she could feel something scratching at her to keep her still._

_What in the seven hells was going on? Where was this nightmare?_

_She glared down, seeing that what was holding her were ghostly hands... hundreds of them, each holding her in place as they seemed to sprout out of the dark._

_She was breathing hard and fast, trying to keep herself calm and not panic... but the feeling of the hands on her skin felt unnatural and she fought the urge to scream even though that was all she wanted to do at that moment. _

_"Something wrong? Hero of Eorzea?"_

_Her head jerked upwards at the sound of that voice. It couldn't be... why would he be here?_

_She looked to the darkness as she heard the crunching of metal upon a stone floor... though as far as she could tell there was no 'floor' here. She watched in shock as none other than the Black Wolf, Gaius van Baelsar, stepped into view. This was his appearance when she first met him... everything to his armor and thick, horned helm, as he walked towards her... looking very different from his more current look as the 'Shadowhunter'._

_She just stared at him as he slowly walked towards her... wondering what was going on._

_The armored figure slowly turned and was speaking directly to her._

_"In other lands I was considered to be no more than a beast, a wolf that endlessly howls for bloodshed," Gaius's voice said, slightly muffled from the helm covering his mouth, "Yet where I hail from, in my homeland of Garlemald, I was seen as a hero. I brought stability and prosperity too many provinces... for without a strong leader to take hold of the reins, the people would surely have lost their way."_

_She blinked and he disappeared as quickly as he came... but not before she heard his voice whisper, "Is that truly so different from what you have done?"_

_She shook her head hard, trying to focus more on getting out of this place and worrying about what would come later. No sooner did she think that did she hear a deep rumble... a deep voice that she heard only once before... as great dragon wings covered her vision and she froze at the sight._

_And the voice of Bahamut spoke next to her: "I was never supposed to exist in this world... and yet did I linger. Born from the desperate hopes... but you have seen the cruelty that was brought to my children by your kind. And so instead of granting me the sweet release of death, I was imprisoned and so my hatred for mankind grew and grew until it became a raging blaze that none could extinguish."_

_The large wings then vanished from her view and she let out a shaky gasp of relief. But she froze a moment later when Bahamut's echoing voice faded as he asked, "Knowing all that you know now, can you claim that what they did was right and my children in the wrong?"_

_No, they weren't wrong. But that doesn't mean that...?_

_But it seemed that these voices were far from over... for she heard another beating of great wings and a roar that, to this day, cause her to shake as she recalled one of the fiercest battles she ever fought._

_"It hath been our duty to watch this star, yet how could those as weak and pitiful as men be entrusted to do such a task?" the voice of Nidhogg spoke now, and she was now desperate to get out of here as she tried to wrench herself free from these disgusting hands. "Men are born, live, and die... merely insects in the long run of the river of time. Would it not be better that those who were long lived to watch and tend this star... better that than betrayers who would break the oaths of their own free wills? I loved and lost and wished to see those responsible for my pain to suffer. As have you."_

_She could have sworn she felt the sharp wings beating offer her head, chipping her on the top of the head as if the incarnation of revenge had appeared. _

_"In the end, was all that was sacrificed truly have no meaning?" he asked her._

_"No, I refuse to believe that," she gasped out, shaking her head like a great dog in the desperation to forget what she just heard. "What is this?"_

_But Nidhogg had already left them and her eyes snapped open at the sound of robes brushing past. _

_Walking right by her, without so much as glancing her way was the archbishop as he was before he took the mantle of King Thordan._

_She wanted to scream out as she saw him. Though he did not look her way, he did stop, his back to her as he was walking by and he spoke up like the others before him._

_"I was born upon the stories and hymns that my people told me," he said, the tip of his jeweled staff touching the ground, and he sighed as if a great weight was upon his next few words, "Lies, of course, all of them had quickly turned out to be when I grew to a station of power and influence. Once I learned the truth, I knew of the change that would follow it... as well as the hopelessness of the knowledge that our own ancestors destroyed that fragile bond that is peace. But should we have been forced to sacrifice our sons and daughters to a foe who will never be satisfied no matter how much blood is splashed before us? That is why I tried to take matters into mine own hands, yet we already know how that ended. Could you truly say that I was wrong? When the idea of true peace could have been achieved? Especially since it was by my willing sacrifice?"_

_He then continued walking forward as if he had never been interrupted as he finished, "Am I truly the villain? Or is that from merely one perspective?" _

_"I don't know anymore," she gasped, exhausted, scared, and confused by all of this. Why would her past sins not let her rest for even a moment?_

_She then felt a warm hand touch her cheek her she looked up at once to see a figure with bright blue hair gazing back at her with a slightly sad glance. _

_"Mide?" she asked in confusion, having not seen her since she sacrificed herself to become Alexander's core...?_

_"I wished for a future where we could live in peace," she whispered to her gently, still looking at her with a sad smile. "A grand utopia where the fruit of all our labors would bring a paradise to all. It was a beautiful dream... but it ended in a nightmare. I allowed the foolish hope of a better future to blind myself to what was in front of me and ended up bringing something into this world that never should have existed. And so I chose to atone for my part in this mistake. It was my choice and mine alone... but you understand that feeling, do you not?"_

_She lowered her hand before fading away like the others as her voice echoed around them, "If it were up to you, would you be willing to do the same? Or would you die with any lingering regrets?"_

_"Any regrets?" she whispered, "I sometimes wonder what will be waiting for me with all the people that I've...?"_

_She trailed off as an irritated tutting noise came from behind her now. Twisting her head around, still all but immobilized by the ghastly hands, she saw Yotsuyu standing there with her pipe between her long fingers._

_She didn't look at her with hatred or anything, there was just a dead kind of blankness to her cold eyes as Claire stared back._

_"I was a child born into a world where I wasn’t wanted," she recited, "I was orphaned before later being abandoned time and time again for the rest of my life. Used and abused for the sake of other greedy souls who took advantage of my pain and misery? I never knew the joys of being loved... and so a deep burning hatred took root in my already empty heart, so I suppose that it only made sense that I would feel no remorse when I turned my back on my own homeland. For how can you feel that you betrayed those who were never on your side to begin with?"_

_Yotsuyu then shook her head, as if she could not believe what she was saying, before turning her back on her and walking away into the darkness._

_"But you too have been used before, many times, and yet you still march on like a wind-up toy that has no choice but to follow its master," she asked before leaving her, "But it makes one wonder who is truly the one who is unable to move without the other?"_

_Oh, why don't these voices just kill her already and save her from having to listen to them? She just wanted to fade away from here... to be allowed some peace and quiet while she slept. She was so tired...?_

_"Lifeform is experiencing a severe energy depletion. Appropriate action recommended… engaged."_

_No..._

_Feeling as if it were with a great effort, she looked skywards as Omega's mechanical eye glance down at her from its spider-like body._

_"Even you...?" she sighed as Omega blipped and beeped._

_"Accessing memory data," it said, "To follow the commands was all I was created for. And to the ends of the universe I did travel. But upon arriving it was no longer possible to return to home coordinates and no foe to battle against?"_

_How could she answer? _

_“Will your journey be as meaningless in the end?”_

_“No, just… please leave me alone…” she croaked out, unable to take this whole thing. Omega left her alone once again as another figure appeared, and this time, she didn’t have to take a long look to know who it was. With a massive effort she raised her head to find Zenos appearing this time._

_He did not speak for a moment as they both looked long and hard at each other, and then he took a step forward._

_"I needed no reason to do what I had done. I did what I wanted to, searching, ever searching... and yet found nothing in my search until you came," he said as he slowly approached as she felt the cold wave of fear inside her heart mixed in with the hatred she felt for this beast. His eyes were fixed upon her, as if he was unable to look away... that look...? Wait... she had seen that look before... it was the same one that Emet-Selch had given her several times already. She supposed that she shouldn't be so surprised to see a resemblance between the two since they were great-grandfather and great-grandson... but it was enough to make her skin crawl when she thought of the two of them side by side. _

_Zenos slowly turned and his mouth curled up into a sickening grin as he reached out to her though she was now too weary to resist at this point._

_But she then felt his cold, metal hand caressed her face in a surprisingly gentle way... before it found its place around her neck._

_She could feel his immense joy to see her in such a state. Bound and unable to move as she struggled to breathe. His hands constricted and his hold was crushing her windpipe and it hurt so much to try and struggle. She saw a blinding light filtered through her vision as she began to fade... had she been in her right state of mind, mayhaps her dying brain would have questioned why she was seeing light instead of darkness as she faded away._

_But the light was growing stronger and stronger and she allowed herself to fade away._

_As she took her last gasp of air, a voice whispered in her ear..._

_Hear..._

_Feel…_

_Think…_

_Who...? You...?_

_Suddenly the hand gripping her throat let go of her and she took a deep gasp of air before forcing herself backwards and breaking free of the hands, which seemed to have gone slack in that fraction of a moment. _

_She hit the ground hard, but rolled back to her feet, readying herself for another fight..._

_But realized that she was all alone._

_What the hell...?_

_She was being punished for something, that she knew, but didn't know by who or how. She just fell to her knees, feeling so broken and lost in that second she wished that she would just become one with the darkness around her so that she could not worry about feeling anymore. _

_But as she began to wish for this blank emptiness, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she wearily looked up. _

_She blinked, barely able to make out the shadowy shapes. Slowly turning on her knees, she faced the two beings, who stood with their backs to her... but she recognized the blue robes of the woman Elezen... while also getting a glimpse of the male Elezen's armor... and silver hair._

_"W-Wait!" she called, finally stumbling to her feet and following after them as they continued walking away towards her. She was now sprinting as hard as she could go but though the two of them were only just strolling, she was eventually realized that she wasn't getting any closer. _

_But she couldn't just stop... she had to keep going... even as she was gasping for air and a voice... a concerned and familiar one, was all but screaming out her name. _

_And then her eyes snapped open to stare up into the anxious face of Lord Edmont._

** _*End of Dream*_ **

Claire sat bolt-upright, dripping in a cold sweat and shaking as the nightmare faded from her mind. 

Her sudden movement surprised Lord Edmont, who moved back to avoid her accidently head-butting him.

She then began to cough violently as Lord Edmont rubbed her back in a soothing way until she was able to regain control and breathe normally.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her worriedly, "If you like, I can summon a Healer if you...?"

But she was shaking her head, knowing that there was no point. Whatever was wrong with her was not something that someone could give her a tonic and she would feel better.

Lord Edmont frowned at that, but he didn't press the matter as he promised he would be back in a moment. 

He left her alone as she finished coughing and brushed her tangled hair out of her face as the image of the dream came back to her and she shivered at the reminder of the feel of those hands restraining her and the sounds of those voices echoing in the back of her head. 

As well as the two figures who led her away from the darkness and back... was that all just a twisted dream created from her own mind...? 

But the form of that armored sin eater also reappeared and she shook her head. NO. She was sure of that... it felt too real to be a dream... there was something far stronger than just a bad dream.

"Fray...?" she whispered, but nothing answered her. She looked down, feeling an overwhelming sense of abandonment when she could not hear Fray answer... then again, it wouldn't surprise her if Fray was staying silent on purpose just to keep her in line?

But if it wasn't Fray... who was that eater?

A single knock sounded on the door and she looked up to see that Lord Edmont had returned with a goblet of water for her.

"Drink this," he told her, "It will help."

She nodded and thanked him, now fully embarrassed at her disheveled state so she took it without question.

He then went to the near dead hearth and began to add a couple more logs to it to bring new life to the faintly glowing embers.

"The meeting went on far longer than I hoped it would. I was just coming to check on you when I heard you crying out in your sleep," he explained as he finished adding the final log and then returned to her side. "I can only assume that you were having a truly terrible nightmare?"

She felt her face glowing red as she nodded, sipping her water as her heart slowly calmed down. 

As she stared at the cup, she was vaguely aware that he had pulled a chair up by her bedside and he took a seat next to her.

"I don't suppose you are willing to discuss what this nightmare was about?" he asked her gently and she sighed.

The last thing she wanted to do was mention something that her own warped memory created, but when she looked up to his kind and worried face, she found she couldn't say no and told him: at least a rough description of what she dreamt of.

He was silent as she spoke, hiding most of the fear she felt when confronted by those old faces. Of their words and how they haunted her… how that no matter how many times she tried to look at it… she found it hard to see any of them as pure evil. That most of them had reasons for doing what they did, even if their actions were far from honorably.

"Just like they did..." she whispered and he tilted his head wonderingly. 

"They...?" he repeated as she shook her head.

"The Warriors of Light... or as we called them here, Warriors of Darkness," she informed him, "They were good people, all of them, and they only ever did what they felt was right. And look how that turned out? They were remembered as villains in their own home. Will that happen to me, one day? That I will be remembered as a villain when I only ever tried to do good?"

His eyebrows shot up at that.

"What makes you think that you could be remembered as a villain?" he asked her softly, "After all that you had done? Ishgard, for one, will never forget what you had done for us."

"Well, maybe not exactly with what happened to Ardbert and the others," she said, struggling to try and explain this knot of worry that was roaring inside her. "But... alright, say that this doomed future does happen! If it does, apparently in this dark future, I was killed because of it! Wouldn't people blame me for not being able to stop the Eighth Umbral Calamity! They would see me as a failure in the end because I...?"

"You are a mortal woman who has her limitations," he answered, causing her voice to die there, "No one can expect you to be perfect and to never fail. You have already done more than enough... if you were to stop fighting and take a well-deserved retirement from battle, not a single person out there would condemn you for that."

Would they though? It sounded so reassuring when he said it like that, but she knew better than to think that she could ever be given that chance to ever retire from the battlefield. It just felt like the farther along this road she travelled, the more likely it will be that she will end up meeting her end through battle than live long enough to see the changes she so desperately craved. A world where she wouldn't be forced to continue to fight to protect innocent people.

"I think that you are laboring under the delusion that you are responsible for everyone," he told her firmly, "And that is not healthy for you, my dear. You need to let go of that thought and...?"

"And what will happen if I do?" she asked him desperately, "There will always be battles to fight, this I know, and it's gotten to a point now that I don't think I can say no. It's just like with what happened to the Warriors of Light in the Source! They started off just trying to make their way in the world and they...?"

And before she knew it, she was telling him all that she learned of the fate of the Warriors of Light/Darkness as they knew them and of their deeds both in the First and what they had done while they were here in the Source before they sacrificed themselves to save their world on more than one occasion. Only for their good names to be spoken of as only as a curse.

When she paused for breath again, Lord Edmont offered, "Mayhaps they felt that this was their way to make amends for what happened."

"But they were as much victims in this whole thing as anyone else! Not a single part of this is fair," she said, "They were just ordinary people who only ever tried to do the right thing. They never once thought about themselves and even if that meant that they were willingly sacrificing themselves for the sake of others. Especially when it was for the sake of someone else, even if that person never wanted to see them die right in front of them and that image will forever haunt them as this terrible guilt now feels as if a rusty dagger has been driven straight into their heart. It's never an easy thing to go through seeing someone you care about just lying there dying, but the idea that they died because you weren't paying attention and they have to step up to protect you when...?"

She didn't even realize she was going into a rant at that moment. Not until Lord Edmont said her name very quietly, but it was enough to get her to stop and she looked to shaking hands as she breathed hard as if she had been running all day.

She then felt his fingers under her chin and forced her to look up at him as he gazed at her sadly.

“We’re not talking just about the Warriors of Light, are we?” he asked knowingly.

“Why?” she asked, still fighting the unshed tears now fighting to be released as she begged for an answer that she had been desperate to know since that day atop the Vault, “Why don’t you hate me? Your son died because he was trying to protect me. Why?”

He merely kept his hands on her shoulders as he seemed to need a moment to find an answer for her.

"I will not lie and say that I never blamed you," he confessed, "When I first learned of what happened to Haurchefant, it was as if the ground had opened up beneath me and I fell into the void. It was as if my very spirit had shattered at the news. He was a knight, so I was always aware that something like this would happen one day, but that did not prepare me when it did. And I confess that I did blame you initially for that. It was because of that I could not bear to even look at you afterwards."

She lowered her head as that same crushing guilt threatened to take her once more.

But then he went on sadly, "But when I learned that you later flew off after the archbishop, seeking to stop his plans to summon a primal, I cannot lie and say that I did not feel true worry and fear for you and the others. But it did give me the time I needed to really think about all that had happened... all that this meant... and I came to the realization that you were not to blame for my son's death."

"But I...?"

"You were not the one who threw that godsdamned spear that pierced him," he interrupted kindly. "And I know that he would not wish for you to feel that you were responsible. He knew what he was doing and he had faith that there could be a better future for all of Ishgard. This I do believe."

He gazed down at her before adding, "I have a feeling though that a parent's love is something new to you?"

She hesitated before nodding and whispered the fates of her parents to him before he sighed at this new information.

"I figured that it was something along those lines," he answered, "You never once mentioned your family the entire time that you were here. And, forgive me, but I could not help but notice that whenever I spoke to my sons, you seemed… as if you felt out of place."

Was she that obvious?

"You never had that kind of experience, have you?" he asked sadly, "Then who was the one who raised you?"

"The villagers where I lived were able to keep an eye on me when I was an infant, but once I was old enough to walk and talk, I was mostly on my own," she admitted shamefully, "They made sure that I didn't starve, and I would find ways to repay them by helping out where I could, but I don't recall what it's like to truly have a family. Not in that kind of way."

"I see," he told her softly, "That sounds incredibly lonely."

Mayhaps he seemed to understand for he pulled her in closer so that he had an arm around her shoulder and rubbed her back in a soothing way before he spoke again.

“I don’t believe that any parent worthy of the name would willing leave their children behind unless they had no other choice,” he told her softly. “It’s easy to pretend that your child doesn’t exist and cut off all ties… and it’s difficult to step up and take responsibility for that child and do what you can to raise them… yet I imagine that it must be beyond all imaginable pain to be forced to leave their child behind.”

She rested her head against his chest as he gently stroked her head and she shut her eyes at the touch as she shut her eyes, wondering if this was how it felt to have a parent care for you.

She could never fully recall ever being held or comforted in such a way. The people that she grew up with were kind to her, but she had always been an outsider... never part of a family. 

If this was how it felt to be cared for by a parent... it felt nice.

“I cannot imagine that any parent would willing have left you behind, my dear,” he informed her.

Those words meant more to her than she could ever say and she felt tears slowly beginning to drip from her eyes.

“Does it ever get easier?” she asked him softly, her cheek resting against the furry collar of his coat as he held her securely to his chest.

“Not really,” he whispered. “And those who try to offer comfort by saying that they were deeply loved and that they died a hero for the future of all… they either lie to themselves or to others from the loss or have never experienced the pain of losing someone they loved.”

He sighed with a shake of his head and she could feel the rise and fall of his chest.

“There are some wounds that one can’t recover from,” he said, “Oh, a day will come that mayhaps it doesn’t bleed as much as it once did… that it will heal over. But there will always be scars. A lingering damage that one cannot ever fully remove or even understand no matter how much time goes by. It shows that you are never quite the same and while there will be days that you can feel as if you have been healed… more often than not, just thinking of it makes it difficult to breathe or even leave your bed. Yet, we all have work to do and you must find the strength to get up and soldier on through another day. But… you do come to laugh again and find joy in the simple things. Mostly because you know that it isn’t healthy to hang onto the bad memories.”

This would not be easy, but like with old wounds, one can learn to live with them and some days would be easier than others. She felt that she could understand that. But there was still this nagging thought at the back of her mind that would not let go of her.

“It will be hard,” he said, gently wiping the tears, “But you must live. That is the best way to honor Haurchefant’s memory and all others that you have lost. He lives on in you through that sacrifice, and he passed with no regrets… at least, that is what I choose to believe. And we…we all would never forgive ourselves if you left. This world is poorer for my son’s death… and if we lost you as well…?”

He sighed as he pressed his lips against the top of her head.

“I already had to bury one child,” he whispered, “Please forgive me for this selfish request, but I could not bear to bury another.”

She felt like the world was slowly crushing down upon her and she was breaking under the pressure. She rested her head against his chest and she felt tears falling hot and fast. Lord Edmont didn’t question her. Merely cradled her head in one hand and had the other wrapped around her shoulders as he held her close.

“It will be all right,” he murmured for her when she let her voice die out. “You are safe here.”

“I don’t want anyone to protect me,” she whispered, “I’m just so… so tired. I feel so sick all the time now and it’s… exhausting.”

"Regardless of whatever title you go by, you are still just one person," he reminded her with a gentle tease, "You should stop trying to do the work of twenty people at once. You are more than a warrior... you have other parts to you that you try to hide from those who care. You need care as much as anyone else."

"Even if I'm the Warrior of Darkness?" she asked wearily.

“Especially because of that. You don’t have to be, though,” he said, “At least not here. This is your home for as long as you wish it to be.”

Home... what a simple word but with so much meaning. She just nodded and allowed some of this. 

It seemed that the apple truly didn't fall far from the tree because this wasn't the first member of this family who insisted on having a safe place for her to rest her head if she needed it.

“That reminds me,” she said quietly as she finally pulled away for a moment as she reached for her bag at the foot of the bed and pulled out her journal. She didn’t speak as Lord Edmont watched, and she opened the cover to find the letter that she had tucked safely inside.

She remained silent as she handed the letter to him and he took it with polite curiosity. But as soon as he opened the paper up, she saw how his eyes widened in shock.

“This is in Haurchefant’s handwriting,” he said and she nodded to acknowledge that. She watched his expression as it turned from confused, to hardened, to terrible joy and then finally grief. When he finished, he hide his face in one of his hands as she touched his shoulder as he took several deep breaths.

It hurt… there will always be things that will always be painful to think about.

This she knew better than anyone. She did try her best to go forward. But it was nice to hear that it was alright to do so once in a while. And she figured that he would have wanted to know more of what his middle son thought of him.

He then slowly, very carefully, folded the letter back up and he held it out for her to take. She tried to refuse it, but he shook his head as he set it very deliberately on the journal on her lap.

“It was written for you,” he told her, “It should remain with you.”

He sighed as he brushed another stray lock of hair from her face and said, “Look at those dark circles under your eyes. When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed, “I’ve been sleeping a lot more than I usually do lately, but I just seem to be tired all the time now. Even after waking up from a nap seems to make me tired.”

That was another thing that was bothering her. She just seemed to be going through energy so quickly now…? Why was that?

“I think the stress is getting to you,” he said firmly, “That’s not healthy. So you are going to get a good night’s sleep tonight and you will join me for a full breakfast tomorrow before you are to rush off back to your adventure. No arguments now. Do you understand?”

She nodded, her eyes already dropping as she laid down. She was hesitant to go back to sleep only to be greeted by nightmares, but it seemed Lord Edmont expected that. Perhaps there was just something soothing in his voice, or mayhaps he had experience in helping three boys fall asleep over the years, but she felt her tension slowly slip away.

She distantly felt something brush through her bangs, as she sighed a contented hum when he promised, “Sleep well without dreams. I shall watch over you until you go back to sleep.”

For the first time, in perhaps a long time, she believed him. She felt safe here. That she could relax and not have to put up the walls that she worked so hard to build around herself to protect her. Her eyes drooped and it was a struggle to keep them open.

And soon afterwards, she fell back into the peaceful oblivion that is sleep.

***Morning***

Claire had been afraid to sleep before... terrified she would have more nightmares of creeping shadows and drowning in a sea of burning light... but she slept through the rest of the night deeply and peacefully. Perhaps one of the best nights of sleep she could remember having.

By the time that she finally woke up, light was shining in through the window, signaling that it was quickly leaving the morning and heading into the afternoon.

For one horrible moment she pictured the skies awash with that hateful glare, but she realized how warm it was on her face and knew it to be regular sunlight, causing her to hum in content once again as she sat up. 

She rubbed her eyes, her limbs feeling oddly stiff before the wonderful smells of cooked food reached her nose and her stomach let her know that she was hungry.

Lord Edmont was waiting for her in the dining room after she changed and went downstairs. They did share a light breakfast, with him discussing more stories about his sons and what they were like while growing up and the mischief that they were caught up in.

She couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of serious Artoirel ever sneaking out of the house to explore when he was supposed to be studying during his lessons… or when Emmanellain met Honoroit. Apparently, when the boy was nine summers old, he ran into Emmanellain in the Jeweled Crozier, where Emmanellain took him in as his ward and even was the one who taught him letters and sums.

“Young Honoroit is a clever boy and a quick learner,” Lord Edmont chuckled, “And the perfect person to be able to bring my absent-minded youngest back to reality. Only too happy was I to bring him officially into our household.”

“I had no idea,” Claire said with a smile.

“Ah, Emmanellain does have a big heart, though he does have strange ways of showing it,” Lord Edmont chuckled. “But I must say that you have certainly been a big influence on him. Him and Artoirel both. Truly, I hardly recognize them, but in a good way.”

She felt herself blushing as he chuckled.

She was enjoying herself and when the grandfather clock struck, she remembered how long she had been here and sighed, knowing that she was already running late in returning to the First. But it was with a heavy heart that she finally stood up and Lord Edmont gazed up at her.

“Leaving?” he asked and she nodded.

“I’m afraid I have to,” she said sadly. He didn’t look surprised, but he did stand up to walk around the table and offered her his arm.

As she took it, he told her, “Before you go, I have something for you.”

She was surprised by this as he guided her out of the dining room and back into the main room where she saw two packages wrapped in string and ribbons sitting upon the table, one large and one very small. She stopped dead to stare at them.

“One practical gift and one not so much,” he confessed as she stared at the two brightly wrapped packages. “For Little Ladies Day.”

She looked up at him, quickly telling him that he didn’t have to get her anything, and forgetting that it was Little Ladies Day twice now. He just laughed and guided her to the table to the packages, and insisted that it was no trouble at all and that he hoped that she would like them.

“The larger one I ordered yesterday,” he told her, “While we were in the markets. Why don’t you look at that one first?”

She was deeply embarrassed by this, but she did what he suggested and untied the ribbons and lifted the lid. She stared at the gown that was lying among the tissue paper and pulled it out to get a good look at it. It was an Ishgardian gown, much like the kind of dresses that she had seen young women in the city.

“Lord Godbert had started selling them in the Gold Saucer,” he chuckled, “And quoting from him, they are selling ‘like hotcakes and with no signs of stopping’. Not very practical where you are heading off too, I realize that, but I think that a young lady should have more than just armor and torn robes in her wardrobe. After all, what would they say if the hero shows up at the celebration with destroyed rags?”

But he was laughing at that with a good-natured smile as she ran her hands over the beautiful mixture of wool and silk. It was a light cream color with the borders a pink color, the color of peach blossoms, with not a stich out of place.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, feeling tears coming back to her eyes again. “I just… feel…?”

“Don’t you dare say guilty,” he lightly warned, “I wanted to do this for you. So please allow an old man to be selfish and give a gift on Little Ladies Day."

She didn't know what to say... she was just so touched that someone, anyone, would spend so much for her. In truth, she was so taken aback by this that she didn't know how best to react other than stunned shock.

“If it makes you feel more comfortable, rest assure that I didn’t spend any money for this one,” he promised as she took the smaller package and carefully unwrapped it. Her hands were shaking as she slowly opened the lid to see a necklace sitting on a silk pillow. It was a black strap choker that held the emblem of House Fortemps, the bright red unicorn flanked by thorns, on the pedant on the front.

She picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand, her fingers running over the slightly worn front, finding herself as touched to see this as she was with the gown.

“This belonged to Haurchefant,” he informed her and she stared up at him as he smiled sadly. “Or rather it belonged to his mother. All the servants are gifted a piece of jewelry to mark them as House Fortemps when they first join our household. She wore this necklace every day until she chose to leave and when she passed, she gave it to Haurchefant. I found it among some of Haurchefant’s things.”

“I can’t take something this precious,” she tried to reason but he held up his hand to silence her.

“Something like this should be worn proudly,” he told her, “Better that than sitting in a box and gathering dust. I do think they would be thrill to know that you have it now.”

She didn't know how to put into words how she felt at that moment. She felt that she didn't deserve something like this... but then she was reminded of Lord Edmont's words from last night and she braced herself, reminding herself that she did deserve it. So, with a deep breath, she reached up around her neck and took off the one she already wore and instead hooked the new choker. It settled comfortably upon her skin, the pendant offering a nice feel upon her skin as she felt the elaborated unicorn.

She wasn't too proud to confess she did cry once again, but Lord Edmont understood the reason for these tears.

He just rubbed her back before she was able to get control of herself again and helped her pack her belongings so that she could head out. He didn't speak much during that time, but all that needed to be said was understood and she felt as if part of the massive weight she had been carrying around had been removed.

So that by the time she stood at the door, saying her goodbyes, it was with a bittersweet feeling.

She turned to go… but paused for a moment before turning back and throwing her arms around Lord Edmont’s neck in a hug. He was taken aback by that, but he returned the hug freely.

“You stay safe for us,” he told her softly, “And when you next return, I wish to hear more stories of this ‘First’. There will be a mug of hot chocolate waiting for you when you do.”

She nodded, promising to come back to visit as soon as she was able to before pulling back and turning on the spot to spirit herself back to the First. In truth, she still had doubts, but she was in a much better state of mind than she had been a few days ago.

She hoped that the others wouldn’t be so mad at her though…?

When she returned to Slitherbough, she ended up teleporting almost straight on top of Minfilia, who had been waiting by the aetheryte.

Claire apologized, helping her to stand up as Minfilia looked up at her with both shock and relief.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!” she said quickly, “We were starting to get worried! You were taking so long to get back and…?”

Claire paused at that and quickly asked how long she had been away.

“About three days,” Minfilia confessed, “We were all starting to wonder if something happened. Where did you go?”

Claire decided that she would first reassure the others that she was in one piece before telling them anything. So, Minfilia took her back to Y’shtola’s chambers, where the others were there, going over some old books and maps, perhaps discussing their next course of action, when the two of them walked in.

“There you are!” Thancred said as he set his mug down hard on the table, looking like a father who had just caught his eldest daughter sneaking out the night before and had been waiting up for her to come home so that he could catch her.

The others were all up in an instant and asking where she had been, and it took a little while for Claire to tell them that she was fine and that she just was struck by an urge to return to the Source for a short time to check on how everyone was doing.

She mentioned the status at the borders, and how their forces were holding the line as well as they could have hoped. So far, it sounded like a fair cause to disappear without warning. She apologized for worrying them, but she just needed a brief spite away to get her head on straight.

She could tell that Y’shtola was about to go into a rant, but perhaps seeing Claire’s lightened mood changed her mind and she shook her head, merely scolding her to at least let them know where she would be next time so that they didn’t worry overmuch. They had ten minutes to finish packing anything they needed and to meet at the entrance.

“Why didn’t you tell us where you were going?” Minfilia asked her curiously as Thancred told them all to start getting ready to pack so they could head out.

"Just needed time to sort some things out," she said rather vaguely. That was when the sunlight caught hold of her necklace and it sparkled slightly, just getting Minfilia's attention.

"Oh, where did you get that?" she asked and Claire reached her fingers up to brush over the unicorn one more time before just smiling and reassuring her, "A gift... from my... father..."

***Several days ago***

Emet-Selch he had been watching from the shadows of the roots over him as they had their discussion. It was really quite funny to watch the little mortals run around in a panic when they realized that their champion was missing. He had sensed her presence leave for a time, but he had little doubt that she would return sooner or later.

The others though, they were afraid that something truly terrible happened. In fact, he heard the one who had once been Lahabrea’s puppet, offer the suggestion that ‘lying Ascian’, had done something to her when they weren’t looking.

He chuckled in amusement when he saw their stress levels rise until they found the message that was left behind. This did some to calm their nerves, now that they knew that she hadn’t been snatched from under their noses, but he could still see the concern in their faces.

“Why would she do this now?” the pale Miqo’te asked as they stepped outside the settlement to discuss their options. “I just spoke with her last night…? So she must have left soon after I left her…?”

“Did she seem well to thine eyes?” the Elezen in black answered worriedly and the mage sighed.

“She was distracted… and distant,” she confessed, “I could tell that something was weighing heavily upon her mind, but she wasn’t interested in confining in me. But, I believe she was deeply bothered by what Emet-Selch said.”

His ears perked up at the sound of his name and he listened in a little closer.

“Aye, I guess she would take that news hard,” the man in white sighed and he folded his arms.

“So… what should we do?” the rather feeble-looking Oracle girl asked worriedly.

“Nothing,” the first man answered back, “We don’t know where she went or how to find her. There’s nothing we can do until she comes back. I guess we should try and make ourselves useful here, but we should send a message back to the Crystarium letting the others know that the Lightwarden of Ra’tika is slain, but we might be a little late in returning.”

“I hope she’s alright,” the girl whispered anxiously and Emet-Selch rolled his eyes.

“Must you fret so loudly?” he called, his voice getting their attention and they looked up to see him setting upon a branch just above their heads and looking down at them with the air of a man who was just trying to take a nap. Which sounded very welcoming now that he thought of it.

“It’s a little sad that when she’s not around, the rest of you start to panic and jump to the worst conclusions,” he shrugged as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree. “Honestly, how do you get anything done on your own?”

He didn’t miss the way they were glaring at him.

“Funny you appear when she is missing,” Y’shtola said slowly, “But your reasons are your own for being here. Did you see anything at all?”

“Last night? Not at all,” he shrugged, “I did see her enter your chambers for a moment and didn’t come out. Though I did feel a slight disturbance in the aether, signaling teleportation…?”

“So she must have teleported somewhere else,” Thancred sighed with a shake of his head.

“Do… do you know where she went?” Minfilia asked him suddenly and he shrugged back in a bored way.

“Is it such a bad thing to want a little time to oneself without having so many fretting over you?” he asked with a shrug, “I honestly don’t know how she stands it with you all acting the part of mother hens.”

But the man that had once been Lahabrea’s puppet—his name escapes him—stepped up and gave him a dark look; as if he was just bursting to say something.

“What?” Emet-Selch yawned in annoyance, but deciding to humor him.

“What are you planning with her?” he asked coldly and Emet-Selch opened up one of his eyes to gaze down at him with curiosity while the others looked to him in surprise.

“Whatever makes you think that I’m going to do something to her?” he asked.

“Call it concern for a friend’s well-being,” he answered sharply back, “I’ve seen the way that you look at her. Like she’s the only one that you’re talking to and the rest of us are annoying flies. Well, I guess in your eyes we would be. But that’s not the issue here. I don’t like the way that you look at her. Nor the way that you talk to her. What do you want?”

“Oh? Is that it? Concerned that I’m going to stab her in the back should the opportunity present itself?” he asked with another shrug.

“You aren’t following us around, you’re following _her_,” he countered, “And out of concern, I would appreciate it if you would be so kind as to inform us of why.”

“Is that what you think?” he asked in mild annoyance. “Well, whatever else you believe, you are not her keeper, and even if you were, she doesn’t need your protection, does she? If anything, it is the other way around since you all go running to her whenever something happens.”

He observed they with a critical eye for a moment.

“This is how it works isn’t it?” Emet-Selch asked, “You all investigate the problem, but whenever it becomes too dangerous, you send her in to protect yourselves? Without even bothering to ask what it is that she desires?”

“We have never made her do anything against her will,” Y’shtola countered at once, “We always gave her the choice and she has always chosen to do the right thing.”

“Truly?” he asked curiously, “Always…? Or did you just give her the only options that were open to you without truly giving her the chance to speak her mind?”

No one spoke as they tried to think of an answer. But he could see the way that they were frowning at themselves, as if they had yet to given this any thought. And that was when he saw the guilt settling in.

He didn’t give them the chance to answer that as he leaned back against the tree trunk again, his hands folding behind his head.

“Well, in that case, don’t you feel as if you owe her the time to be left alone with her thoughts?” he asked lightly, “Oh, I doubt that she’ll be away for too long. But if I were her, I would wish to get away from all the fretting. Quite frankly, it is irritating just watching it if one cannot trust their friends to take care of themselves.”

“We do trust her,” Lahabrea’s puppet countered angrily, “It’s you that we don’t.”

Emet-Selch gazed back down as he got a good look at his soul that was shining behind his eyes. It burned hot and blazed with a dark white color that coursed through it like cracks. Ah, he could see the damage that was left behind. Lahabrea was ever so hard on the bodies that he used. Lahabrea’s scars ran deep in him and so it didn’t surprise him to realize that his ability to manipulate aether was all but non-existent. Lahabrea certainly all but crippled him. But despite all that there was still a fire of determination, suspicion, and unease burning as hot as coals… as well as…?

The other emotion he sensed there confused him for a moment.

“Oh, I see now,” he said in understanding, casting his mind back to when he spoke to Lahabrea briefly after his defeat in reviving the Ultimate Weapon and what took place there. “That’s why you are so protective of her. She saved you once before and you wish to return that favor. I can see the determination… but that’s not all. Since we’re asking questions, tell me, what is this resentment you have for her?”

The man froze at that and Emet-Selch smirked.

“I’ve had countless centuries of learning to read one’s emotions, but I can see one’s soul very clearly; especially when powerful emotions are involved,” he answered. “I see that your soul bears scars from when Lahabrea inhabited that body. You generally think of me as a threat, as you should, but there is grudging respect inside you as well for my presence since I pulled your little friend from the Lightstream.”

He nodded his head towards the mage, who just glowered back before Lahabrea’s pupped held up his hand to stop her from saying anything.

“You are always hovering close by her whenever you choose to grace us with your presence,” the pale man hissed back, refusing to give up the high ground here, “And I just want to warn you now that if you plan on going after Claire in any way, shape, or form… I won’t need any auracite to kill you.”

Emet-Selch gazed back into his eyes, trying to see the driving force for these many different, and conflicting, emotions knotted together inside him like string.

“Fascinating,” he said with a shrug. “Despite the negative feelings that you secretly harbor for her, your first thought is leaping to her defense when you believe she is in danger. But I must know, what is this wrong that she had done for you to harbor such anger? Or… is this guilt over something that you may have done to her instead?”

“What are you talking about?” Lahabrea’s puppet demanded furiously.

There was no doubt that he was deeply angering the man and so he went on calmly, “You are protective of your little friends… and hold your champion in the highest esteem. But… there is anger and resentment towards her inside you along with those warm and fuzzy feelings. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, you hold almost as much resentment for your champion as with the little girl.”

The oracle girl flinched behind him, but Lahabrea’s puppet just glared on with his hands curled into tight fists, shaking slightly.

He just yawned pointedly once more before reassuring them, “If it puts your minds at ease, I have no intention to harm your beloved errand girl. I don’t know how much I must say it before you understand that I am merely here to observe, nothing more.”

“Why are you interested in helping us anyway?” he demanded back, “You didn’t do it out of the kindness of your heart; I could see that much when you looked at Claire before. The only reason that you saved Y’shtola—which I begrudgingly admit that I am grateful for—but the reason you saved her wasn’t because you _wanted_ to save her, or felt it was the right thing to do, but because that was what Claire wanted.”

“Oh? Does it boggle your young mind to think that I can be capable of kindness?” he answered back. “She, alone, of you all seems to be capable of reason and so I thought to show that my intentions are not as hateful as you seem to believe. I want to see if she is capable of doing what none of the rest of you can and prove me wrong. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to find out that she exceeds my current expectations. I will agree that she is doing well so far, but until the final Lightwarden is defeated, I will not have my answer. Is that not enough of an answer for you?”

The man just glared back as if he was something disgusting at the bottom of his boot and Emet-Selch sighed and leaned back to shut his eyes, as if drifting off to sleep, and finished, “I would be more concerned with your own issues rather and worry about mine. Just a friendly piece of advice.”

“Fine,” Lahabrea’s former puppet answered back darkly and made to march off before pausing and asked, his head turning back to him, “Just answer me one thing. What makes you think that she will ever listen to you?”

Emet-Selch took his time in finding an answer as he thought of their champion and how similar everything had been to his ‘friend’ from so long ago. Everything about her… her personality, her mannerisms, her complete disregard for herself whenever it came to helping others…? Hells, even her eyes were just the same as they were so long ago…?

“She reminds me of someone I used to know,” he confessed, and he completely ignored him and the others for their remaining time here in the woods until their champion suddenly reappeared a couple days later, having decided to pay a quick trip to the Source.

He watched from the shadows as he saw her face… any fatigue or anxiety that had been there before—while not gone—it had lessoned into one more relaxed and happier.

He felt himself smile slightly at that as he watched them leave… even making sure to strike down any of the few eaters that remained in the woods and were being drawn to the small group. All without them noticing what he was up to, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oh so sweet. My parents divorced when I was little and my dad was never part of my life. But I always wanted to have that connection and be a daddy's girl. Sadly, it didn't happen and I really wished that I had a father figure in my life. Claire lost both of her parents and I think that she would also crave that kind of connection with someone. And who better than Lord Edmont? I swear, I was smiling the whole time I wrote this chapter. But really, she desperately needed to talk to someone—without having them hover over her and fret. She needed someone who cares but understands that she must find her own way in the world while offering for her to lean on him for support if she needs it. She has lost so much and has the expectations of not one, but two words waiting for her to save them. Not only that, she is lost in a world that she knows precious little about, is expected to fight these powerful monsters, nothing is easy or straightforward, and added to the fact that she found out the truth of what Hydaelyn really is on top of the fact that her health is starting to deteriorate…? Yeah, she’s under a lot of stress right now and doesn’t have many places to vent nor a lot of time to do so. She needed a parent at that moment and I could not think of someone better than this guy. As for the dream…? That will not be the last time that we see that sin eater and you will understand why. Before you ask, no that is not Fray, but there is another reason why we no longer hear from her. I think that you are going to like it.)


	21. IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS SERIES!

Hello everyone, how are you dealing with quarantine? I feel like I must have watched everything there is to see online… that’s how bored I am here. As well as the whole 5.3 patch is being delayed…? I mean, I get it. I understand and it can’t be helped, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t disappointed in that because I’ve just been so looking forward to how they planned on ending 5.0 and then setting everything up for 6.0. Well, I guess this gives me time to finish getting all the special new weapons and tools till then. And I do hope that they are still able to at least update little tidbits here and there about what we can be expecting about the next patch.

But enough of that, I’m sure that you are all wondering why there isn’t a chapter here today. Well, don’t worry, I’m not discontinuing this story. It’s a bad habit of mine but once I finish a project, I do plan on seeing it through till the very end. But I had given this a lot of thought and I felt that I needed to say it here and now… so here it goes:

This is going to be the last story for my Azure Skies and Crimson Squall series. Yes, sad as I am to say it, I simply do not think that I will have any other stories like these babies in me by the end of it. Like I said, I will continue on until I finish this story and give you all a solid ending that will tie up any lose ends with Claire and her story even though it will not be ending since she still has a lot of work to do. But once I am done with Shadowbringers completely, either writing up to the end of 5.3 which is the end of the Shadowbringers storyline or if I keep going until the very end to patch 5.5 and stop once 6.0 comes out, I can’t say. That all depends on how the storyline with 5.3 will end and if the ending I have in plan for them can be match up here. I will definitely be including the parts where the Scions are returning home to the Source, but after that, I do believe the ending I planned will give everyone a satisfactory conclusion.

If you’re asking why I decided this now of all times, well, for several reasons. Before I give them all though, for those of you who have enjoyed my series and all my other stories, first of all, I want to thank you all so much for your kind words and support over these last few years. They mean the world to me to know that someone has enjoyed the scenarios that I came up with, and it always brought a smile to my face to see the kind reviews. Now, I may still write smaller stories involving Claire and the others as part of side stories or even alternate stories later on, like with my Royals and Vampires scene—which I think I might have secretly been on something without my knowledge to come up with XD—but all jokes aside, once Shadowbringers is finished I’ll go back to ARR and finish that up and giving a proper closing to this series.

For the rest of you who haven’t been so ‘nice’, let me just say that I’ve been getting a lot of complaints that this story hasn’t been as good as the previous ones I wrote, and I can kinda understand why since it does feel like it’s dragging on at this point. I even had one review tell me that the story has just been getting progressively worse since Heavensward and I really don’t need that kind of negativity.

I'm sorry to hear you had such a frustrating experience, but I really appreciate you bringing this issue to my attention. Though I suspect that if you really, truly hated the story as much as you say how bad it was, you would have stopped reading it at the first chapter. But the fact that you went through and read each chapter tells me that you felt that it was worth your attention and that you were just looking for someone to vent how awesome it was. So your angry notes were really just you having to admit that you did enjoy my story and were probably so taken aback that you didn't know how to deal with it. Would you like to add anything more than what was critical or negative? Thank you once again for reminding me why I love writing so much and I have some new ideas to any future stories.

On the off chance that I misunderstood though… if you don’t like it, then don’t read it. Simple fix.

Either way, if you were supportive of me or not, I want thank you so much. And remember, before you judge me, I was born to be awesome… not perfect.

But just for future reference, just so that those of you out there who have been sending me messages about how ‘bad’ my stories have become, I had it planned out like this for a reason. _Eyes Ever Heavensward_ was all about Alphinaud’s point of view on his ever growing feelings for the Warrior of Light, the war in Ishgard, and coming to some major character development from these life altering changes happening all at once. It is told almost entirely from Alphinaud’s POV and so I had to cut out a lot of parts from the MSQ, so that’s probably why it seems to flow so much easier.

_Hells Open, Heavens Weep_, was more about the difficulties of trying to maintain friendships and relationships during war. Especially when the one you love is at the very center of a literal hell on earth. The two were separated for a long time after that and so it’s about trying to keep your head above the water when you feel like the world is slowly going mad around you.

I also have the sort of prequel to the series with _Rebirth of a Realm_, which is something that I will devote more time to finishing up once Shadowbringers is over, but that will be a story of new beginnings and watching how a young, naïve adventurer must quickly grow up and face the harsh realities of the world at a very fast rate.

The main point that I decided on for _Bringer of Shadows_ however is mostly on accepting that everyone has a dark side and a light side and that one must learn to accept both if they are ever to find a sense of stability in their life. Claire is a stranger in a strange land that she knows nothing about. On the Source, she is a hero with so many titles that she struggles to even walk under the weight of it. Here, however, she is no one. A nothing. And she saviors that but must accept that she must become a different kind of hero here—almost like she’s starting all over again from the beginning. Sure, she has companions to help her, but how can she truly trust them when they send her off to bed and exclude her from plans, or even keeping huge secrets about her ‘condition’. Sure, they do it because they’re concerned for her well-being when they send her off to bed, but they don’t really sit around and talk to her or ask if there’s something they can do to make it easier for her. And up until this point, she didn’t fully realize that by battling the Lightwardens and absorbing her light could be harmful for her in a long run. But not only does she realize that some members of her team not only knew… they purposely kept it secret.

She does trust them in battle, no doubt about that. And she will willingly fight to the death to protect them. But with the struggles that she’s going through, she has a hard time trusting others because they really can’t fully comprehend what she’s going through. She’s so used to carrying the struggles of the world on her shoulders for so long now that she really doesn’t know how to ask for help with her own inner thoughts. Slowly she is being stripped away of everything she thought she was, and the full truth of, not only with Hydealyn being revealed to her after all she went through, but what is slowly happening to her, is the very core of the story. Sure, her relationship with Alphinaud is still important, but how can she truly plan for her future if the problems in her head won’t give her any peace?

Norvrandt isn’t Eorzea and the light is becoming painful for her to even look at as a new darkness is seeping into her strained soul. She must find a sense of balance in this world and herswelf or else she will be destroyed from the inside out. I always believed that our own worst enemies are ourselves and in Claire’s case, that most certainly is. That is why her and Alphinaud’s relationship is kinda at a standstill for so long but now that we are reaching some of the juicer parts of the story that will change.

I started writing because I had an idea in my head and I just had to put it down for the rest of you who read it. For those who have enjoyed my work and have looked forward to each and every chapter, words can’t ever express how much that means to me.

So what can you be expecting before the end? The scions returning to the Source for one thing, as well as the end to the ShB storyline including both Emet-Selch’s end and Ardbert’s tale, and most importantly the conclusion for Claire/Alphinaud and their relationship. The conclusion to Emet-Selch’s story has been especially important for me to get right and I have the outline finished up to there.

Once again, don’t worry that I’m discontinuing the story when it’s only halfway done. I will certainly finish up this one and tie up any lose ends. The next chapter, which is the battle against the sin eaters before heading off to slay their fourth warden, will be up by next Friday. I would warn you of spoilers, but let’s face it, if you have read up to this point, you don’t really care about that, right?

Anyway, thank you all again for your support and I hope that you can all understand and will continue to lend your support or even just drop in with a kind word or two once in a while. That has helped me a lot.

Also, I won’t be giving up writing all together even once I’m done with this, but if I do post any other stories from the world of FF14, they will not be as long as these ones. Even if 6.0 turns out to be so mind-blowingly good that I have to write something, I will only be doing side stories or companion stories after this like with _The Spiraling Crystal _or_ The Way of the Samurai_. If you hadn’t read them, then you can check them out… I’m really proud of how they turned out.

I am also working on another book myself, and this story is all mine, no fanfic or anything like that. But an original story all my own because it is my dream to be a real author someday. I started writing fanfic to improve my writing skills and find out what works and what doesn’t for me. Now that I have a better grasp on the kind of stories that I like to write, I fell that I am finally ready to begin that long road.

Talk to you all again, stay safe and find ways to keep yourselves sane during these hard time in quarantine. Hopefully, this nightmare will be over soon and we can move on with our lives when the Corona blows over. And if any of you are on line running through FF14, drop me a line on the Lamia server! Would love to talk! Until next time everyone…


	22. Word from On High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So they return to the Crystarium to rest and regroup. But before they can decide where to go from here, an storm comes to Lakeland... in more ways than just in rain. It's almost that time... to make choices that will change everything...?

Everyone was ready to leave in less than an hour after Claire returned to Slitherbough. She could tell that some of them were still a little put off by her sudden disappearing act, but she did feel much more like her old self than she had a few days ago; and this time apart seemed to do a world of good for her own spirits. Mayhaps they could sense that change in her and that may have been the reason they didn’t seem eager to bring it up, but she could just feel that they wanted to talk to her about it.

Just as the others were packing up some food for the road, Y’shtola came back to them, having finished informing the Blessed that she would be leaving now and they wished her a safe journey once again.

“Though it pains me to leave, it is time I returned with you and the others to the Crystarium,” Y’shtola said to her. She then hesitated and Claire tilted her head, wondering what was wrong when Y’shtola then asked her, in a somewhat quiet tone, “But before we go, I might I speak with you in private? I will await you in my chambers.”

Claire was surprised by the request, but she nodded in agreement and followed her back to her chambers. Y’shtola made sure to check that no one was listening in before she closed the doors and came back to her as she waited in the dark.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, “I thought to keep my suspicions to myself, but after witnessing your victory at Rak’tika Falls, I fear they prove true, and so I must share them with you.”

Claire felt as if the very bottom of her stomach dropped and she felt a cold sweat appear on her forehead from what she was about to hear. She braced herself for the worse as Y’shtola took a deep breath and said, “From the first when we met at Fort Gohn, your aether has appeared… tainted. Suffused with an overabundance of light not unlike the sin eaters. When you defeated the Lightwarden, I fear the light which poured forth from it was not negated by Hydaelyn’s blessing. Rather, it was absorbed into your being.”

So she was right… in a sense. It was as bad as she had thought it would mean. Yet, when Y’shtola seemed taken aback by her lack of surprise, Claire confessed softly that she did overhear her yelling at Urianger earlier.

She believed that was the first time she had ever seen Y’shtola turn red and it would have been funny if the situation wasn’t so dire.

Y’shtola even went to the door just to double-check that no one else was out there and listening in.

“I thought that I felt someone else nearby then, but with my frustration with Urianger clouding my thoughts… I wasn’t paying attention,” she heard Y’shtola hiss under her breath. “Well, this should teach me to be more cautious.”

She looked back at Claire, before lowering her head and adding sadly, “Urianger also suspects as much, though he is unwilling to share his thoughts on the matter.”

Again, this was something that Claire was aware of… and she could not deny that it bothered her greatly. In fact, she felt more upset about that then the fact that there was a light trapped inside her. Still, she had to ask…?

“What does this mean for me?”

Y’shtola did not look at her directly and could only shake her head in a helpless way… though Claire felt that she was just reluctant to say what the possible outcome would be.

“One thing is certain: with every Warden you defeat, the danger to you grows greater,” she said again, not answering the question, “Greater perhaps than we can imagine. If you begin to feel anything strange—anything at all—pray inform me at once.”

Claire felt slight queasy again at that moment, but she honestly didn’t know how she would be able to explain that after all this. She only nodded her head grimly before Y’shtola gripped her shoulder, telling her that she should hurry before the others began to worry and that she would join them in a few minutes.

Claire didn’t really answer back as she left, able to track the others down just outside the front entrance, and were ready to go. Thancred had just finished telling her that they took one last patrol of the perimeter and Minfilia added that the antidote had been given to all the poisoned Blessed and that the damage had been relatively minor, when Y’shtola appeared.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” she said, “Shall we be off, then?”

“Art though certain this is best?” Urianger asked her wonderingly, and Claire did not miss how she turned to look back at the entrance to Slitherbough with a look of longing in her face.

“…I’ll not deny there is a part of me that wishes I could stay,” she confessed, “For two years I have lived with the Blessed, learned their culture, even going so far as to adopt Master Matoya’s name as my own. I but pray I did honor to it.”

Claire was about to make the suggestion that if she wanted to stay, they would understand and not begrudge her for it, but Y’shtola just looked back at them and said in a slightly more stern term, “Now is not the time for doubt or hesitation. Come, we must return to the Crystarium.”

While she did say that she wished she could stay, Claire felt that she was deliberately turning their attention away from that subject and not really giving herself the chance to really try and voice how she felt about this whole thing.

Still, Claire decided to respect that and they turned to head back to the road to take them back to Lakeland.

The journey south was pretty uneventful for the most part. She did confess to the others that she had paid a trip back to Ishgard, and told them a little more about the Firmament and how it would soon be part of the reconstruction effort.

“Right, you spent a great deal amount of time there,” Thancred stated, and she saw how his eyes flickered to her necklace that sat snugly on her throat. “Well, I’m sure that Alphinaud would be thrill to hear of that as well. But you could have told us that you were leaving.”

“I’m sorry,” she answered, “I just… I needed time to really think about all that. I was only gone for a single day back in the Source though…?”

“Time between the two is slowly starting to sync together,” Y’shtola confessed, “At least, according to what the Exarch said that it happens… the time between two worlds is nearly impossible to gauge completely. Who knows? After a time, time in the Source could speed up and a year there could be only hours here?”

“Well, as useful as it is for you to spend so much time here, it’s a bit of a pain while waiting for you to come back,” Thancred said, “Just next time, let us know where you’re going so that we don’t need to worry so much?”

Claire promised she would as they reached the edges of Lakeland and they followed the path south until she could make out the now familiar spire of crystal in the distance.

***Later***

As they looked around the hustle and bustle of the city, Y’shtola was asking where the Exarch was. They were just wondering if they should head to the tower or track down Captain Lyna, when a voice spoke up.

“My friends!” called the voice she loved so much and gave a sweet smile when Alphinaud appeared with the Exarch walking beside him. Alphinaud caught her gaze and his eyes lit up as he said, “Tis good to see you all again!”

It was funny though because he didn’t even look at Y’shtola until she spoke.

“Alphinaud! It has been too long,” she said, making him jump slightly when he turned from Claire to her.

He was able to cover this with a clearing of his throat and asked instead, “I assume your presence here means you’ve brought word of the Warden hiding in Rak’tika?”

They all looked to her, which she took as a cue to explain. She gave them a quick rundown of what happened in the Greatwood, including the Eulmorian soldiers, the ruins of Ronka, and the Lightwarden.

“Found and slain, you say?” Alphinaud questioned before shaking his head with a rather charmed grin and finished, “I should have known.”

“Eulmore has but recently dispatched soldiers to all corners of Norvrandt to defend them,” the Exarch said, sounding unusually tired, “I am glad to see their efforts were wasted on the Greatwood.”

“Speaking of Eulmore, what came of your meeting with Vauthry?” Thancred asked.

“Yes, about that,” the Exarch said, looking ready to explain, “It proved to be…”

But as he opened his mouth, he suddenly staggered where he stood and almost fell over. Alphinaud immediately reached out to steady him and prevent him from falling over, but Claire saw how the Exarch’s hood slipped slightly and the man quickly gripped the edge of it, as if terrified of it falling off.

Not for the first time, she wondered just what it was that the Exarch was hiding beneath that cowl.

She had her suspicions before… but looking at him now, she could not help but wonder why he was hiding his face. Why? Perhaps it was just over the irritation she felt over her friends keeping things from her, for a brief moment, she was seized by a strong desire to march over to him and force that hood back to see what he was trying to hide from her.

No sooner did that thought drift across her mind was she horrified at herself and forced that thought down inside, scolding herself for even entertaining the thought. What he kept to himself was his business and she had no right to try and force those secrets that he may not be comfortable revealing.

Still, she could not help but wonder what he felt that he had to hide from them.

“Exarch, you mustn’t push yourself,” Alphinaud scolded, helping to steady him as the hooded man gave his head a tiny shake as if to clear the cobwebs, “Your time away from the tower has clearly taken its toll. No doubt you all are tired as well, having traveled so far.”

He then looked to them all and added, “Why don’t we all take a much-needed rest before we discuss our findings?”

“I thought to propose the very same,” Y’shtola said, though Claire quickly noticed how she was looking directly at Claire as she said that and added, “After your clash with the Warden, you deserve a chance to recuperate.”

She wanted to reassure her that she was doing very well right now and didn’t need them to be fretting that something was wrong. But Thancred chimed in his thoughts of agreement and merely pushed the matter off that they would reconvene after everyone had time to settle in.

Claire could see their point, but once again, she felt only frustration stir inside her. Perhaps she was overthinking it, but she could not help but feel like a misbehaved child that was being sent off to bed with no dinner. Or worse… just a tool that was being put away in a safe little box until she was needed again. Then there was the fact that she felt true anger in, especially at Urianger, for keeping quiet about her condition.

Why did he feel the need to not say anything? Was he worried about upsetting her or just wasn’t aware of it? But judging from what Y’shtola snapped at him earlier, she did make it sound like she would have been astonished if he generally did not know—or at least suspect that something was terribly wrong.

Y’shtola could sense it right away and felt the need to tell her… but not until after beating the Lightwarden… she supposed she could understand that she wasn’t sure what was happening… but it still made her feel both angry and even hurt that they didn’t think it important enough to at least warn her ahead of time that something like this could happen.

She just frowned as she turned, not giving any of them a glance back as she walked across the courtyard and headed off in the direction of the Pendants.

In truth, she supposed that it was a relief to get away from the noise of the Crystarium, for she was suddenly finding her senses so much sharper than before… even the most minor of noises was causing her ears to ache and she wrapped her cloak around her shoulders a little tighter as she began to walk along the now familiar road to the inn. She wasn’t sure where the others were heading off too right now, but right then and there she found she couldn’t bring herself to care.

It was still only midday and so the sun was directly above her and she was suddenly feeling a little dizzy as she found the inn. She stumbled slightly before giving her head a hard shake and stepped up to the inn keeper.

After making her way to her room and leaned up against the door as she let out a sigh of relief. Pushing herself off against the door and she took a few steps inside before gazing down at her body and Y’shtola’s words echoed inside her head.

She didn’t see anything wrong with herself… nothing that clearly stood out…? But she pressed the back of her hand against her forehead as she suspected a fever may be coming in. Is it possible that the light that was absorbed inside her was what was causing her sicknesses all of a sudden? Looking back, she realized that it all started off small with minor headaches—which these days were now full migraines—and they started just after defeating the first Lightwarden.

That all made sense to her now. Her health and the worsening of her condition became more painful with time… with every Lightwarden she killed. But with two more Wardens still left to go… what was going to happen to her next?

That was when she felt a familiar presence and she turned her head to find Ardbert gazing back at her.

“So there’s a light sealed inside you, is there?” he asked, “You shouldn’t know it from the outside. You look the same as you ever did to me.”

So he had been listening in? Of course he had been.

“And what if that changes?” she asked, venting some of her worries to him, “What if it overwhelms me?”

He seemed taken aback by that and said, “Damned if I know. It’s not as if I can lift a finger to help myself, much less you.”

Ah, Ardbert… as comforting as he had always been since she first met him.

Mayhaps he realized this and seemed to be now giving the matter some serious thought as she waited; wondering what he was going to say.

“Have faith in your friends,” he said, “Look out for them, and hope that they look out for you. What more can you do?”

He seemed to be trying so hard to try and comfort her that it came out rather awkward, as if he wasn’t completely sure he believed them. But the idea that he was at least trying to cheer her up made her smile.

But then his slightly cheerful mood faded as he became his usual sullen self and brooded on whatever thought that was bothering him.

“Think he was telling the truth?” Ardbert asked, and if she had to be honest, she wasn’t sure if he was really speaking to her or just voice it out loud at this point, “Emet, I mean. All that rot about Hydaelyn being no different than any other primal… if so, what would that make Her ‘blessing’? Are we just slaves to Her will?”

He figured it out. Guess she shouldn’t be surprised that those similar thoughts crossed his mind… but she was more surprised that he came and brought it up so suddenly like that. She looked away, her own fears echoing inside her that made her heart feel as if it was being held in a vice-like grip and someone was twisted it around violently.

He seemed to comprehend that he wasn’t helping and quickly changed the subject.

“Ahh—let’s pay him no mind,” Ardbert added, “Lies are the Ascians’ stock-in-trade.”

Perhaps, but she still could not find the reason that he would be lying about this. As much as she hated to admit to it, Emet-Selch’s explanation made much more sense than anything else she had ever heard. But still, that didn’t mean that she believed everything he said. She did not believe that he was fully lying to her but nor could she rightly claim that he was telling the truth… there were still some parts about this that were missing. It felt as if she were trying to solve a very complicated puzzle with missing pieces and she knew that until she could find those pieces, nothing was going to fit into place.

She voiced this to Ardbert, who seemed like he agreed with her choice of words and only grimly nodded before he heaved a sigh and turned his gaze back to the window where the midday sun was shining brightly.

“Villains, heroes—all a matter of perspective, they’d have you believe,” he said thoughtfully, “One man’s fond memory another’s waking nightmare… Me, I’m no saint or savior—just another sinner. And I know damn well I’m in no position to judge…”

Not a saint or a savior… just another sinner…?

She heard that line before… and used it herself on more than one occasion. No one can go through life without carrying a multitude of sins upon their backs. Even those who tried to do good… only to have it backfire in the end… what kind of sin was that, she wondered?

She wanted to tell him, yet again, that it wasn’t his fault for any of this, but for once he wasn’t frowning as he looked to the sky. Instead, she asked him what he was thinking of and he seemed to find the answer pretty easily.

“When I saw the people of Slitherbough look up at the sky and celebrate the return of the dark… felt good,” he confessed. “It was moments like that that I cherished—much more than the thrill of adventure. The quiet after the storm.” He looked at her and finished, “I always took comfort in that.”

There was something just comforting about it… for in that moment it felt like all the burdens that you carry were just lifted off your shoulders and you did your part. To see the people happy and at peace with the world… it reminded her of why she wanted to become an adventurer… not just to make a living for herself or see the world… but perhaps, in her own small way, that she could make someone else’s day just a little brighter.

There was no shame in that… and it was the reason she always did her best to make herself useful to people.

When she first began, she started off just getting lost running around Summerford Farms and running into people who needed something done. She saw the smiles on their faces and it felt good knowing that she did her part in helping make someone’s day… which was what led her being noticed by the Admiral… then by the Scions… then Eorzea… Ishgard… Ala Mhigo… Doma… and now the First…?

Still though, despite all of that… she did find some comfort that reminded her of when life was so much less complicated. Perhaps it was the one thing that kept her sane after all this time?

She sighed at that, enjoying the memories for a moment before she began to unstrap her gauntlets. Though that was when Ardbert looked back to her and noticed what she was doing.

“H-Hey! What are you…?” he began as she pulled off her armor and drop the pieces off before she left in a heap next to the bed.

“Relax,” she answered back, too tired to really care too much about modesty as she was still wearing her swimsuit under her armor.

After informing him of that fact, he seemed relieved before asking, “You always wear a bathing suit in battle?”

“No,” she answered with her eyebrows raised at him, “But since I figure I have multiple eyes watching me at all times, I figured it was a good idea.”

Now he was turning silver… a sign that he was blushing.

“Well, I’ll leave you to some privacy,” he told her with a cough as he walked to the door.

“You going far?” she asked him.

“Not terribly,” he answered back as he held up his hand and retreated to the door, “You’re the only one who can see me after all… why would I walk out on the one person I can complain about to?”

He then gave her a rather cheeky grin before walking right through the door and she shook her head fondly for a moment. She waited a couple minutes before believing that he was going to leave her be for a little while, and she was grateful for that as she finished pulling off the rest of her battered armor, that now looked more like twisted shrapnel than useable armor. She did manage to find some new gear while running around the Qitana Ravel and decided that she would try to make something of that later on.

But as she was looking through her bag, she found the package that Lord Edmont had gifted her here mere hours before and she pulled it out to admire it once again. Her hand went over the gown and she found herself overwhelmed with emotion once again as she wiped a few stray tears away while sitting on the bed and let the soft fabric glide over her fingers. Unable to really stop herself, she stood up and pulled it on, just wanting to wear it at least once and see how it felt.

She wasn’t sure how he was able to find it in her size, but it fit like a glove and she twirled about in her room in the stunning gown… feeling like royalty at that moment.

It was such a nice feeling to be able to dress up in something that was supposed to be pretty and flowery once in a while. Something that didn’t involve wearing it into battle. She smiled at that as she spun around once more and enjoyed the way that it moved about and caught a slight breeze as she spun.

Suddenly eager to see what she looked like, she went to the mirror in the room and stepped in front of it… and her face fell at what was looking back. There was nothing wrong with the dress… it was perfect in every way and she did look stunning in it… like some High-born lady in Ishgard… it was her hair that caused the frown. She knew that it must now look something like this by now… but seeing it like this was enough to really show her how serious things were.

Half of her hair was still in that bright pink… but the other half had no turned completely white. She ran her fingers through it, for now it was just past her shoulders at this point and she felt disturbed by it. Because now she understood why her hair was turning white… a side effect of the light inside her now having a true physical change.

And if this was how it looked like after three Wardens… she feared the changes that awaited her with the defeat of two more.

***That Night***

Claire wasn’t sure what it was that first stirred her from her sleep. One minute she was sleeping off the sickness she was currently feeling, and then she felt an odd chill going down her spine.

Perhaps her dark dreams had something to do with that because she could feel the ghost sensation of a cold hand around her throat... but it was just for a fraction of a moment that she wasn't sure if she truly felt it or it was just from the chill from the open wind and the night air. 

Night air?

She raised her head, slightly surprised to realize that it was already dark out. This startled her because she only planned on a short nap and it had been the afternoon when she laid down.

She rubbed her eyes, planning on closing the window when she heard it. There a strange commotion outside... muffled voices that sounded panicked and fearful. 

She couldn't believe she didn't notice it right away, but that certainly was enough to get her to snap out of it. Still slightly groggy, she rolled out of bed and quickly changed into some spare pieces of armor and heaved her sword onto her back before making her way out of the room to speak with the inn keeper. When she emerged from her room and made it to the front entrance, she could see the man was wringing his hands together and looking frightful; causing her to worry even more and she needed to know what was going on.

He was quite relieved when he saw her, and told her that they were informed that nothing short of a veritable army was now flocking to the Crystarium. The Exarch already was at work to quell the situation before it got out of hand and that the people were taking shelter inside the Crystarium. He told her that if she wished to help, then she was free to assist the townsfolk, for soon a barrier will be going up from the tower to protect the city.

Immediately snapping back into focus she ran out to see what she could do. At once, she found that the few people outside were quickly retreating into their homes or even just the nearest buildings that they could find, before bolting the door closed.

After looking around, she headed to the courtyard in front of the tower to see what was happening. Thankfully, there were hardly people around here, aside from the few guards that were on duty. 

“Claire!”

Her head jerked up in time to see Alisaie sprinting to her, her face caked with sand, signaling her return from the desert.

She skidded to a stop, almost knocking into her before gasping out, “I’ve only just returned from Amh Araeng, yet I find the Crystarium moments from being beset by sin eaters!?” 

Alisaie was looking truly upset at this news—not just upset but disturbed—and she went on, “Where are they coming from? This shouldn’t be possible—we restored the darkness!”

She didn’t know why she was looking to her for answers, Claire didn't know any more of what was going on than she did. This came as much of a shock to herself. After all, aside from a few stray eaters on the road, she had not heard of any sin eater attacks at all in this area ever since the night returned. The few that were seen stalking the roads were weak creatures that the city's guard were more than capable of handling on their own. So why were they suddenly launching the attack?

She tried to find something to say to calm her down, but thankfully, Alphinaud ran up to them, slightly out of breath.

“Well, this is a fortunate coincidence,” he panted as his sister immediately turned her attention to him.

“Brother! Tell me you have some idea why this is happening!” she demanded. Alphinaud caught his breath, saying that they didn’t have much time to explain the situation, but the Exarch was preparing to deploy the barrier but they needed to activate special instruments to anchor the barrier down. He confessed that he was just on his way to activate them when he happened to run into them here. He didn't come out and say what he wanted, but Alisaie was already guessing at where his train of thought was going and agreed to help.

He instructed them on each of the apparatus that circled the Crystarium and he told her to go to the ones that were located on the western side of the city and quick instructions on how to activate them.

By the time Claire made it to the second tower, she could hear the blaring of alarms going off from inside the city, warning people that the threat was at their doorstep. The noise was enough to make her feel as if her head was being pounded by hammers and she gritted her teeth together as she ignored the ringing in her ears.

She managed to pull down the lever in time and listened to when it clicked into place and the noise paused so that the barrier was activated.

A barrier, very similar to Seiryu's Wall in the Burn slowly rose up... but she could tell that this was much tougher than the one back home. The protective wall did rise up and created a shield for the city before it seemed to fade and it became clear.

But she wasn't fooled, she knew that the wall was up and it wasn't going to be letting anything through anytime soon. With the tower charging it all the energy that it needed, she knew that it wasn't going to let them down... for whatever else the Allagans may have been, she knew better than anyone that they knew how to make a good barrier that was made to last.

And it seemed not a moment too soon. For no sooner did the wall go up did she see them appear out of the darkness. Nothing short than an army of sin eaters covered the sky and they were upon the city in mere moments—flying straight at them, their dead, sight-less eyes as black as the night sky.

Thank goodness they made it in time and she retreated to watch from the railing in case they somehow got through the barrier. But there was no need to worry for it was as if they were flying straight into a brick wall.

She gritted her teeth as the mindless creatures were just throwing themselves one after the other at the invisible wall—not even realizing the futility of such an act—shrieking all the while. Now she had seen the eaters when they were 'hungry' before but she also knew that they had no minds of their own, no other thought inside their head other than raw instinct to feed. 

She couldn't remember seeing a more horrific and pitiful sight.

Seeing them sent shivers down her spine and the light that was inside her suddenly reared up as if it was something blazing—it felt as if her blood beneath her skin was burning and she hugged herself tightly, momentarily terrified by the feeling. 

She used her own will to overpower it and felt as if she had just smacked the surge of light… like getting a dog to behave while it was growling at her.

She shook her head, not liking this when she heard her name being called and she turned to see both twins running towards her.

“Excellent,” Alphinaud said with a grin, “The barrier is holding.”

“That’s good news for the Crystarium, but what of the rest of Lakeland?” Alisaie demanded as she leaned over the railing to get a good look at the lands beyond the glittering wall. 

Claire suddenly had a flashback vision of Holminister Switch and knew that it could only end in another slaughter.

“Lyna and the city guard have taken to the field,” Alphinaud informed them, “Thancred and the others have already joined them. Let us do the same.”

"How do we go about that?" she asked.

“We ought to join the vanguard as soon as possible,” he answered with no small amount of certainty, “If the number of eaters we just saw is any indication, we’ll be facing a formidable host."

Claire turned her head back to the lands beyond this wall and knew she was right. There were people out there dying and she had to step in and do what she could. No matter how bad she felt, and shoved her next migraine out of concern; she had to be there.

She was vaguely aware of Alisaie saying her name and she looked back as they gazed at her, as if suddenly worried.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" Alphinaud asked her, "I know that you only just got back from Rak'tika and from all accounts, the battle had been fierce."

She shook her head and promised, "Nothing I can't handle. I slept in for most of the day. I think I can handle this."

Was she imagining it or did they suddenly look doubtful? Thankfully with the arrival of another eater ramming into the shield and they knew that they couldn't waste time talking.

"I'll be fine," she said as she strode past them both, focusing only on the battle ahead.

“I’ll be fine,” she whispered again to herself, as if trying to convince herself of that as well as to the twins.

...

It had started to pour by the time that they ran out of the Crystarium. The only part of the Crystarium that they could get through was the front entrance where reinforcements were heading out and survivors of Lakeland were flocking to the city for protection.

She stepped out and immediately she was soaked to the skin. She brushed her bangs out of her face as she ran on ahead with Alphinaud and Alisaie close behind. In no time they hit the road where they saw men and women of the guard all fighting against flashes of white.

The air was filled with the sounds of clashing metal against flesh and the shriek of the empty creatures as they hungrily lunged for them. Another annoying thing about sin eaters was that, unlike wild beasts, these things didn't fear death and so didn't feel any fear about charging straight in.

“What lovely weather,” Alisaie grumbled from behind her, “Just what we needed.”

Well, at least it wasn't hailing right now. That could always make it worse. Though she wasn't dumb enough to say it out loud in case the gods heard and decided to teach her a lesson.

“It seems the battle has already begun in earnest,” Alphinaud said hurriedly, “Make haste!”

She gritted her teeth, knowing that this fight wasn’t going to be easy but her blade was already in her hands and she prepared to charge ahead. She took a few deep breaths, pausing for a moment as her fingers brushed against the red unicorn on her throat, before she felt herself calm and her mind became cleared.

“Let’s go,” she said and she led the way with the twins’ right behind.

They came across the first wave of sin eaters right away. With the rainstorm happening around them she couldn't tell exactly where they were, though if she had to guess they were on the edge of the Forest of the Lost Shephard at this point. The Crystarium guard were all giving it all they got, most were able to hold up, but many others—either inexperienced or simply worn out from the fighting, were struggling to find their footing. But for every eater they brought down, another arrived to take their place and they were quickly being overwhelmed.

“They need our help!” Alisaie cried, her rapier already in hand as she and her brother sprinted for the nearest group. Claire ran ahead to deal with the largest group of eaters, and the guards who were just barely holding out.

She could feel the light inside her blazing painfully as she rammed her blade into the nearest eater, sure that it now had a bigger headache than she did at the moment.

She managed to get the rest of the eater's attention and they quickly turned to her, ignoring the rest of the guard, who were able to find their footing and helped kill the eaters while their backs were turned since they were drooling over her.

She left them to catch their breath as Alphinaud caught up with her.

“More eaters,” Alphinaud warned, who had caught up to her, “Don’t let your guard down.”

He said this as she ran at a heard of sin eaters in the form of giant bears. They were slowly making progress as they pressed on, allowing their allies to catch their breath and fight off the stray eaters that were apart from the main force. But it wasn’t long before they found where a majority of them were gathering.

“Those eaters… they’re moving towards Radisca’s Round,” Alphinaud pointed to the angel-like eater leading a small army of twisted eaters.

And that got her attention. What was going on here? She thought sin eaters were supposed to be dumb. Since when do they lead armies of themselves?

“We should follow—but we cannot neglect those in need of aid!” Alphinaud said, pointing forward to another struggling group of guards.

Luckily, Claire had a simple solution to this.

“Then make it fast!” she yelled as she charged ahead, taking on a dozen or so eaters at once without taking her eyes off the retreating form of the angel-eater. By that time they fell every giant spider and bear, she ran off without even staying long enough for the guards to thank them. She just flew along the ground, finding a strange surge of satisfaction to see these soulless being slaughtered. Perhaps if she was less focused on her task, she may have been taken aback by her own thoughts.

The twins, however, seemed to have noticed that she had a lot on her mind.

“Is it me? Or does she seem unusually aggressive now?” Alphinaud cried to his sister.

“Yeah, she does,” Alisaie panted before rounding on him and demanding, “What happened? Did you two have a fight or something?”

“What?! NO! At least… not that I can remember…?” Alphinaud stuttered before he heard a loud battle cry and looked back to see that Claire had lobbed off the head of one of the eaters and left it to stagger and fall before she yelled for the wounded guard to get back and to safety. He gulped at the sight before following after.

Claire could feel her heart beating almost painfully in her chest as the twins finally caught up to her, and Alisaie was pointing on ahead to the faint shape of the Round appearing through the darkness.

“If it’s this bad here, I shudder to think what it’s like elsewhere,” she cried and they raced ahead, worried about what could be waiting.

When they got there, they saw that there wasn’t room to stand from all the fighting all around them. It was disturbing to see the blood splattered upon the ground before being washed away by the rain while the scattered bodies of both the guard and sin eaters laid scattered upon the ground. At the foot of the mostly worn-away tower she could see the forms of Y’shtola and Urianger fighting together, back to back, as sin eaters swarmed around them.

“A timely arrival, Claire,” Y’shtola called even though she wasn’t even looking in her direction, “I have my hands full here.”

“Mine own magick as shall suffice to aid Y’shtola,” Urianger cried, “I bid thee offer succor to the guard.”

Claire ran passed them, drawing as many of the eaters off the guard as she possibly could before running across the fort to aid those that she could. Suddenly, the angel-like sin eater that escaped from them before, had appeared and was now drawing aether into its blade.

“The eater’s aether swells,” Y’shtola cried, having just caught up to them, and was now pointing to the angel, “I would hate to find out what it intends to do next. Defend me—let none interrupt my incantation.”

So she did, running around Y’shtola this time as she began to gather aether into her staff, but she could see just what she was planning as Urianger called for her to draw the lesser sin eaters all together.

“Master Matoya has a few tricks up her sleeve,” Y’shtola said as they all looked to her and she gave a rather playful wink, “Allow me to demonstrate.”

Though Claire made sure to be the most annoying thing in their eyes as they all flocked to her, she did back off as Y’shtola brought down a meteor upon them, killing all the eaters in one swoop.

“A most impressive trick indeed...” Urianger gasped out as the eaters all laid there smoking upon the ground before dissolving.

“As if you’ve none of your own,” she panted, and she leaned upon her staff for a moment as she caught her breath, “Let’s make for the Imperative, shall we?”

Note to self: Don’t anger Y’shtola. While she long since knew that, it was a good reminder once in a while.

Yet now, with the Round mostly free of eaters, they felt that it was time to move on. The remaining guard could deal with the couple stragglers as they broke away and headed to the west, heading off in the direction of the Imperative, where she dreaded how the fighting was going there if so many eaters were able to make it just to the round.

They ran, feeling herself sliding slightly through the mud, before they came across several other dead eaters laying in the road.

“Someone hath made short work of these eaters…” Urianger stated and no sooner did he say that did two figures in white race to them. She feared, just for a wild moment, that they were even more eaters, at least until she saw the smaller one waving at her.

“Claire!” Minfilia cried, right on Thancred’s heels as he heaved his gunblade upon his back, looking as if they just clawed their way out of a warzone, “You’ll be glad to know that the locals have all taken shelter.”

She let out a sigh of relief to see them both alive as Thancred gestured for them to follow and called out, “Nevertheless, we can’t allow the eaters to gain any ground. With me!”

They bolted up the hill where even more were waiting for them when they were just within sights of the Imperative. At the foot of the hill that it stood upon, another angel-like eater was finishing killing almost all the other guard that were bravely fighting against it.

“Gods damn it all, we’re too late…” Thancred cursed as the ground was littered with bodies and Claire wanted to scream in rage. Thancred took control of the whole thing by shouting out, “I’ll follow the eater. You press on to the imperative.”

And he immediately ran off after the angel sin eater, with Minfilia crying out, “I’m staying with you!”

Normally, she would fear for the younger girl, but she trusted Thancred to keep her out of trouble, and the rest of them began to sprint for the last few yalms to the stronghold’s front door.

“These eaters are too organized,” Y’shtola shouted over the noise of the shrieking eaters and the cries of dying soldiers, “They cannot merely be acting on instinct.”

Claire agreed wholeheartedly on that, but they would worry after helping those still in the outpost. By the time they arrived, they could see even more bodies on the ground and even more eaters descending from the skies to attack those who remained.

“It is as we feared,” Alphinaud groaned, but he held his grimoire up, “But our task is as it ever was—turn the tide!”

So she race ahead to get everyone attention as the guards struggled to hold their own. The strange thing was that as soon as they saw her and the others, they seemed to come alive and fight with even more spirit than ever before. It was as if the sight of reinforcements coming was enough to help them all find their second wind and they were now pushing back as hard as they could.

“The lives of the wounded are in our hands!” Alphinaud declared as the eaters began to come to them in wave after wave… wave of fang, tooth, and claw as they thrashed about hungrily, as if they were wild creatures dying from hunger.

The guards were struggling to keep up and she knew that if she could just keep them all focused on her, then they would have a chance to survive. She played the part of a wall between them and the eaters, and she told herself that as long as she stayed alive, then everyone behind her would live. So she stood there and refused to budge as she taunted them to her.

“Have care,” Urianger warned as a larger eater—yet another one of the angel-like Valkyries—appeared above their heads, “That is no ordinary eater.”

Claire glared up at it as it sliced through the air with his great sword. She blocked it with her own as it shrieked out in pain as she dealt it a hard blow with her own sword. The sound of its cry suddenly drew the attention of the lesser eaters around it and actually began to form a circle around it. More so than that, they formed glowing links of aether from them and to the angel… as if borrowing their strength. And when Claire tried to slash at it again, it didn’t so much as leave a crack upon the armor it wore.

“More eaters…” Y’shtola gasped, “They’re protecting it, somehow. We shall need to deal with them first.”

Of course… it was using these other eaters as shields… so long as even one remained then there was no hope of seeing this one fall. So she decided to draw all the eaters to herself, knowing that if sooner or later, she would find the right ones and kill them in this huge huddle of eaters. It certainly took a while, but with everyone around her lending their aid to weaken the eaters before she was able to butcher them and leave their main enemy here vulnerable again.

But once it realized it was in danger again, it held up its sword as power began to swell up within in.

“I feel a swell of aether!” Alphinaud cried, “Gather around me, quickly!”

They all gathered around Alphinaud, who managed to block the worst of the damage, but it still left its mark. Claire stood in front of him as it brought its blade swinging down and as it passed her by, she could feel it go through her armor and a sharp pain hit her side. She gritted her teeth, now screaming on the inside as she leapt up and began a vicious sword fight with it as she forced it to back away from the others.

But even as she forced the angel back, more eaters just kept flocking to it. Godsdamnit, was this never going to end?!

“And yet more still come!” Alisaie cried, before rounding on her and her brother as she ordered, “Claire buy me some time! Alphinaud—I’ll need aether.”

If she had a plan to get them out of this, she was more than happy to listen. And as a distant memory came back to her when least she asked for aether, she could feel herself grinning at the thought.

“Right,” Alphinaud cried as he also realized where this was going, “Channel your aether into Alisaie!”

They all began to offer a little bit of aether as the eaters were beginning to rally, but Alisaie had enough.

“Forward!” Alisaie cried, “We fight for those who cannot!”

Her ethereal blade appeared in her hands and she swung killing all the servants around the angel-eater, leaving it on its own. It was almost said to realize that it didn’t even seem to notice that it was standing alone against them as she brought an end to it.

She could feel the pain in her side from where the blade struck, but she forced the pain down as she turned back, realizing that there was still so many eaters in the sky… this was going to take all night.

…

Ardbert watched with his hands shaking as the guards fought and died all around him. The battle had continued on for a great deal of the night and it didn’t look as if it would end anytime soon. No, this was no war… this was just a massacre. Plain and simple. If only he could just help…? Mayhaps he could help save the few who were left standing…?

“We need only hold out a little while longer.”

He looked back in time to see a young-looking medic tending to another of the Crystarium guards, who was wheezing as he leaned up against a tree… looking like he was struggling just to breathe. But the medic was tending to a deep wound in the man’s shoulder as he offered words of encouragement to just hold on.

“Reinforcements are coming, remember?” the medic asked, “The captain said so. We’re going to be all right…”

All right? In the middle of this? Still, they may live, if he could get his friend out of there and to someplace to hide until help arrived then…?

Ardbert gasped when he noticed another eater. Unlike the others, this one was oddly beautiful, in the form of a slender woman with golden wings and her eyes wrapped as it slowly glided its way towards the two—and they hadn’t noticed yet that they were in danger.

Panic gripping his heart, Ardbert turned and screamed out as loudly as he could, “Run! Run, damn you!”

But he may as well have not said anything at all for all the good it did.

“The Warrior of Darkness has returned,” the medic said, trying to get his friend to stay with him, still not noticing the monster that was creeping up behind him, “The bloody night has returned! So stay with me, eh? You can’t go dying now!”

These two would be dead in the next few seconds if something wasn’t done. Without even thinking about it, Ardbert felt fury race through him as he reached for his axe and drew it. He had carried this bloodied axe with him for so long now that he had long since forgotten that it was constantly slung onto his back.

But he had no other reason to draw it over these last one hundred years… and so taking it in his hands once more was a completely foreign feeling yet felt so right at the same time.

Not that he had time to really pay attention to that.

“Godsdammit!” he cursed as he charged forward and began to plea to whatever god that could hear him from here, “Please let this work, please let this work…”

He reached the eater when it was nearly upon the two guards and he swung with all his might… only for his blade to go right through it like smoke. For that second… that one split second… had had believed that he could somehow force his attack to go through. Instead… he felt something within him crack and shatter apart.

He just stood there, his back to what was happening behind him. Even as he heard the medic’s terrified voice, who finally realized the eater behind him, as he pleaded for help. Ardbert just heard the screams of terror and then a scream of pain that followed. He didn’t look though… knew that he would never be able to handle it. Again he was powerless.

His hand clenched into a fist.

“Why did you spare me?!” he demanded before screaming out, not even sure to who he was screaming at as he wished that the ground would swallow him up into an endless void where he would no longer have to think or feel again, “WHY? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS MERCY!?”

Mercy… this was a living hell. Why could he not just fade…?

“Forward! Forward!” another voice suddenly answered, “If you can still hold a sword, follow me! Wounded, to the rear!”

He turned around bitterly, about ready to scream at them all how bloody foolish they were… only for his voice to die when he saw a familiar form standing at the front of the guard.

An officer of the guard stood at the ready as Claire stood ahead, her blade on her back, but she was looking more than ready to continue onwards. The officer was rallying the few guard that remained standing, crying out to them, “Weapons at the ready! Let’s make this count!”

He just watched on… as a conversant feeling entered his non-beating heart… one that was familiar… but not something he could remember emotion in a long, long time. In fact, it was so long that he almost forgotten the name to this strange sensation. He didn’t dare think the word though, even to himself, for he feared that it would fade if he did recognize it.

_‘Fight and struggle,’_ he thought to himself, watching how the people behind her were now cheering, having found their second wind, _‘Seek salvation by your own hands. Though the losses be grave, endure them. Though the victories be hollow, claim them.’_

And he didn’t take his eyes off her form even after she led the way forward into the next round of eaters that descended upon them.

***Claire***

The fighting went on with the sin eaters for the rest of the night and well into the morning. By the time she felt her blade slice through the last sin eater in sight... her arms were about to fall right out of their sockets and it was a struggle just to stand with her shaking limbs. It was with no small amount of relief when she sung her greatsword onto her back again and gave her aching arms a chance to rest as she began to hunt down her friends.

She was wounded and she could feel blood dripping from her side from inside her armor from where she was grazed before, and she had to hold onto her side to stanch the bleeding. She cast a quick healing spell, knowing that the repair was only temporary, but it would give her time to check on the others.

Those few of the guard who could still stand were helping those who couldn't and were now seeking treatment. It was finally safe for healers and medics to rush to the wounded men and women to finally treat them. There were a lot of wounded... thankfully, more of them wounded than dead... but there were still plenty who did not make it. 

Claire glanced around, finding a sense of relief when she saw Alisaie, leaning up against the aetheryte crystal as she struggled to stand, a smear of blood on her cheek when Claire caught up to her.

“It seems we’ve driven them back—for the time being, at least,” Alisaie croaked, stumbling over to give her a quick hug when she saw her still standing, “The wounded have been collected and are undergoing treatment now. Once they’re ready to be moved, we’ll have them carried back to the Crystarium." She then lowered her head and mumbled, "The dead as well, of course. Those whose bodies remain anyway…”

Those who managed to avoid becoming sin eaters at any rate.

Claire's eyes looked on sadly as she nodded in understanding and looked around them as Alisaie watched her expression. “The others are helping to treat the wounded,” Alisaie reassured her, and Claire was glad to hear that the others were all still alive and in one piece, “I’m planning to assist in moving them, but even so, we simply don’t’ have enough hands. I’m sure you’re fit to fall over after what we’ve been through—gods know I am—but if you could see to a few of the patients, it would be an enormous help. Captain Lyna is about somewhere, so you might also consider asking her if there are any other outstanding areas of need. We’ll talk later.”

She watched Alisaie limp away before she went around to the people who she could still help... for some... it was already too late. She just stayed by them as they drew their last breath... seemingly relieved to know that they weren’t dying alone. Others were traumatized by the fighting and were left shaking and crying... mourning their friends in a shattered pile of grief... it was painful to see them like this and be unsure of how to help them. 

They rain had finally stopped at this point, but the sky was still grey and gloomy… reflecting her mood perfectly to how she felt both inside and out.

Once she had helped to heal as many of the wounded that she could, and she noticed how many of them marveled at how quickly her healing spells did take effect even though she did warn them that it was best to seek out the rest of the medics to take care of them afterwards since her repairs were only temporary since she used up most of her magicks in the fight before.

Once she did all she could, she was completely spent and wanted to just collapse. Her breaths came out as labored and painful as she even wondered if she could be given a few minutes to rest, when she spotted Captain Lyna a short distance away, sitting on the ground next to a flight of stairs.

It was so unlike her to be sitting down with her head low like that, that Claire feared that something was terribly wrong and she went over to see what was going on.

When she approached, Lyna slowly raised her head to see who it was.

“Oh,” she said, “I did not see you there. Is there something you need?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Claire reassured her, a little taken aback by her sudden quiet tone, “How are you feeling?”

“Injuries are part of and parcel of battle,” she answered stiffly, as if her concern wasn't necessary, “While there’s breath in my lungs, I shall see my duties done.”

She then stood back as Lyna managed to climb to her feet.

“Don’t pretend you are not of the same mind,” she told her tiredly, but with a slight hint of shrewdness in her tone, “You fought well today. Saved a great many lives. Thank you. Unfortunately, this war is far from over. We must replenish our ranks and shore up our defenses before they attack again. Now, if you will excuse me.”

She gave her a salute before she walked pass her without another word. For a moment, Claire believed her words that she wasn't badly injured and believed that she best return to her wounded soldiers to reassure herself that they were well...? But that thought quickly left her when she turned around to see that Lyna only managed to take a few steps when she suddenly gripped her leg and stumbled, falling to the ground with a loud 'thunk'.

Frightened, Claire immediately ran to her side, getting a good look at her wounded leg, and she could see the blood that was seeping through the gap. She quickly removed the piece of the greaves to get a good look at the injury, seeing it was angry red with a deep gash that stretched from her thigh down to her knee. When Claire removed her hand from the gash, her entire palm was painted red... Lyna shouldn't even be walking in this state!

Lyna didn't even look at her as Claire asked if she was alright.

“I…am fine…” she hissed before her hand curled into a fist and she began to punch the ground underneath her, “Completely… and utterly… fine!" She had punched the ground with every punch, but then it was as if someone had opened the floodgates and before anyone knew what was happening, she had lost control and was crying out, "Better than fine! Hale and hearty and still alive to mourn those who are not. Who I failed to protect when they needed me most.”

Claire reached out a hand to try and squeeze out any remaining energies she still had for healing to at least stop the bleeding, but every word that Lyna was crying out felt as if she was being punched in the chest.

“We’ve come so far—so godsdamned far! I could have sworn the end was in sight. And now…” Her voice caught in her throat before whimpering, “Now they will never see it…”

Claire didn't know what to say... she could only watch as Lyna tried to prevent the tears from falling, but they were threatening to spill out at any moment.

Lyna was on the edge of dissolving into a weeping mess when a voice suddenly called out to them.

"IMPUDENT WORMS OF THE CRYSTARIUM!"

Her head jerked up in time to see three airships that were passing overhead, each one bearing the colors of Eulmore, and suddenly she heard Vauthry's voice echoing out from them. Weather he was on board or this was just a recording, she didn't care, she just felt disgust at the sound of his voice--knowing that nothing he said could be good. And sure enough...?

"THE TRAGEDY THAT HAS BEFALLEN YOU IS OF YOUR OWN MAKING. DIVINE RETRIBUTION FOR YOUR DEFIANCE. THE HEAVENS HAVE BEQUEATHED TO YOU A BENEVOLENT SAIVOR—ME!"

She couldn't tell which was bigger at this point; his girth or his ego.

"I OFFER YOU FREEDOM FROM PAIN AND SUFFERING—A PARADISE WHERE MAN AND SIN EATER MIGHT LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY..."

Harmony? With those things? How can one want to live in peace with one of those empty... things? Nothing good can come from them. This attack was proof of that.

"WHY, ALREADY OUR WINGED BROTHERS AND SISTERS REGARD ME AND MINE AS KIN, ALIKE TO THEM IN BEAUTY AND PURITY!" Vauthry's voice cried, "BUT YOU—YOU NOT ONLY REJECT MY PROFFERED HAND, BUT RAISE YOUR OWN AGAINST MY SIN EATERS. 'TIS ONLY RIGHT THAT THEY RESPOND IN KIND. LET THIS BE A LESSON TO ALL THOSE WHO WOULD WALK THE PAT OF SIN—THE WICKED SHALL NOT INHERIT THIS WORLD!"

Well, she didn't know if Vauthry was just trying to make himself sound better about this whole thing, or if he genuine believes himself as some kind of 'perfect' being, either way she found it very convenient it was that they came just after the battle.

She wasn’t fooled. He was responsible for this. She didn't know how... or maybe even understand the full reason why... but he somehow did all of this.

She was biting her tongue the whole while as she finished helping Lyna with her damaged leg... informing her that she would need a few potions for the pain and a few days or rest, but she should make a full recovery.

She wasn't sure if Lyna even heard her though for she was still staring up at the sky looking lost in thought.

“Vauthry’s ship is already gone,” she said, “How flattering that he came all this way just to give his little speech.” If nothing else, it seemed that his words angered her as much as it did Claire. After she felt satisfied with how she fixed up the injury, she reassured Lyna that it should be just fine... which finally caused her to look at her... before immediately looking away as if embarrassed.

“I apologize for my earlier outburst," she mumbled, "Rest assured that I have no intentions of allowing any of my wounds to affect the performance of my duties—especially not now."

Claire tried to reassure her that she didn't think less of her for her outburst... gods know how many times she wanted to do that, but Lyna instead asked, "If I may—could I ask that you seek out Thancred and Minfilia for me? They endangered themselves on my behalf, and I would feel better knowing that they are well looked after. Thancred, in particular, sustained quite an injury from that sin eater. I would not be surprised if he were in Spagyrics still.”

She looked up, startled at that. She had wondered where they were, having not seen them since they separated the night before. But at least she knew they were alive. She nodded, and said that she would go and check on them right now, but only if Lyna promised to rest until her wounds fully recovered. Lyna did say she would, but Claire would be very surprised if she kept to it.

People like her couldn't stand to be stuck lying in bed when they had things that needed doing.

“Please… give them my thanks,” as all she said as she helped Lyna to stand, which Claire then asked if she could inform the other Scions where she went if they asked for her.

She teleported back, feeling like she was about to drop where she stood and knew that another long walk was out of the question right now. She swayed slightly where she stood, having to hold onto the banister of the nearby railing to steady herself before she took a few deep breaths and headed off to the direction of Spagyrics, hoping that it wasn't too bad. 

When she stepped inside, she was glad to find that Thancred was sitting on the bed, sporting a spectacular blackened eye. 

He seemed surprised to see her and when she told him why she was here, he rolled his eyes--at least his one good one since the other was swollen shut at the moment--as he said,, “You’re here for me? I’m sorry to put you to the trouble—I’m fine. Really. The eater landed an unfortunately solid blow, but the healers here have done wonders. I’m more worried about Minfilia. She’s not taken it well.”

"Why?" Claire asked, "Is she alright?"

He just shrugged a little put out.

“Could I ask you to speak with her?” he asked, “My attempts to reach out seem to have had the opposite effect. She’s gone off to the Hortorium, ostensibly to fetch herbs for Chessamile, but… just talk to her, will you?”

It didn’t sound like he was giving her a choice, but she agreed and headed out even though she was thinking longingly of her bed back in her room and sleeping in for the next week.

Her feet had wandered the streets so often that she was now fairly confident where she was going and let her feet carry her where she needed to go as her mind wandered. Images from the battle continued to play themselves over and over in her mind and try as she might she could not erase them from her thoughts.

She knew that once the adrenaline fully wore off, she would be having nightmares for a while.

But it seemed that she wasn’t the only one whose mind was somewhere else right now.

She sighed wearily before descending the long stairs to find Minfilia. She eventually found the girl standing on the deck just looking out at the water below her; so distracted that she didn’t even hear Claire approach. Minfilia didn’t even look up when Claire was standing right next to her, and Claire had to give her a gentle poke to get her attention. Minfilia squeaked in shock and almost ended up tumbling in the water until Claire reached out to grab her arm and pulled her back before she fell in.

“Oh, Claire,” she gasped, realizing who it was, “What are you doing here?”

“Thancred asked me to check up on you,” she answered once the girl was steadied. But her explanation didn’t seem to cheer the girl up. On the contrary, she seemed to grow more depressed when she heard Thancred’s name.

“Thancred…” she sighed before confessing miserably, “It’s my fault, you know. I jumped at the chance to help Lyna, but I was careless. And now…” she sniffled, “It’s my fault.”

She knew well enough to know that telling her that it wasn’t her fault wasn’t going to work and instead found something else that would hopefully take some of the guilt she felt away.

“You can make up for it,” Claire told her gently, “By being there for him.”

At the suggestion, Minfilia looked up hopefully as she asked nervously, “I… are you sure? I’ve brought him nothing but trouble thus far.”

Who in the world told her that? If it had been Thancred she was going to march up there and give him another black eye. But Minfilia didn't notice her sudden irritation as she went on, as if just aching to get whatever was troubling off her mind.

“And what if it’s worse, next time?” she asked worriedly, “All I do is make mistakes, put others in danger… I’m sure that he’ll resent me. For being this weak. Maybe he already does."

She was a child. She shouldn't be worried about things like this. No one blamed her for this. She shouldn't be so hard on herself.

She just raised her eyebrows at the younger girl, who seemed to realize that she was ranting now, and cleared her throat as she remembered where they were.

"But you’re right," she sighed, letting the matter go for now, "I can still help—if only by seeing these herbs safely to Chessamile.”

Claire nodded encouragingly, and even helped her to gather the herbs from around the Hortorium to take back with them. Minfilia had gone on ahead of her and when Claire arrived, she found Minfilia dabbing at Thancred's face with a cloth that had the strong smell of herbs attached to it. 

“I see you got roped into helping,” he said, with a rather fond kind of amusement in his face as he glanced at her, “Some things never change, eh?”

She could not help but laugh at that, finding that whole thing to be fun all on its own before giving a shrug. She tried to work on that, but it was such an ingrained habit that she couldn't seem to help herself.

She just handed over the rest of the herbs that Chessamile needed, who thanked her for this small act of kindness. They were running dangerously low on their medicines and were struggling to keep up with the wounded that had been brought in.

“And we’re still fighting it, I suppose,” the older woman promised, “though with bitter medicine rather than sharp steel. But we’ll win—I promise you that.”

Claire noticed how she was now giving her a critical look and Claire knew that she must be looking far from pretty right now. She was bracing herself for Chessamile to start asking her if she was feeling well when Thancred and Minfilia approached.

Thancred seemed to be looking better... at least half of his face wasn't swollen now--but he seemed to be doing his best to keep a cheerful attitude when he came to talk.

“It seems that I owe you an apology for dragging you to yet another battlefield when you’ve just come off the front lines!” he told her. “In both cases, I’m sure your efforts said more than a few. With Spagyrics in good working order, the Crystarium’s people will be well cared for."

She nodded back before asking if it was alright for him to be up so soon and he just waved his hand at her.

"More lie ahead, of course—battles only you can fight," was his only answer, "Not that we intend to let you do it alone. But that’s a matter to discuss with the Exarch.”

Ah, right... she wondered. They still had to deliver the bad news to him, didn't they? She wasn't looking forward to that. Privately she felt like she rather go out and face another primal threat then have to confess to the Exarch all that happened last night.

“You know the Exarch?”

They both looked up to see one of the guards standing there. A young Hum man, who was limping over and his pale face could still be seen even though it was coated in a fair layer of mud.

“We do,” Thancred said, “Was there something you needed?”

“I need you to tell him something,” he said, “For me.” He looked down, and she felt true sadness at the way he was staring at his feet, his hands hanging limply at his sides... how many times had seen that? 

“My dearest friend, you see… He was there on the battlefield with me," he croaked out, his voice thick with grief, "But only the one of us is here to speak of it. At the end, before the wound killed him, I heard his dying words. ‘I never knew that our world was this beautiful,’ he told me. ‘I’m so glad that I got to see the night sky…’" 

An odd chill went up her spine and Claire's heart clenched at that. 

It was hard to tell... with that awful light bleaching everything it touched... but this world certainly was beautiful in its own way once one could see past all the light. She remembered how beautiful the sky looked to her after seeing it only days after arriving. How she felt must be nothing compared to how the people of this world felt. It was sad that no one seemed to see the beauty that still clung to life despite all that happened.

"I don’t know how the Exarch feels about what happened out there," the man said, but now with an edge of determination in his voice with is grief, "I don’t know if what Vauthry said is true—if our losses were our just deserts, and we doom ourselves to worse by continuing to fight this fight. But I believe in the Warrior of Darkness. In the Crystal Exarch. I don’t think what they’ve done is wrong, and I don’t think we’re wrong to fight with them either.”

In that moment, she felt nothing but true gratitude for this man for his kind words. 

He looked downwards again, and he seemed to be losing his nerve with every word he spoke.

It took a couple minutes for him to find his voice as he merely choked out, "My f-friend... he smiled in the end. Just as he smiled when he raised his glass to celebrate the return of the night. That’s how I want to remember him. So I… I want to tell the Exarch. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Please.”

None of them answered, all fairly struck by what his heartfelt words.

“We’ll tell him,” Thancred promised kindly, “You have my word.”

The guard just nodded as he turned around and left, wiping his eyes, and stuttering for air as he was letting his emotions out once he had the chance to say what he wanted to.

She wanted to follow after him and reassure him somehow... but Minfilia was sniffling slightly, truly touched by those words and Thancred sighed.

He rubbed Minfilia's back in an oddly gentle way before he looked back to her.

“If you’re ready, why not go on ahead to the Ocular?” he suggested, “You can keep the Exarch company while I fetch Alphinaud. Don’t worry, I mean to borrow the swiftest amaro I can find, so we shouldn’t keep you long."

***Exarch***

He knew what it meant the moment he made his choice. 

He always knew that he would remain long after everyone else. He had seen countless people enter and leave his city while he was left behind to continue on as best as he knew how.

Yet it never seemed to get any easier.

This was far from the first attack on the Crystarium from sin eaters. Most definitely when the city was only beginning to grow in those first few years there were no shortage of eaters that would attack... but they were usually dealt with quickly enough. And once the city grew to a point that their defenses could block out all but the eaters on the level of a Lightwarden; the only attacks they had to fear were the ones from stray eaters who wandered too close to the front gates and were brought down by guards.

But certainly it was the first in his memory that a full army came to attack. He had seen the battle from his mirror as he concentrated on ensuring that the power from the tower flowed into the barrier to keep the city safe... but he had still seen enough to know how many died.

It was painful though for he could remember each and every single one of them... having lived long enough to have seen them born and grow... to him.... they were as dear to him as his own children. And now he would soon be forced to bury them.

He stood there, as if in a daze, and just wondered…?

Minutes, or mayhaps hours, passed during that time and he heard the door opening as he turned to see who it was.

Claire entered, looking worn and tired, but he still forced a smile when he saw her in one piece.

“Welcome, my friend,” he said graciously, “Tales of your heroism on the battlefield precede you—though I confess I found them more gladdening than surprising."

He saw the dark shadows under her eyes, and he wished that she would take the time to take better care of herself.

"I hear no few of our people have you to thank for plucking them from the jaws of death," he said, trying his best to keep up an air of optimism despite feeling as if his heart was filled with cracks--so he was unable to stop himself from adding, "Would that they had no needed saving to begin with. But the responsibility for that lies with me.”

She looked surprised by that and asked, "Why would you say that? You are not to blame for this."

"I am the leader of this city, as such it is my job to protect...?" he began but she was interrupting him.

"No one believes that," she countered, "You have no control over the sin eaters. And besides...?"

She paused before telling him of the guard she spoke to shortly before arriving and he was taken aback by the sincerity in both her voice and the soldier's words.

“…One of our soldiers said that?” he asked in a stunned voice, 

It hurt... it will always hurt... but to know that he had the full support of the people of the Crystarium... some of the terrible grief inside him lessened. Though he knew that he will secretly always blame himself for the lives that were lost here today, but it did give him the strength that he desperately needed to continue on with is mission.

“Thank you," he said to her, "Rest assured that I full intend to continue our work. I will not shrink from what must be done. Now least of all. Though I mourn the lost, I will not lose myself to grief. And even should regret be my constant companion, I will follow the path I have chosen to its end.”

She tilted her head slightly as she gazed at him with a strange look in her eyes. 

“We have some time before the others arrive, if you’d like to talk?” she offered gently.

And he understood immediately what she was trying to say. 

“And if I were to confess any doubts I might harbor, no one need ever know?” he asked, and he was so tempted to speak his mind--to let someone know just how much pain he was in… how bitter and angry he felt. He opened his mouth, ready to speak... but paused just as the words were leaving his throat. No… now wasn't the time, 

So with a great effort, he shook his head and gave another forced smile.

“No, I believe you have enough burdens without my adding to them," he told her softly, "Nevertheless… Thank you.”

He smiled at her as she gazed at him with a faraway look.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No... I just..." she paused here and he waited as she tried to figure out what to say.

"Have we... met before...?" she asked.

His entire insides felt as if they turned to ice. Why would she ask that now?

"Of course, my friend," he said, hoping that this was a joke, but was wise enough to know that there was no other reason she would ask him something like that. Right now his only defense was to play dumb and hope that she either bought it or he could miraculously come up with something to distract them. "We've met several times before today and...?"

"Don't tease me," she said, "I mean it."

She took a step forward and he had to resist the urge to step back, his old worries of her being able to see under his cowl rising up as she told him, "I don't know why it is... but whenever I listen to you talk, it all feels so... familiar...?"

His heart was now beating so hard and fast in his chest that it felt like it was trying to escape... he could hear it in his ears and he was startled that she couldn't hear it either.

Had she figured it out? Did she know... or at least, suspect... who he truly was?

He could feel sweat on his brow beginning to form and panic seeping in. He swallowed, having a particularly difficult time trying to do so, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

She shook her head, running her fingers through her hair in a weary way. 

"I do not know," she confessed softly, "I just feel... that I’ve seen you somewhere before… before ever coming to this world. Maybe we have met somewhere, but I just can’t remember.”

He gulped at that, his hand curling up to stop it from shaking.

"I just... I can't help but feel that I know you from somewhere...?" she began before she heaved a sigh and looked to the ground. She looked so dejected at that moment that it was all that he could do to stop himself from caving in and confessing the entire truth here and now.

He bit his tongue, reminding himself that now was not the time. She couldn’t know yet. But soon enough…? Soon enough she would realize the full truth. She was on the track to figuring out who he was, but she couldn’t hope to realize just the shear magnitude of what was going on here.

After taking a deep breath and forcing a painful smile on his face, he said, “I am sorry that you feel confused about this. But rest assure, that I see you as a friend and that it is my hope that you see myself as one as well. I promise that we can look more into this once this is over. But for now, let us focus on ending this eternal day from Norvrandt. And then… we will see what comes next.”

He did not miss the slight irritation in her face when he all but brushed off her thoughts like that. He hated himself for doing it, but he knew that he was dangerously close to ruining all that he worked for by letting his affections take over. He had to play this part… at least, for a little while longer.

“Apologies... I really wish I could answer all of your questions,” he whispered, “But… the truth is I wouldn’t know how to. I am far more selfish than you could ever be, so please… allow me this one thing. For now.”

She gazed at him, and he felt like she was seeing right through him. He didn’t dare move until she looked away and nodded.

He sighed in relief just as the door opened up once again and the others arrived. He turned his attention to them as the remaining Scions began to file into the room. They informed him of the situation outside, of what was happening in Lakeland, that those who were still injured were being cared for, and the dead were being prepared to be put to rest.

It was painful to hear, but he nodded gratefully to their words of comfort and sympathy. When they finished, he felt that it was safe to discuss their plans further. But first, he wished to thank them for all that they had done.

“My friends,” the Exarch cleared his throat, “With your aid we have weathered a brutal assault…”

He was going to say more about the suspicious nature of the attack, and even see if they could brainstorm ideas... when the door opened up and Emet-Selch appeared. He slumped inside, with his usual air of boredom, as if he had better things to be doing with his time than stay here.

“Sorry I’m late,” Emet-Selch sighed, “Though I would not have been had anyone thought to notify me in advance.”

He certainly wasn't making friends today. Given that everyone else here was still tired and clearly drained, the last thing that any of them seemed to want to hear was him complaining. Hoping that they could avoid a fight, he cleared his throat again.

“As I was saying, it was only with your aid that we weathered this assault,” the Exarch stated to them all, gazing around at them, “Without it, the Crystarium and all who dwell here would now be gone.”

“For each we saved, another perished,” Alphinaud said, his face strained from the effort of the battle. “If there is anything else we can do to help—anything at all—you need only ask. This is our home too, and we want nothing more than to keep it safe.”

To hear that they now consider this to be their 'home'... after everything... it meant more to him than he could ever say. He smiled at the young man, feeling a strange warmth in his chest that eased some of the pain there.

“Thank you. We are blessed to have you with us,” was all he could say. He took a deep breath before he went back to the matter at hand and added, “As for the attack itself—Vauthry may call it divine retribution, but sin eaters are creatures of instinct. A coordinated assault is unprecedented. Moreover, in the absence of a Lightwarden, there should have been no compulsion for lesser sin eaters to congregate here en masse. All of which points to a single, unavoidable conclusion…”

It would have been one thing if the Lightwarden of Lakeland was still here. They could have turned it to thoughts that the warden was starved for aether and went out looking for it. But those sin eaters weren't just blindly attacking... rather they were the pawns being played out of a board and someone was directing them. Of this, there was no doubt in his mind.

And he was glad to see that the others understood what he was saying right away.

“That these minions of light answer to a higher power,” Urianger spoke up before his eyes narrowed and he finished, “He who did claim kinship with them—who did boast of control, not in idleness, ‘twould seem, but in earnest. Lord Vauthry.”

“Indeed,” the Exarch answered grimly, “What I mistook for bluster was in fact the truth. The sin eaters are his to command. But if he imagines this show of force will convince us to bend the knee, he is sorely mistaken.”

No, if anything this just made the fires of anger burn even hotter. Vauthry may believe that he's untouchable... but they would show him how mistaken he is. 

To do that, however, would require them to finish what they set out to do and that's to kill every Lightwarden. With only two left, their only options are Kholusia and Amh Araeng.

Alisaie then asked him, “I take it your meeting in Eulmore did not end well?”

“You could say that, yes,” he answered lightly, remembering the shock of power that emanated from Vauthry in the mere seconds before his copy was destroyed, “But I am wiser for the experience, nevertheless. It appears he has mastered a technique which allows him to enslave the minds of others. A facet I discovered when he attempted to use it on me."

"That would go some way towards explaining the peculiar reverence afforded him by his subjects," Alphinaud spoke up in understanding, "There may feasibly be a handful of true believers among them, I suppose, but it would not surprise me if the vast majority were in his thrall.”

Yes, and he feared that they may have to deal with that problem sooner or later. He wasn't sure the kind of 'damage' that his subjects had suffered through, he feared what it could mean for the people later on, but they would cross that bridge when they got there.

“Had I not anticipated his treachery, I might well have joined them,” he sighed, very grateful for his tricks, “But seeing his invitation for what it was, I sent a glamour in my stead. I rather doubt such tricks will avail me a second time, however.”

Alisaie turned to Alphinaud and asked if he had any luck in tracking down the warden in Kholusia during that time; which Alphinaud sadly shook his head--not having found a clue to where to begin looking.

“Sadly, I have nothing to report on that front,” he answered, “What of Amh Araeng?”

“After a fruitless few days scouring ruins, I resorted to asking the locals,” she admitted with a sour tone, “While no one I spoke to had any sign of the Warden, I did uncover a possible lead: an abandoned mine in western Amh Araeng. From what the Mord told me, it would be a perfect place to stay out of sight. Of course, I could never hope to explore such a labyrinth quickly or safely on my own, so I returned here.”

It did sound like their most plausible solution... but he knew that they couldn't waste time searching that mine without a promise that their quarry was even there.

“Even should we all join in the endeavor, an exhaustive search could take weeks—and with no guarantee of finding anything,” Y’shtola spoke up, pointing the very problem he was just thinking of. 

They all fell silent as they wondered what their next plan should be. In all honesty, out of the two remaining locations, he felt that Amh Araeng would be the safer option... since heading to Kholusia would put them right in Vauthry's sights.

But again, the idea that they could be forced to spend weeks in one location wasn’t wise either. Not only could they not be certain to even find the Lightwarden in the mines, but if they were forced to spend a prolonged period of time in Amh Araeng, then that only increased the chances of Vauthry’s forces finding them.

“The Wardens harbor vast reservoirs of primordial Light, do they not?” Minfilia asked hesitantly, “Far beyond anything found in lesser sin eaters. And isn’t it true that the Oracle could see the Light of a sin eater from malms away? Surely a Warden would seem like a blazing beacon by comparison?”

They looked to her, wondering what she meant when she finished, “To the real Oracle of Light, I mean. The real Minfilia.”

They all were taken aback by her words. But she looked directly to Thancred, who was pointedly looking away.

“If we traveled to Amh Araeng, to the south where she halted the Flood, I could summon her back,” she told him, “What do you think?”

He finally looked up and answered simply, “…Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” the girl demanded as she took a step forward and her voice rising, “Do what I can? What we both know is right?!”

“Do not presume to know my mind,” he snapped back, “You have no idea what you’re proposing.”

The Exarch felt that he was watching something very private, but could not bring himself to try and break it up as Minfilia continued yelling.

“But I do!” she gasped out, “I know why you never said anything. Because you thought you could keep me safe by keeping me in the dark. And… maybe I thought so too. But I knew, Thancred. I always knew.”

Silence… no one dared to say a word. Until…?

“Oh, I see…”

Emet-Selch had spoken and was now looking at Minfilia with a great deal amount of interest as he said, “I thought you were a rather underwhelming reincarnation, but it all makes sense now. The Oracle leis dormant within you, doesn’t she? But to draw on her true power, you must become one, both body and soul. To wit, one being must consume the other. Who shall be the lucky winner?”

So that was the cause of the tension in the air. If he was right… then that meant that before this was over… then the Minfilia of the Source and the Minfilia of the First…? One would be forever lost. He stared at the young girl, not really certain where to go from here. But it seemed that Thancred was not in the mood to listen.

“This doesn’t concern you, Ascian,” Thancred barked angrily.

“But it plainly concerns you,” Emet-Selch reasoned, “Which is why your heart is ready to burst out of your chest. Despite the raging tempest in your bosom, however, you have never once opened up to your young charge. Now why would that be?”

Thancred just looked away from him, glaring at the floor and the Exarch saw how his hands were clenching tightly.

“Love…?”

The word was spoken so softly that the Exarch wasn’t sure he heard him say anything at all. But Emet-Selch was giving Thancred much more attention than he had before. When he noticed that they were all looking at him, he said in a much more optimistic voice, “Well, I for one think it’s a marvelous idea. Certainly more promising than any of your other suggestions.”

He hated having to agree with an Ascian… but then again, what other choice was there? They managed to get along until now, but without the powers of the Oracle, he could not see how they could hope to find the remaining Wardens in time to prevent the Eight Umbral Calamity from coming.

And it seemed that Thancred realized this as well. He just glared down at the girl, whose surge of anger seemed to fade and she was just standing there with her eyes closed in a resigned kind of way.

“I’ll meet you at the gates,” Thancred ordered coldly before leaving, his coat sweeping the floor as he headed to the door and left them there.

Though no one said a word, the Exarch felt that they were all silently thinking the same thing.

To sacrifice a new friend to return an old…? However this story ended… one thing was certain. It was sure to break Thancred’s heart.

***Garlemald***

The snow was falling in a light flurry across a nation made of iron and steel. Streetlights were set up upon every street corner as well as the slight thumbing of footsteps upon a metal walkway that sounded off every few yalms or so.

It was very cold that night, and it gave the rather dreary-grim city a slightly sad look, and the entire landscape with identical metal rooftops humming through some kind of magitek machinery going on inside to keep the inhabitants warm through the night. Aside from the occasional soldier or guard walking around, patrolling the streets for any signs of trouble, it felt almost as if the city itself was either sleeping… or was holding its breath for what was to come.

Through the shadows of an alleyway, a man with a rather worn face appeared. He came so silently and suddenly that if one were watching the corner where he appeared it would be as if he just popped out of thin air.

He was carrying around a few layers of dirt caked on and torn clothes that had seen better days—yet he walked through the streets as if he knew them like the back of his hand—before approaching a young elezen man leaning up against a light post.

“What did the scouts have to report?” Estinien asked him casually.

“Several skirmishes, but nothing of consequence,” Gaius answered with a grim frown, “The fighting seems to have taken its toll on both sides.”

“A stalemate, then. The Alliance has done well to hold the line for so long,” Estinien said thoughtfully, before adding rather smugly, “But then they did have Ishgardian reinforcements.”

“Nevertheless, neither side has any appetite for a prolonged engagement,” Gaius countered with a serious tone, “Tis but the calm before the storm. And should the Empire choose to bring their full might to bear…”

Any smugness faded as Estinien added in a soft tone, “To say nothing of Black Rose.”

This was a problem for both sides… knowing that only devastation could only come should they allow the Black Rose to continue on. They have been lucky enough to uncover several places stationed around Ilsabard where they were either creating or storing the Black Rose, before finding a way to safely destroyed it.

As far as they were all aware of, however, there was still at least one location left that needed to be taken care of if they hoped to rid the world of the threat of the Black Rose once and for all. Most of the materials that were needed to create the poison, as well as instructions on how to create it, were destroyed by their hands after infiltrating the castrums where it was being stored.

If they could find the last batch that was being stored here in the Capital then they were fairly confident that the worst of the threat would be behind them. The trouble they were facing right now was trying to figure out where it was exactly. As of this moment, they were theorizing that it could be somewhere within the palace itself, with the Emperor, as well as the one who wore Zenos’s skin, currently living inside. But the palace was huge and well-guarded, so neither of them were much entertaining the thought of breaking in and risking running into a small army when they weren’t completely certain that was where the Black Rose was.

Of course, the further they investigated, the more that they were slowly coming to the conclusion that it was not only very likely that the Black Rose was in there—it was the main operations to where the Black Rose was currently being made.

“All the more reason to hasten our search,” Estinien sighed, “How close are your people to identifying our next target?”

“Close enough,” Gaius stated, knowing that it was wise to ensure that there were no other locations where the Black Rose could possibly be before attempting to sneak into the palace. But there was another troubling thought that was playing along the edges of his mind and he thought it fair to share with Estinien, “Though I have received some troubling intelligence. One of our generals posted to the Ala Mhigan front recently disappeared without trace from the battlefield at the Ghimlyt Dark.”

“Odd,” Estinien said with a frown, “Dead seems unlikely, fled less so. I wonder where he’ll turn up…”

Gaius gazed up at the palace in the distance, wondering if a part of him was not simply paranoid of the very idea of the Ascians controlling someone else’s body that was causing him to think this way. But no matter how many times he tried to reason with himself, it always came back to the idea of an Ascian being involved.

But for the life of him, he could not see what would be the point. The idea of controlling the crown prince made sense… it was a position of power and influence and certainly Elidibus would have little trouble doing whatever he wanted in his position right now. But who else could be here and why take command over one of the lower level generals? It didn’t add up.

“Were I a betting man, I would say here—in the capital,” Gaius said. “Not that any deserter who valued his life would contemplate returning. But a corpse might, given the right encouragement.”

“In the manner of His Royal Remains, you mean?” Estinien questioned, already guessing what he was trying to say.

“Elidibus plainly has no need of a new host, so the question becomes, who?” Gaius said, “It may be that another player has joined the game. Something to consider, at any rate. But come, there is work to be done.”

They would worry about it later. They had a meeting with one of his scouts in a few minutes and he was hopeful that this information would help speed up the decision of their next course of action. They were so busy focused on what was coming next that they didn’t notice the man who was watching them from the shadows of a nearby building. As soon as they left though, he took a few steps forward so that he stood just within the faint glow of the street light that cast darker shadows upon the mask-like helm.

He watched on until they were out of sight before he heaved a sigh, running a hand over the hilt of the katana that was at his side.

“These bloodless games make for poor sport,” he said, his voice slightly muffled due to the helm. “Mayhap if Father…” but then he realized what he was saying and gazed down at his hand and corrected himself, “Nay, I am a stranger to him in this body.”

Even if he were to appear before his father, there was no possible way that they would recognize him. Well, that certainly hasn’t concerned him before now, and it still really didn’t at this point. But still, he was growing tired of waiting around for something interesting to happen.

“Besides, there is but one hand that can make me whole again,” he added, as his mind drifted back to his fond memories, “My enemy… my friend…”

And there they were again… those eyes… that woman’s eyes that haunted his every waking moment. It was more than a passing daydream… it had become his complete obsession at this point. A part of him yearns to be able to forget it even just for a short time but it will not go away no matter how many times he tried… he kept seeing her face.

His enemy… his one and only friend… the one and only person he truly needed in this world. He was all but certain that she would appear by now, leading the charge against Garlemald and fight for those pathetic worms before battling against the cowards who preferred to kill from a distance.

He had learned of this Black Rose poison, heard it whispering in the shadows and he would lend an ear to it from time to time. The idea that they were planning to use it against the ‘beast of the Alliance’ angered him. The idea that they would target his prey, that they would dare to snuff out that image of battle perfection in his mind, was unforgivable.

No. He would not allow that to happen.

She belonged to him and no one else.

And before this was all over, he would battle with her again and this time… this next time… he would make it a battle of which that would make their last seem like a child’s game in comparison.

Oh, just thinking about it was enough to send a wave of pleasure through his very soul and he hummed in contentment at the thought. Now, if only she would hurry and arrive in these lands…? Whatever was keeping her away must be important enough for her not to be appearing upon the fields of battle however and he was becoming impatient.

“I know not what entertainment occupies you, but if you will not clear the way for me, then I shall seize the reins of fate once more,” he decided. Surely if she learned that he had returned—completely this time and not some pale imitation walking around in his body—that would be enough get her attention.

So, he would go through with his previous plan and retake his body and give her a reason to want to come here after him. So, he slowly began to walk forward, heading straight to the palace and see what he can learn of this ‘poison’ which Gaius was so concerned with.

Either way, he saw no need for it… only cowards would try to use poison to kill weakened warriors. He would destroy it, just to be on the safe side… after all, he reasoned with himself, there was no need to go out and fight when she would come to him. And she would come to him… of that he was certain about.

The threads of fate tied them together and he knew that they were destined to clash once more. More than anything though, he needed to see her again.

He knew that he would never rest until he saw those eyes once more.


	23. Full Steam Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Or Thancred's Chapter)
> 
> With everyone together and no other options... they are forced to head off to the desert once again to seek out Minfilia... not this Minfilia who travels with them... but the original Minfilia. But to get there they first must find a way through the Hills of Amber. And even if they do with Thancred be strong enough to face what was waiting for them? Will he be prepared to lose one of the two girls that he had come to love as family... forever?

It was another three days before the Scions were able to set out to Amh Areang at the last. With all the damage that had been done to Lakeland from the attack, everyone needed to be on hand to help with the aftermath. During that time, Claire had only seen the others a handful of times… and, of course, Thancred had all but disappeared into thin air—refusing to speak to anyone.

That first night when Claire was just about to collapse onto her bed and she heard a knock at the door. She wasn’t as surprised as she thought she would be when she opened it to find Minfilia standing there twisting her hands around and looking to the floor. Claire didn’t need to ask why she was here and let her in. Since then, Minfilia had been sleeping in her room every night—for she unable to bear returning to the rooms that she shared with Thancred and risk another argument. Though Claire had a sneaking feeling that those rooms were the last place that Thancred wished to be at the moment.

She didn’t say anything about that though as she let the younger girl curl up at her side—more than once having to lull the girl back to sleep because she was crying so much. If nothing else, the little bit of extra time was nice to spend with Minfilia… though they were very careful to avoid discussing the upcoming journey through the desert.

More than once Claire thought of finding something to say or do that could postpone it; but she knew better than to think that they had any other options. Instead, she would devote herself to her latest hunt in the Greatwood before returning at the end of the day, battered and drained, and comfort Minfilia as best as she could and try to forget all that was waiting for them.

When this next of the Cardinal Virtues was brought low, and the other Scions had done all that they could to help the people recover from the battle, no one could no longer find a reason to delay their trip any longer.

So it was with a heavy heart that they agreed they would set off early the next morning.

Claire did not speak another word until morning after that announcement… merely rubbed Minfilia’s back in a comforting way as the girl shook with silent sobs through the rest of the night.

After sharing a quick breakfast with her, she sent the girl off to get ready before she went to the Tower to speak with the Exarch once more before she planned to head out to meet the others at the gate.

“You need not worry about us,” he told her when she asked if they would be alright, worried that there may possibly be another attack from sin eaters. But he reassured her that most of the people were now taking refuge inside the city itself and that the only ones still out through Lakeland were those of the guard. Lyna had recovered from the worst of her wounds and was taking charge, but ready to call a retreat should anything else happen. Their biggest priority is protecting the people, and until the final two Lightwardens are brought low, they will do all their power to keep everyone safe.

Claire nodded in understanding, promising that they will return as soon as possible and asked that they look after themselves.

“By the way, have you seen Thancred?” she asked worriedly.

“Not recently,” he answered grimly, “I do believe I heard Urianger say that he would find him, but I do know that he has taken up sulking about the upper levels. I have tried to talk to him a few times before, but in all honesty, I’m not certain he even heard me.”

She was afraid about that. Ever since Minfilia came to her decision, Thancred had all but shut himself down to them all. It was an impressive resolve that Minfilia showed, but Claire could not help but worry about whether or not she fully understood what must be done. She would love to speak with _their_ Minfilia again… but not at such a cost as _this_ Minfilia’s life.

She could not see how this could ever end well.

The Exarch seemed to understand the worry inside her as he gripped her shoulder in a comforting way. He looked at her so warmly as she gave a weary smile in gratitude.

“If this is the course you have agreed on, I will not object—though I am afraid it will be difficult for us to spare any of the guard to accompany you,” the Exarch said to her. “I can but promise that you will be well looked after upon your return. Just… see to it that you do return, all right?”

She nodded, thanking him for his kind words and promised that they would return as quickly as possible. They were halfway through this journey and she was eager to end this as soon as she could. She left the tower and headed through town to the front gates to where she found she was the first one there and paced anxiously while waiting for the others.

So much had been going on and suddenly everything felt like it was spinning out of control—as if they were on a train that was speeding up with every second as it headed to disaster.

It had been a long time since they spoke with their Minfilia… but she knew enough to know that she was not the type of person who would willingly sacrifice an innocent girl like this. But then again, it wasn’t her decision that mattered the most right now. She could not help but wonder if this Minfilia understood that as well.

Speaking of this Minfilia…?

“Sorry for the wait—I’m ready now.”

Claire looked up to see that Minfilia had joined her, looking very pale but there was a sort of stubbornness to her face that showed that her mind had not changed. She was still determined to go through this and decide her future.

She wanted to push that away for the time and just greet her, but she couldn’t stop herself saying, “There has to be another way.”

What was the point in trying to deny anything anymore?

Minfilia sighed at that and looked down to her feet while mumbling, “Look… no matter what happens to me, I’m sure I don’t want to go back to being who I was. I want to be stronger - strong enough to face my destiny. And I want to believe I can play a part in saving this world.” She then looked back up and added a little ruefully, “I hope you can find it in yourself to believe it, too.”

“There is a difference between growing stronger and sacrificing yourself,” she whispered back.

Minfilia shifted uncomfortably when they heard Y’shtola’s voice calling out, “When you put it that way, how could we not?” they looked up in time to see their own ‘Master Matoya’ coming towards them with Alphinaud and Alisaie trailing behind, both looking resigned. As soon as he saw her, Alphinaud blushed red and looked away… while Claire felt her insides churning in embarrassment herself. Not long after Minfilia left her room, Alphinaud came to check on her and…? Well, it seemed that he still remembered what they talked about—or rather didn’t talk about.

She shoved what they said down as she focused more on Minfilia and where they were going to head to next just as Y’shtola said to the young girl comfortingly, “It is your decision to make, just be sure that you are prepared, when the time comes.”

A couple minutes later, Urianger arrived—and dragging a rather reluctant Thancred behind him with his head held low. Urianger took one look around at them all, doing a headcount, and asked, “If all are assembled, shall we depart?”

When they reassured him that they were as ready as they would ever be, Thancred grumbled, still clearly unhappy about this, “We’ll follow your lead. What route would you have us take?”

“About that,” Alisaie interrupted suddenly, “There’s something I neglected to mention.” Everyone turned to her as she grimly explained, “I saw a Eulmoran airship coming in to land over Amh Araeng while I was on my way back to the Crystarium. No doubt the same vessel that bore Vauthry’s forces to Rak’tika.”

Oh, great. Just what they didn’t need.

Alphinaud sighed and ran a hand through his hair, summing up their latest problem, “Meaning we can expect to encounter armed resistance on our journey through the region.”

“Right. Now,” Alisaie said as she pulled out a faded map, to show everyone, and began to trace her finger along the page, “Naabeth Areng lies in the southern reaches of Amh Araeng, and there are two routes we can take to get there. The first is the Eastern Route which would lead us past Mord Souq. The other…” gesturing down the left of the page, “Is the Western Route, which would require us to pass through the Hills of Amber.”

Thancred nodded as he watched the trail and confessed, “Minfilia and I took the eastern route last time.”

“Yes,” Alisaie confirmed, “That’s the more well-trodden path, it also makes for easier traversal of the Naabeth Severance.” She looked down at the map again and sighed, “But we can’t use it…”

They wondered what she was talking about, and she explained how she wanted to keep the Eulmorans from attacking the Inn at Journey’s Head. Some of them were confused, but she understood immediately. The last thing that anyone wanted to do was have a repeat of what happened with the Night’s Blessed in a place full of sick people and caretakers, and they all agreed. It was for this, she proposed they split into two groups—one to distract the Eulmorans in the east, and one to slip Minfilia through the Hills of Amber in the West.

In the end, both Alphinaud and Y’shtola decided to join her to distract the Eulmorans. Which left her with Minfilia and the remaining boys towards the Hills of Amber.

Thancred shrugged irritably, though he did seem to recoil slightly after Y’shtola gave him a steely glare to behave before he cleared his throat and stated, “Well then, we’ll leave the work of distracting Vauthry’s forces to you. The rest of us will take the western route, and try to avoid attracting attention.”

“Alright,” Alphinaud said quickly, having avoided Claire’s eye the whole time they were making plans, “I wish you all the best of luck and we will meet up later on.”

He turned and walked away, kinda taking them all by surprise.

“Just like that? I would have thought that we would have to drag you away from Claire,” Thancred said, poking fun at Alphinaud who looked like he wanted nothing more than to shrivel up and die.

When they noticed his lack of response, Alisaie gave him a poke this time, suddenly noticing the two ‘lovebirds’ lack of a goodbye, “Did something happen with you two?”

“Hmm? Oh… ah… nothing,” he said but it was clear that Alisaie didn’t believe a word of what he said.

“Nothing happened,” he repeated and he went marching out, ready to head up to the Amaro Launch and straight out to Amh Araeng without a glance back. The others blinked and looked at each other as Claire sighed.

“What’d I say now?” Thancred asked her as Claire ran her hand through her hair, only to stop rather quickly because she was stuck staring at the white strands.

“We all have a lot on our plates,” was all she said, “I’m sure that it can wait.”

The others looked ready to question it, but she just forced a smile and reassured them that it was nothing important, and they decided to let it go, wanting to drop the subject, but knew that they will be questioning what was wrong later on.

Still, she bid farewell to Y’shtola and Alisaie before she headed out with the others. All the while, the eyes of another was watching after her.

Ardbert was standing up upon the gate as he watched the group discuss where they were going to next. He wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but he could recognize that they were getting ready to head out.

They were leaving… but not him.

He didn’t want to go… not this time. But his eyes were upon her retreating form as the group headed out into Lakeland, already heading south. From the angle that they were going… ah… Amh Araeng. It couldn’t be any other place.

_“Take comfort in the bonds you share,” _he thought to himself as he stood and watched the group file out,_ “Accept the pain when the time comes to part. Press on, for joy and sorry walk hand in hand. Beyond Mount Garik lie the Hills of Amber, beneath which run hidden veins of mineral wealth. Or ran, at least. Mayhap they are spent. Or mayhap the ringing of hammers can yet be heard below…”_

Suddenly feeling weary, he turned around and sulked through the city with only one destination in mind. Though the room was officially hers, it felt warm and comforting to him. A sanctuary away from the rest of the world, their expectations, and the cruel truths that made it difficult to keep going. It was a safe place where she could speak with a ghost in private without causing worry for anyone else, and where he could find some sense of sanctuary. A place where he was someone… not just a shade.

He needed that security now more than ever before. He needed to be alone with his thoughts, but not outside where he was still nothing but a ghost. At least in that room, he could almost pretend that he wasn’t some sorry, lonely specter.

But he did stay for long enough to watch them leave until they were out of sights.

“Safe travels…” he whispered, knowing that no one else could hear the concern in his voice.

***Thancred***

Aside from a few remaining sin eaters along the road, it was another quiet journey. They had just reached the very edges of the southern border when the clouds began to roll in and he knew that rain was threatening to happen at any moment.

He remembered when this Minfilia first felt the rain on her face—? He couldn’t help but smile at the memory of how wide-eye she was when she felt the water hit her face.

“Ahhhh! It’s cold!” she had gasped but she couldn’t stop watching the countless drops fell from the heavens. He even joked that if she kept watching with her mouth open she would drown from all the water she caught—and she even covered her mouth in shock before he burst out laughing.

To think that innocent child was the same one walking besides him?

After spending most of her life locked up in a cell underground, she had never experienced anything as simple as rain… or feeling the wind on their face… or even something so simple as sunshine.

To her, her entire life had been so dark until she was spirited away.

Right now though, he had barely been able to look her in the eye since they set off, and it was only growing more and more difficult with every step they took. He didn’t want to say anything about it but always the thought that she may no longer be standing here hurt him more than he cared to admit.

When they spotted the gates in the distance, he explained to Claire that of all the times that he had been there, he never ventured into the Hills of Amber.

“Not that I’m particularly intimidated by new lands, at this point—but we have more than enough reasons to be cautious as it is,” he told her quietly, “Keep an eye on Minfilia for me, will you?”

While he was both longing for and dreading this meeting with their Minfilia, he was not foolish enough to believe that it will be an easy journey. He would need help protecting this Minfilia the whole way, and who better than the Warrior of Darkness?

Claire nodded in understanding and some of his dread left him as they continued on south. They left the pretty landscape of Lakeland behind them as the air grew hotter and drier, and the iliac ground beneath their feet turned into sand. Soon they were walking along the slopes of sand and rough cliffs that brought back memories of Gyr Albania or the plains of Thanalan to him.

They walked on in complete silence since he wasn’t in the mood for talking, Minfilia was lost in thought, and the other two companions of their group weren’t known for their small talk. So it was just the crunch of their footsteps through the sand for the next few hours before they came to a small village to learn more information. It turned out that it was inhabited almost entirely by Mord, who were very curious about seeing a group of people coming through here when they weren’t merchants. While they walked about, getting information, they realized they didn’t have a clue how to get to Naabath Areng from this way.

He frowned at this obvious problem that none of them had thought of and instead suggested that they question the villagers and see what they knew.

After spending some time getting to know the locals and the surrounding land, they met up just at the gates to discuss the best course of action. Of course, most of them didn’t find much, but their own Warrior of Darkness seemed to know just what to say to charm the villagers into giving them the information they needed; including several ways they could get to Naabath Areng. Out of all of their options she was able to learn of they all agreed that their best chances of getting through the desert alive would be with the help of a trolley. It seemed to be the least risky of their options and he couldn’t imagine one gate being enough to stop them.

The only problem they had now was that the trolley hadn’t run in years and they had no idea what to do to get it up and running again. If they hoped to use it, they would first have to head down south to the trolley yard and learn more about how to operate it.

When they arrived at the Mount Biran mines, Thancred’s immediate thought was that the mines were simply abandoned… at least until they got a closer look. Aside from the occasional rust here and there, everything was in good repair and there was even some food found on a counter in one of the buildings that was still hot. It was clear that while at first glance it was left to rust, someone was taking care of the place.

“Ample evidence of recent maintenance, and lukewarm tea besides…” Thancred said when Claire told him what she found after a quick look around.

“The levers for switching tracks looked like they were in good condition, though I couldn’t move them myself,” Minfilia added slowly, “No ordinary person could, I think…”

“It is my belief that no person is meant to,” Urianger said and he drew their attention to the broken stone giant, one of many that were scattered about the tracks. At first, he thought that they were simply stone statues, but after a little more study, Urianger came to realize that these weren’t always here.

“This ‘Talos’ beareth more than a passing resemblance to golems of the Source,” their scholarly friend said. “Nor doth it appear to be the sole example of its kind. The proliferation of Talos fragments, as well as the enormity of the mechanisms here, suggest a considerable number were once in operation.” Urianger then sighed and wiped some sweat from his brow before glancing back at them, “Alas, this specimen and its fellows now life lifeless and broken, and I know not how to repair them that they might facilitate our passage through the gate. And without the aid of the Talos, even if thou went somehow able to unbar the trolley’s path, we would still have no means of propelling it.”

Well, that explains why the trolley hadn’t been used in all these years. But just because they were at a loss didn’t mean that there was no hope.

“We might not know how to repair the Talos, but someone must,” Thancred said firmly, “Otherwise why keep everything else in working order? Whoever is maintaining the cars and rails must know something that we don’t.”

That was when he came to realize that he felt eyes on the back of his head and he glanced out of the corner of his eyes to see that someone was poking their head around one of the run-down buildings curiously.

Thancred jerked his head pointedly at the building and said in a quieter voice so that not even the keenest of ears would be able to hear what they were discussing from that distance, “Let’s ask them what it is, shall we?”

He had sent Claire off to check on those other potential eyes watching from the other buildings as he dealt with the group who were hiding right out of sights. It was almost too easy for them to sneak around the back of the building and surprise the spies. Soon enough they had both men beaten to a pulp on the ground and Claire rejoined them to inform them that the rest of the buildings seemed to be safe again.

“Let’s see what they have to say for themselves,” Thancred said as he dusted off his hands and ready to get to work in getting information.

“Us!?” one of the men cried out indigently from the ground, “We’re not the brigands come to… to take what isn’t ours!”

What? They thought that they were common thieves? How insulting. What other reason would anyone in their right mind come all the way out here to middle of nowhere with no means to carry off their ‘plunder?’

“Do we honestly look like we’d need to steal -” he paused and looked at what this sad mine had to offer and finished, “What, some rusted bits of iron? Don’t be absurd. We’re not here to rob you.”

“A likely story! You look, well…” the man snapped back as he looked over them all with a sweeping, slightly panicked look, “You don’t look _normal_ that’s for certain. You don’t have any wares, so you’re clearly not merchants. Travelers never pass this way. The only reason you would come all the way out here is to strip the machinery for parts.”

Well, when he put it all together like that, he supposed that they couldn’t blame them for thinking the worse of them. He made to calmly explain their situation—to the best of their abilities anyway—but before he could so do…?

“Oh! Thaffe! I have an idea,” the second man, hardly more than a boy at any rate with thick hair the color of wheat tucked under his cap, spoke up excitedly. He looked to Minfilia for a moment and after taking in her white dress he began reciting, as if from the intro of a play, “What if, once upon a time, a lovely lady of noble birth ventured forth in search of her lost love…” he then looked to him and Claire standing on either side of Minfilia, and Urianger standing directly behind them, and added, “…joined by her two most loyal servants, sworn to follow her unto the world's end. On their journey, they met a sorcerer as ancient as time itself…”

Aright, now he was just pulling random thoughts out of his arse. Really? Thancred knew that Urianger was older than them, but not that old.

“Moved by the Lady’s devotion, he offered to be their guide and they…” he seemed to struggle to continue on for a moment before finishing, “... turned up here, somehow!”

Bit of a sad way to end what was other setting up to be a very interesting story, but he had to wonder if he was alright in the head to stall for something like that.

Thancred just took a deep breath and said, “I can only assume that you’re being intentionally obtuse, but in the unlikely event that that’s a serious conjecture—no.” Well, might as well give him something as he confessed, “I suppose I am a bodyguard of a sort, but we have rather larger concerns than faerie tale romantics.”

“Though,” Urianger spoke up a little apprehensively, “I would fain hear more of this ageless sorcerer and his heroic deeds.”

It was all that Thancred could do not to smash his head against a nearby wall.

“Gods, grant me strength…” he silently pleaded for patience.

“Um, if I may—we’re actually searching for a means by which to travel to Nabaath Areng,” Minfilia spoke up, perhaps sensing Thancred’s growing annoyance, “We were hoping that the trolley here might offer a solution. I realize that we haven’t gotten off to the best of starts, but if you know anything about how we might get it working again…”

“The trolley!” the two gasped and looked at each other wildly before turning back to them with new interest.

“You should have led with that!” the younger man who came up with the crazy story said, “We’re always keen to discuss the trolley! We’re both engineers-in-training, in fact. Jeryk and Thaffe, at your service.”

“Technically, I’m a miner, and he does repair work,” the one called Thaffe added in a more reasonable tone, “But our true passion is the trolley. We’re working with a few other folks to get it up and running again. And before you ask—yes, it’s true that there’s a little in need of transport these days. But that’s no reason to consign a miracle of mechanical innovation to dust. There mere sight of it traveling the track once again would make hearts soar, mark my words!”

“You’ll hear no argument from us,” Thancred said, glad to hear they were getting somewhere, “What progress have you made thus far?”

And like that, some of the excitement seemed to fade and die in their faces.

“Not as much as we’d like, truth be told,” Jeryk confessed a little guilty.

“Well, is there anything we could do to assist you?” Minfilia asked, “We could gather materials or help put pieces together…”

“It’s a sight more complicated than that, I’m afraid,” Thaffe shrugged, “If you spoke with Magnus, you’d understand. He’s the only one with full knowledge of the trolley’s operation… I suppose you could speak with him, if you like. We’ll introduce you.”

In the end, they agreed, especially since they didn’t have any other options and so they followed them out of the yard, telling them all they needed to do was follow the tracks to get to Twine. But their two new guides were so happy to be able to discuss the trolley with someone that it was as if their ‘painful’ meeting didn’t happen.

Well, at least the walk to town was interesting.

“Dost thou seek the sorcerer’s wisdom, young one?” Urianger asked Claire with a bow.

Claire was actually giggling to herself as they discussed over Jeryk’s story, finding the whole tale to be very funny.

“A quest for a lost love…” Minfilia said, and even she was smiling at the thought of being a ‘princess’ of sorts. “Perhaps that could have been me, had things been different.”

Thancred sighed at their antics, and at how Urianger seemed to be playing upon the idea of being this ‘ageless sorcerer’. Though now that he thought of it, Urianger always was fond of faerie tales… mayhaps that was one of the reasons he chose to settle in Il Mheg during these last few years.

They followed Thaffe and Jeryk back to a small mining town, very similar in apperance to some of the towns he knew scattered around Thanalan. It was odd to find a place like this that was still occupied—especially since he could see the frozen wave in the distance and knew that it must have come dangerously close to being consumed by the Flood.

Thaffe explained that this was once built to house miners tasked with building the track. Over time miners came to seek their fortunes and it grew into a town all because of the trolley. But now with no trolley, no work from the mines, no miners, and before anyone knew it the place had fallen apart. Thaffe then promised to introduce them to Magnus, but warned them that they shouldn’t expect more than an introduction.

They stepped inside the inn to find a sorry-looking man sitting there with several bottles scattered around the table.

“Who are you supposed to be?” he demanded grumpily when he heard the door open and glared up with blood-shot eyes, “Never seen the three of you in my life. Or the… four of you? Wicked white, if you’re going to bother me, at least have the damned courtesy to stand still.”

“Me thinks this one is deep in his cups,” he heard Urianger whisper and Thancred sighed. Great, now they were dealing with a drunkard. Getting information out someone who was drunk was normally a specialty of his… but he could sense from here that this one was going to be a challenge.

Thaffe stepped forward and cleared his throat as he explained, “These are my guests, Magnus. We ran into them at the mines. They’re looking for a way to reach Nabaath Areng, so they came to ask about the trolley, you see…”

“What?” he barked with a slight slur, “There’s nothing in Nabaath Areng. Not anymore.”

Yep, definitely in his cups.

His dazed eyes glanced over all of them, but pausing when he saw Minfilia and added, “And especially not for frail little girls. Give it up.”

Minfilia was taken aback by that and countered, “No. We must reach Nabaath Areng. I must.”

“Bah,” he growled, waving his hand away, “So you have your heart set on it—the world doesn’t care. The place is ruin, nothing more. And you’re not getting there in the trolley. The thing doesn’t run on hopes and dreams.”

Minfilia took a step forward before Thancred quickly spoke up to avoid an argument, “We’re not fools—it’s necessity that drives us to Nabaath Areng. If you insist that the trolley is not an option, at least tell us why.”

“No,” Magnus growled back, no longer looking at them as he turned back to that bottle, “I’m sick of people asking me about the blasted thing. Leave me be.”

But before he did so, Thancred did get a glimpse of his eyes and that was what caused him to stop midway with his reasoning. Rather than fight an unnecessary battle, he looked to his friends.

“We’ll speak outside,” he whispered to the others and they all left the tavern, though he couldn’t help but growl under his breath as he did so, “Stubborn arse.”

“I sense there is more to this belligerent drunk and his tale,” Urianger said.

“He only said that because… because he thinks I’m weak,” Minfilia whispered, “And he’s right. But I can’t be—I won’t be forever. There must be a way. I will find it!”

Well, that may have been part of it, but Thancred would have been very surprised if that was the only reason. It seemed to him that he only called Minfilia out because it was an excuse not to help them. He didn’t voice his opinions though as they all grouped around him and they began to come up with other ideas.

It was clear to them all that Magnus had no intention of helping them get the trolley moving. But with no other options, they decided to ask around, and hope that some of the townspeople would be able to better explain the situation to them. As soon as Minfilia ran off, he found his eyes watching her every move, her blond hair shining from the bright glare from above. Urianger was watching where he was looking and he let out an audible sigh before speaking.

“Thancred, art thou truly content to stand witness to fate’s course and take no part?”

If only there was such a thing as fate. If there was, then he would—at least—have someone to blame for all that was happening. But things were never that simple.

“This isn’t a matter of fate, Urianger,” he sighed, “It’s about choice, and I’ve had years to decide where I stand. Minfilia has spent too long in chains already. I would not shackle her again by making my hopes known. It is for her to choose what shape her destiny will take. It is for me to stay silent. To protect her, teach her, and stand by her. That, at least, I can do for her.”

It wasn’t up to him or anyone else to decide Minfilia’s fate. This was a choice that she had to make on her own.

They let the matter go before they separated and began to look around for anything that could be of use to them. It was a little while later when he did meet up with Urianger, who was explaining a newly reconstructed Talos that appeared to be fully functional. The only problem was that they were having a hard time trying to get it to move again.

After Claire got back from helping Jeryk inspect the tracks, Urianger sent her off to get some materials to help, while he put him and Minfilia to work on helping replace some other broken pieces of stone so as to allow the aether to flow more easily.

Once they were all together again and finished their work, Urianger looked to them all and said that, the aether is beginning to flow once again. Yet even after he offered up some of his aether, it didn’t so much as twitch.

“It’s not moving,” Thancred pointed out obviously.

“Strange…” Urianger said, frowning in confusion as he bent closer to examine the stone, “The core refuseth to stir. I fear the condition of this Talos is more dire than I previously surmised. As a heart driveth blood through a man’s veins, so doth the core aether throughout this massive frame. Failing its repair or replacement, the Talos cannot be restored.”

This didn’t seem to surprise Jeryk though as they had also come to the same conclusion. He explained that the core that controlled its flow of aether had failed, and must be replaced. Jeryk admitted that Magnus was the key to fixing the Talos though suddenly seemed very uncomfortable with discussing Magnus’s past… and chickened out in the end. Instead he sent them off to Thaffe at the tavern if they wanted to know the whole story, which was what they did.

“Still here, eh?” Thaffe said as they entered, “You can ask again, but the answer’s the same. Our trolleys are-”

Claire calmly interrupted him and explained what they were able to learn of the Talos and how they needed a new core to get it working. But when she asked about Magnus and Jeryk suddenly afraid to tell them anymore, he could Thaff beginning to scowl.

“What? Godsdamnit Jeryk…” he sighed, running an irritable hand over his face. “You could’ve at least finished so I wouldn’t have to clean up your mess.” He struggled within himself for a moment before deciding, “Seeing how you made such quick progress in fixing that Talos and all, he was probably thinking you could help change things around here.”

He told them Magnus’ tale—down to the last miserable detail. Howe he had come to Twine with his wife after their son was killed by sin eaters. His wife had been a miner but one day, while she was searching for the very ore they needed for the Talos, the mine collapsed and it took them two months to dig out her body. After that, Magnus seemed to have given up and taken up drinking instead.

Now Thancred understood Magnus’s attitude. He had a feeling that there was more to the story and his stubbornness to help them. To him, the Talos and the trolley both must seem like a curse. Though, he suspected as much… not even the strongest ale could gloss over that look of grief in a person’s eyes.

But what were they to do now? Even if they were able to get the right ore, Magnus was the only one who knew the full operation of the trolley. They needed his help.

They were all quiet a long time, until Thancred looked around, noticing that he wasn’t here, and asked, “Where is he, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Ah, yes, well…” Thaffe sighed, “If he’s not here, there’s only one other place he’d be.”

Wordlessly, he led them outside and pointing up a hill where they could make out the mounds of sand and stone; where Thancred understood immediately.

“Wait here,” he told the others as he walked ahead and approached the rows of graves. He found him sitting right in front of one grave that looked to be newer than the others, and was still drinking like there was no tomorrow.

“What?” he asked, looking up at him slightly cross-eyed and seemed to have trouble recognizing him for a moment. “Oh… you again,” he went on when he finally did, “How many times must I tell you—the trolley won’t run! We’d be better off dismantling the damn thing and selling the parts for scrap. Now piss off back to whoever you came from, and don’t let me catch you around here again.”

Most would probably be intimidated by that, but Thancred merely looked to the grave and asked sympathetically, “What were their names?”

Magnus was startled at the question and his lack of reaction, but he turned to look at the grave as well that bore his wife’s name.

“My son was named Skulli,” he confessed, any forms of anger having faded completely to be replaced by a voice of sorrow, “My wife… Agna.” He then looked sadly at the bottle and added, “Being here with them… it beats going home. Home stopped being home when I lost them. I thought to try and drown my sorrows… but somehow… the bottle’s never deep enough.”

“No bottle is,” Thancred sighed, knowing how blissful being able to drink your worries and bad memories away… if only for a moment, could be. “Believe me—I know.”

“You’ve lost someone too?” Magnus asked, still in that same placid tone.

“Not like you,” Thancred confessed, “Not my own flesh and blood. I grew up an orphan, so I never really knew what family meant.” He looked up to the sky as he remembered those days from his youth and how he struggled to survive. “Not until I met a man who offered to take me in and make me his pupil. He was a kindly soul. Always looking out for me, like a father. Not that I appreciated that at the time, or anything else for that matter. But I finally had a family.”

For as long as he could remember, he had been a mere street rat. It was the only life that he knew. He had been very young when he was taken in by some of the more unsavory individuals who ruled the underbelly of Limsa Lominsa, not a parent or even a blood relative, he had been too young to remember his mother or father even though he suspected that he had them, so for him life began on the streets. He had been forced into seemingly endless shady schemes, forced to try and earn enough for food. And if, failing that, resorting to stealing the food that he needed to survive. Limsa was very different when he had been a child, for this was before the Admiral took over and forbade piracy and brought some order to the otherwise chaotic city.

He had to learn from a very young age to take care of himself and avoid the dangers that were out to get you at all costs. At some point, he was welcomed into the Dutiful Sisters and learned how to fight to protect himself. They were probably the closest he felt to family in those days—though with their quiet passion and the pride they took in their work—for some reason he didn’t feel like he belonged there.

And then the day came he met an elderly Elezen, fresh of the boat to the city, and that was what changed his life forever that day. Oh, he couldn’t have picked the worse possible person to try and rob. He seemed like an easy person to pick his pocket… however no sooner did his hand slip into the man’s pocket to take his coin—he was suddenly on his back with his limbs bound with powerful magicks that he couldn’t free himself from.

All at once, he was certain that it was over for him. He was certain he was going to be handed over to the Yellow Jackets and then spend years trapped in a gaol cell…?

At least until the bindings hold him faded and he was looking up at the old man, who wore a very caring look on his face.

He would never forget the words that he said that day.

_“My name is Louisoix Leveilleur. I am a scholar from across the seas. What is your name, child?”_

_“Thancred,” the boy mumbled, still in disbelief._

_“Thancred...what? Have you any family?” the old man continued, with a sympathetic smile._

_“Just Thancred,” the boy shrugged. “And I don’t have a family—at least, none that I know of.”_

_The man who had called himself Louisoix paused for a moment, stroking his beard, before appearing to come to a conclusion._

_“You are quick and able beyond your years. Were you only in a place where you could learn to use these gifts for the good of all, rather than merely as tools for your own survival—why, there is no telling what life you might lead...Come with me to Sharlayan. You are a gifted child, and there is much that I would teach you...”_

And that was what happened.

No sooner did he agree to it, planning to escape later on if things got too bad, he was suddenly pulled to his feet and taken over to the Bismarck to get him some decent food. He was then taken across the seas and began learning how to read and write—and from there he couldn’t stop learning.

Before they left Limsa, Louisoix gave him the surname of ‘Waters’ after telling him that Thaliak was the guardian of rushing rivers and purveyor of knowledge. Thancred, still not fully trusting this strange man, grudgingly accepted a name that he would eventually wear with pride. Life also got much better for him in that he no longer had to fight and steal for food, that he had a warm place to sleep and not fear getting attacked or eaten by rats—something that still bothers him to this day—and was able to gain the kind of education that many would kill for. Louisoix found a mentor for him—a master when it came to covert operations—and he learned so much during his stay in Sharlayan.

Still, he knew enough to realize that Louisoix hoped to use his new talents in the future. To be able to infiltrate the most impregnable of strongholds in the harshest of environments, and his mind that he might charm the wariest merchants and socialites in the most critical of circumstances. Still, he didn’t mind so much about being used. After a life of difficulty on the streets, this seemed a small price to pay for some comfort and safety.

Before he even realized the changes in him, the rough and cold child that ran through Limsa’s alleys to get away from the Yellow Jackets was gone and a confident, well-educated youth stood there in his place. When the day came that his skills were recognized, upon his neck were inscribed with the sigil of the Archon as Master Louisoix looked on with pride.

He wouldn’t be here right now if that old man didn’t see a shred of potential inside him and words would never describe how much that meant to him nor how grateful he would forever be.

Thancred smiled fondly at the memories before he sighed and added with much more melancholy, “And then… and then I robbed a young girl of hers. I did my best to make amends, to offer her comfort. But the more I look back on it, the more I realize just how inadequate my efforts were. I let her down. That is why I refuse to let her legacy die.”

And out of the corner of his eyes, he could see another little girl gazing at him. A girl that he, mere days ago, almost lost.

_*Flashback*_

_The fighting was growing fierce as they battled against the eaters, but no matter how much of a footing he got, he still felt like he was losing ground as the flashes of white dropped out of the sky. _

_It was after bringing down, what felt like the hundredth eater, did he pause to catch his breath. But then his head snapped up when he heard Minfilia’s voice over the dim: “LYNA!”_

_He looked up to see that Minfilia had broken away from the fighting and was bolting over to where the Crystarium guard captain lay in the mud. His heart stopped when he saw them both surrounded by eaters. _

_Then he saw it. The glowing form of what would normally be seen as a beautiful angel. But this one’s eyes were dead and empty as it turned its face—perfect as a statues—and lunged for the two of them. And Minfilia, who was tending to Lyna, hadn’t noticed it._

_He didn’t think, didn’t even consider the consequences, he just dove in without thinking._

_It was as if his entire world threatened come undone and he was racing through the thick mud, before leaping into the air to reach them in time. He had to protect her, she had to stay safe. He struck at the dead creature and blocked the attack in time. His arms felt like they were about to crack and shatter apart from the impact, he could feel the sparks leaping from their clashed blades, but he wouldn’t give in. _

_When he was thrust back and his vision dimmed, threatening to black out. _

_No… no, no, no, No! NO! Like hells he was giving up now!_

_He landed on his feet, already tasting blood in his mouth and spit it onto the ground. He had to save them, to save as many people as he could, but most importantly to get Minfilia out of here. He barely even registered when Minfilia cried out to him._

_"This one’s mine!" he yelled as he blocked the attack and found his footing again, sword plunging into the breast of the sin eater, and watching it writhe before he put an end to it once and for all. He was panting, his energy almost spent, and in pain as he fell into the mud and coughed. _

*End of Flashback*

He had done what Minfilia, their Minfilia, had asked to the best of his abilities. He protected the girl as he would have done to the real Minfilia. All the while he tormented himself with the knowledge that one day she would have to make the choice to either live out her life and become her own person—separate from Minfilia—or to fade away and allow another take control of her body and take up her burdens.

But no matter how many ways one looked at it or tried to reason with it, he knew better than hoping that they could somehow find a way so that both could exit. He was aware that this was a decision where he would lose one of these two precious girls in his life… for good.

And what hurt him the most was that he had no say in the matter. He didn’t get to put his impute in on what he really wanted. But how could one even begin to choose?

Perhaps it was a good thing that it wasn’t up to him to decide.

When Urianger tracked him down before they were to leave for Amh Araeng, he found him atop the walkways above the city. Though he frowned at the sight of him drinking right out of the bottle, he didn’t say anything as he informed him that everyone was getting ready to leave.

_*Flashback*_

_Thancred just let out a noise between a scoff and a snarl, not immediately responding._

_“Thancred…” Urianger reminded him softly, “It is not too late. Thou still have time to confide in young Minfilia how thy truly feels about this.”_

_“Like you know how I truly feel about all this?” he demanded coldly, downing half the bottle in that one instant. When he gave a painful swallow he hissed, “How would you know?”_

_“For I know thee, Thancred,” his old friend reminded him quietly, “And I am fully aware of how much pain thou must be in to know that the time is finally near…?”_

_“Sure you do,” he snapped, now practically seething with anger as he paced around the area, struggling to keep himself from wanting to punch someone—namely Urianger since he was right here—and keep his anger under control. “But what am I supposed to say? Tell her that she doesn’t know what she’s doing? She knows what she’s doing, or at least she thinks she knows what she’s doing! But how am I supposed to talk to her about this? I don’t even know what the right way to feel about this is anymore!”_

_“How… doth thee want this to end?” Urianger asked him quietly._

_Thancred didn’t speak at first as he leaned over the railing of the upper walkways of the Crystarium and stared out at the bustling city. Memories of his times with both Minfilias entered his mind and he could only find conflict and confusion._

_“What would you do if you were me?” he asked, almost pathetically pleading for an answer that didn’t make him hate himself, “Minfilia, our Minfilia, is family to me. And now I am faced with the prospect that I may lose her forever! How do you think that makes me feel? I have known her since she was a little girl… I have watched her grow up to be a strong, young woman… only to be forced to say goodbye to her… again… and again! And now I know that there is a chance I can see her again. But to sacrifice a little girl who I have watched over for the last three years? She had already gone through so much and this is to be her fate? How is that fair?”_

_“I do not think that there is a right answer here,” Urianger told him gently. “But I do know that thee love both of these Minfilia’s and that, if thou could, thee would take the burdens from them both. But we both know that cannot happen.”_

_Thancred could feel something warm and wet dripping from his eyes and rubbed the blasted tears away as he took several deep breaths._

_“But, this I do know,” Urianger went on, “That though wishes for nothing but their happiness.”_

_“Of course I do!” he all but yelled, “They deserve so much better than what they were dealt with life! But I know that we can’t save them both! I had searched for a way, but there’s nothing we’ve found! The only way that this whole madness can end is if one sacrifices themselves for the other! How am I supposed to live with this on my shoulders?! How am I supposed to deal with losing one of them at the cost of the other?!”_

_He then threw the bottle that he had been drinking over at the nearest wall where it shattered apart and ale splashed over as he fought the urge to scream out. _

_“The worst part?! I can’t choose!” he finally said, his breath heaving and his voice rose with every second as if a blaze had burst into flame from within his chest. If he had to be honest with himself, three years ago if he had to make the choice then, he would have given anything to have his friend, the girl he saw as family, brought back to him. After all that she had given to him and everyone else, it seemed a simple choice to make… but now he had this girl here who had been a prisoner almost all her life. He had tried—truly tried—not to get attached to her in case it ended with another broken heart. But how could he not come to care for her? He taught her how to fight and survive in this world. He taught her how to swim and build up a campfire before going off hunting for food. He watched as she grew and learned more about the world, listening to even Urianger’s dullest lectures with open ears. How she would try her best to cheer him up and how her face would light up when he did something so simple as pat her on the head and tell her that she did a good job or even just smiled at her._

_This girl was her own person and had just as much right to live. _

_And that thought hurt him more than he could ever admit to._

_He spun around, ready to shake his old friend until an answer fell from the sky, but Urianger didn’t move even as Thancred marched over to him. Indeed, he looked ready to stand there and allow himself to be shook and broken if it helped calm the torment inside Thancred’s head._

_“The thing is…” he croaked out, the fire suddenly flickering and dying out as it left only cold embers as he looked away, feeling as if the weight of all that came before was on his shoulders, “I know how our Minfilia would want this to end. We both know how she would wish it to end.”_

_In the end, all he could feel right now… was regret._

_*End of Flashback*_

Such thoughts were racing around inside his head and he knew that how he felt was very different to what Magnus was feeling right now. Still, he did continue and told him, “In the end, all we can do is press on. For those we have lost. For those we can yet save. And that requires your Talos. Please, Magnus. You are our only hope of reaching Nabaath Areng.”

Magnus just swirled the bottle’s liquid around dully before sighing, “What rubbish.”

But he could tell that what he said did seem to reach him. In a sense, anyway. In either case, he didn’t see the need to press him further and walked back to the others. Minfilia was looking to the ground as she whispered, “She’s not gone. No matter what you say or believe, she’s not. We can still bring her back.”

But at what cost?

He didn’t know how to handle this. He didn’t know how to comfort himself, let alone her, and reassure her that everything was going to be alright. How could it be alright?

He didn’t answer her as he raised his hand and patted her gently on the head. It was all that he could do right now. And he let it go at tat as he walked away, wanting to be left alone with his thoughts.

It would be a little while later when Claire approached him. If he wasn’t feeling so miserable, he may have noticed her sad expression. But he didn’t pay attention to that as she informed him that even if Magnus did decide to help them, they would still need a new heart for the Talos, and to find the right material their best option would be to try at a place called Nuvy’s Leavings. She suggested that it would be good just for the two of them to head out there and see what they could find and Urianger would stay here to see what they could do to help the people here with Minfilia.

Ah, this took him back… when last did the two of them head off together? Whatever the answer was, they headed south to the mines, ready to make himself useful.

Their walk was mostly silent like how it was on the way here, but as he glanced over at her, about to ask how far it was to Nuvy’s Leavings, he could see just how tired she looked. Her skin was ashen and she had dark shadows under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in days. She didn’t look like she had been taking care of herself at all recently for her armor seemed to hang off her a little loosely, and the way that some of the way that the bones in her face were protruding slightly gave her the impression of someone who was fighting off a serious ailment.

“Are you feeling alright?” he asked her in concern.

“I’m fine,” she countered calmly, “Just… feeling a little under the weather lately.”

He wanted to press her for more information, but she insisted that it was just the glare from the light that was making her feel unwell and that the sooner they slew the Lightwarden, the better she would feel. She made sure to drop the subject as they continued on the rest of the way through the desert and arrived outside a series of seemingly uninhibited mines.

After looking around, they did find that they weren’t as abandoned as one would think. After looking inside, they met Guthjon, who explained that the stone they needed to get the Talos moving again was called Leonine and that at one point all Talos in the Hills of Amber were powered by it. But with the veins running dry long ago, they were pretty much out of luck. There were other ways they could find it, however, he wouldn’t give them any real answers without a trade. Turns out that he dropped a Voeburt gold piece down here and said that if they could find it then he would tell them what they needed to know. Why was he not surprised? Good thing that Thancred had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. He passed to Claire some sundrops to help her eyes take in more light, and together they set off to try and find the damn coin. She set off deeper into the mines while he looked around in the higher layers for a time. When he was certain that there wasn’t anything of important he came back to wait here for Claire and hope that she found something.

Eventually she came back with a slightly dented golden coin.

“In the end, my contribution was little more than poor company,” he sighed, feeling that he may as well have just stayed behind and brooded.

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without your sundrops,” she pointed out, though he felt that she was only saying that to make him feel better.

“So you say, but you have a proven knack for success regardless of circumstances,” he reminded her, remembering of how it often felt that it was only with her contributions that they were able to get anywhere. “I doubt very much I could’ve discovered it unassisted. I only managed to survive the Coerthan wilderness and the imperial capital by virtue of extensive preparation—a habit of mine since childhood, and one of my few positive traits which endeared me to Louisoix, I imagine.”

He looked away as she looked at him sadly.

“It hasn’t been easy finding ways to compensate for my… condition,” he sighed, feeling that he had to let off some of what was bothering him, “Every tool and trinket has proven vital to my continued success—such as it is. Had I chosen to pursue the arcane arts rather than espionage, well… I rather not think on it.”

Oh, he could use magic fair enough before, but he never felt comfortable using it compared to having a knife or dagger in his hands. It took him a fair amount of time to get used to using the Gunblade after all, but he felt that he was making great strides. As good as with daggers as he was, he needed something a little more heavy-hitting to be able to protect Minfilia in this new world.

After he was rescued from Lahabrea’s control he learned that he was left especially vulnerable to a primal’s influence, which would make his job as a Scion a little more complicated, he was still able to use magic after all that. It wasn’t until his little dip into the Lifestream did it somehow mess up his aether in such a way that he could no longer use magicks like he used to. He found that if he truly forced himself to use it then he can will it to spark… but it left severe damage to his already broken body. He didn’t blame Y’shtola for it though, even after they reunited with her and she realized that his aether had ‘changed’. She was stricken at first and tried to apologize but he wouldn’t hear of it. She saved their lives and he would gladly take that over not being able to use magic again. He could still fight and protect himself so that was all that mattered.

But nowadays, he felt very—inadequate compared to the others now. He would just have to make up for his handicap by being prepared for whatever may happen.

“So long as I have the means to protect those dear to me, and to see my duties through, that’s all that matters,” he decided.

Without another word to her, they returned the coin to Guthjon, who almost fell over in shock. In fact, he was so happy that he told them what they needed, and that their best chance to find some of the Leonine is to find some knockers—or Coblyns as he knew them as.

They can fit through cracks and crevices down there we could never hope to reach. And they sometimes dig up leonine in the mines. He then explained the best way to draw them out was to use smoke bombs and set them off in the minds and they’ll come out.

They each took a handful of bombs and head back into the minds. It was actually something fun to let them off and then attack the knockers that came out to see what was going on. Once they were all dead, he poked through the loose stone on their backs and gathered them up into his pockets before heading out. He only had to wait a few minutes more before Claire joined him, her own arms full of stones of various colors, sizes, and weights before they passed them off to Guthjon, who began to look over what they got for them.

Waiting for him to look over the stones took longer than actually collecting them. He looked over to the minds and became lost in thought after a while.

“It was in Thanalan did you and I have our first mission,” he reminded her and chuckled at the memories. “Ah, your first mission. You were so clueless to everything. Cute… but clueless.”

She turned her head away but he could see her smirking at that.

“You weren’t making things easy,” she reminded him and he shrugged.

“Ah, you’re a big girl. You needed a humble guide, not a babysitter,” he said, “So I felt that it was best to allow you the chance to spread your wings with only a little supervision.”

“Humble?” she asked and he laughed at that.

“Alright, maybe humble wasn’t the best word to use, but you pulled out of it alright,” he said, but his smile soon faded as he remembered the next of his long line of mistakes. “I… I guess… I should apologize for not being when… with Ifrit…?”

They had never brought it up since that day she was dragged off to be served up to the primal of fire. He had wanted to have a chance to properly talk to her about it… but shortly after that event she was rushed off to face Titan and he was—he tried not to remember that.

She was giving him an annoyed look as she scolded simply, “Why bring that up now?”

He looked up in surprise as she shook her head in a way that reminded him of someone but he couldn’t recall who it was.

“I never blamed you for that,” she told him.

“Maybe you don’t, but that doesn’t make me any less responsible,” he said, “It was only through your own heroic actions that you made it out of that mess alive. I was responsible for helping you with your first mission and look what happened? I almost ended up getting you killed because I wasn’t there. I should have been…?”

“And then what?” she cut him off, “What if you were there? Mayhaps you could helped me fight them off and we wouldn’t have been taken. But with all those around us that day, I think it much more likely that you would have been dragged off as well and then what? Tempered by Ifrit?”

He couldn’t really find a way to counter that. What would have happened if he had been there and he had been captured? The last thing he would want was to find himself worshiping that overgrown lizard, but they could never know for sure what would happen if he was there.

“I still feel that I need to apologize,” he said.

“You do, and you did,” she reminded him, “And I forgive you.”

“How can you forgive me that easily?” he demanded, now growing a little frustrated with her lack of anger towards him. It made this sudden anger inside him make him feel ridiculous.

“Isn’t me not hurting anymore more important than you suffering for something that was beyond your control?” she asked. He glared at her before he leaned up against the crates next to him, folding his arms as he took several deep breaths.

“You need to let it go,” she told him softly but with a firm edge to it like how Master Louisoix used to tell him off whenever he did something that he shouldn’t be doing, “I know that it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

Maybe they wouldn’t be here right now if he had been there that day.

He just didn’t know what to think.

“You have to let this go,” she told him again, “I have already forgiven you. Everyone else has already forgiven you. It’s time to forgive yourself for that and any other mistakes you feel that you made.”

Easier said than done. Where does one even begin? How will you know when you are ever truly forgiven?

The two of them stood there in silence for a very long time after that. Neither of them speaking a word—though that wasn’t really a surprise given the company he was with. If one wasn’t in the mood to speak she wasn’t the type to push the matter. He remembered when she was first brought before them in the Waking Sands that day and how he joked with her that he had thought that she was mute until she finally broke her silence. Well, if she wasn’t going to speak, he was going to and recalling the memories of the good old days, he suddenly came to remember another memory. And when he looked to the scaffolding attached to the mine’s entrance, he knew a good story to suddenly tell.

“You may not remember this about our Minfilia…” he said, his voice creaking a little, “But prior to founding the Path of the Twelve, long before the Scions, she was something of a miner.”

He felt her looking at her and he finally glanced back, attempting to keep things light as he explained, “After her father died, F’lhaminn took her in and taught her the trade. I think they were both seeking to fill the void left by a loved one. Maybe that’s why she took to it so readily.” He sighed fondly as he thought back to those younger years while he confessed, “Back in those days, I spent most of my time in the quicksand or some other tavern, loosening tongues and gathering secrets. Occasionally, I’d catch a glimpse of her in the street, or on her way home after another hard day’s work.”

He had been one of the first recruits to Master Louisoix’s Circle of Knowing and he was on a top-secret mission in Ul’dah, tasked with doing what he could to quell the flames of war that threatened to engulf Eorzea. As well as keeping an ear open for any information of the Garleans and their plans.

To most who met him in those days he was just a talented bard who was travelling the land and hoping to improve his skills in battle in the land full of mercenaries and warriors. That had been his cover anyway. The thought was that he was planning to use whatever he could to gain the trust of the Syndicate or, anyone really, who had influence in Ul’dah and use it to stave off any threat that Garlemald might have waiting for them.

It was just another day of spying and buying drinks for those who weren’t paying attention to how much ale went into their system. All in the hopes that they would let slip some useful information that they would otherwise be too drunk to remember in the morning. There had been a parade going on in Ul’dah that day after he just made a pair of lovely, young ladies swoon and he decided to see if he could pick out anyone in the crowd that looked… promising. But that was when the goobbue escaped it’s bindings, all in the nativity of several citizens of hoping to become ‘heroes’ to the people, and it ran amok through the city. When the dust settled, it looked like the only damage had been done to the buildings… easily replaceable… but there had been a single casualty. Leaving a young girl to cling to her father, pleading for him to wake up.

If he had been paying better attention, he may have been able to put a stop to it before it turned into a tragedy. If he had been quicker, if he didn’t let the goobbue escape from him, he may have been able to prevent a young girl becoming an orphan. Of course he didn’t know anything about it being ‘planned’ at first. It just seemed a little too… convenient for him. When he finally put two and two together, and confronted those responsible… they admitted that they planned on freeing the goobbue and then putting it down so that they could be seen as heroes in the eyes of the people and maybe use that influence to encourage people to fight the Empire.

F’lhaminn was one of them.

She confessed all of this to him when he told her what he knew and she tearfully told him that they never meant for anyone to get hurt, much less killed.

But that wasn’t going to change the fact that a man was made to pay with his life and left a daughter all alone in the world. Just like how he had been. He pitied the girl, knowing that she would be forced to survive in this world full of cruelty on her own.

Thankfully, for the girl, F’lhaminn resolved to try and make amends by taking her in and raising her in place of her father. And his own role in the girl’s life had dropped to almost non-existent. There was no need for him to worry after all, the girl was safe and alive, and with someone who would do their best to guide and protect her. He shouldn’t feel like he had to do anymore…?

It was just that, for reasons he could never explain even to himself, he couldn’t bear the thought of letting go. Perhaps it was simply because he was worried that enemies of her father would come after her for he did betray his Garlean spymasters before his untimely death.

He spent many more moons in Ul’dah, and he made sure to look in on little Ascilia from time to time just to make sure she was safe. On a few occasions he managed to find an undercover Garlean operative who was on the trail of her father—which brought him nearly to the girl’s doorstep.

It was for this that he approached the two, and told them that for Ascilla’s safety, she should take up a new name.

_Ascilia looked into his eyes and considered the implication of his words without prejudice. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. “...Very well. But what name shall I take?”_

_Thancred closed his eyes, thought briefly for a moment, then spoke._

_“Minfilia,” he said with quiet conviction. “Minfilia Warde.”_

_It was nearly as inspired a name as the one Louisoix had convinced him to embrace so many years ago. A common enough name for a Highlander girl—yet not one so overused as to draw unnecessary attention. A name that would keep her safe in Thancred’s absence._

_“Minfilia...” she said with a smile. “Yes, I rather like the sound of it.”_

To this day he looked back on that moment with a smile. He wondered if this was how a parent felt when they first named their child and then watch them grow? From time to time after that, he would make the habit of just stopping by to check on Minfilia and it wasn’t uncommon to see her sporting a pickaxe on her back as she made a living in the mines.

More than once he was forced to step in to protect her whenever drunkards from the Quicksand or one of the other taverns were kicked out for getting to rowdy and they would see a young girl walking the streets alone. Though it rarely ended with violence, he did feel much better walking her home.

Her favorite line to him at the end of those trips would be, “Thank you, Thancred. Do take care not to overdo it at the tavern. You are too quick to forget yourself, especially in the company of women...”

To which he would usually come up with a witty comeback, his favorite was, “I will heed your sage advice as if my very life depended on it.”

Of course he never did and it caused her to roll her eyes at him before she stepped inside her humble home. It was never much, but every time he saw the girl safely home, he would feel incredibly proud of himself.

“I always felt a wave of relief when I saw she’d come back safe… along with a pang of guilt at the fact I wasn’t there to support her as I should’ve been,” he sighed as Claire listened in, “Simply speaking with her more than once in a blue moon would’ve been a good start, but I could never seem to bring myself to do it. instead, I threw myself into my ‘work’ and became every drunkard’s best friend.

“Not your finest hour, to say the least,” she pointed out and he laughed.

“Far from it—and F’lhaminn has never let me live it down,” he admitted, more than a little mortified by his past behavior. Ever since then, Urianger had endeavored to ‘keep an eye on him’ and always remind him of some of his more… embarrassing mistakes whenever he drank too much. Gods, that man certainly knew what to say to get them to behave. “But that was a lifetime ago. Here and now I have another chance to do things right, and I will not squander it again.”

Years later when he confessed to F’lhaminn that he felt responsible for being unable to prevent the death of her father, she insisted that he had no reason to feel guilt for that. He had nothing to do with their plans and that if there was anyone out there that should feel tormented by this… it was her.

But though he was not part of their plan, he painfully realized that no matter how strong he had become since those days skulking about the darkmans of Limsa—he was still as powerless as he was back then.

“Hey!” Guthjon’s voice called, getting their attention, “Come and see what I’ve found! You’re not going to believe this!”

They both got up and jogged over to the table where he was looking at them with eyes as wide as plates. When they asked about the leonine, he croaked out, “It is, at that! You lot were born lucky. It’s mostly broken pieces—but look at this!”

He then took a heavy stone from his pocket and held it out. It was about the size of a dinner roll and Guthjon was overjoyed by this, telling him that it had been decades since they found anything even approaching this size. But he then pointed out the engraving on the stone.

Thancred turned the stone over in his hands and that was when he was able to make out tiny scratches on the rough surface, though they were hard to make out.

_To my beloved Magnus and Skulli_

All three of them stared at it, not sure what to say.

“Yes! Do you see!?” Guthjon cried, “It was a gift to Magnus from his wife! She found it. She really found it. She must’ve spent her final hours carving this message into the stone, in the hope that he might see it one day. Those rock-backed bastards must’ve made off with it before we could clear a path to her. It’s fate that brought you here to find this stone. No other explanation. Makes me wonder what else might still be buried in these parts.”

That was a good question, but sadly one they couldn’t explore right now. They thanked Guthjon for all his help and he tucked it safely into his pocket as they got ready to head out. Before they did though, Guthjon had one request.

“Before you set it in the Talos,” he said, “would you take it to Magnus? For three long years he’s believed she died for nothing. He must know the truth—that her sacrifice was not in vain.”

“We’ll take it straight to him,” Thancred promised, having planned on showing it to Magnus first anyway, “You have my word. Thank you, Guthjon, for all your help.”

They raced back to Twine, finding Magnus right where they left him in the graveyard. But now that he was here, Thancred was a little concerned to how Magnus would react to it. Well, too late to turn back now, the appeared at his side as the man rolled his head to see who was bothering him this time.

“What? Oh, it’s you,” he grumbled. “If you’ve come to complain about the trolley, you’ll find no sympathy from me. I told you before it won’t run, and you wouldn’t listen.”

“Oh, but it will,” Thancred said pulling out the stone, “Now that we have this. Your name is engrave don it, along with your son’s. It was a gift from your wife, Magnus. From Agna.”

At the mention of his wife’s name all trace of drunkenness faded from his face as he got up to his feet. He took the stone and looked over the scratches as if they held the secrets of the universe in them.

“No… no, she couldn’t have…” he whispered, “Agna.”

His face was filled with something other than the drunk haze that it held since they met—this time a terrible kind of joy and regret mixed in. But it seemed that he could no longer look at the stone and all but threw it back at them

“Take it,” he said, “Do with it what you will.”

Thancred then offered for him to keep it, but Magnus shook his head, saying that they were the ones who found it and needed it more. He then sat back in front of the grave and grumbled that he just wanted to be alone.

“I hope you’ll be there when the Talos stirs to life,” was all that Thancred to say to him, “I’m sure she’d want you to see it.”

But Magnus ignored him completely as they left, leaving him alone with his thoughts. They then delivered the stone to Urianger, who set to work removing the broken remains of the Talos’s old heart from the empty chest cavity.

Urianger carefully placed the large chunk of leonine into the Talos, as Thaffe asked them how they managed to find leonine that big, but by the time that they finished explaining—much to their astonishment—Urianger had already rearranged everything inside its chest before he closed the stone doors and took a step back.

“Preparations for the enchantment are complete,” he said, turning to Thaffe and Jeryk. “When the heart hath been suffused with a sufficient quantity of aether, the golem should be restored to life.”

Everyone waited with baited breath—indeed, both Thaffe and Jeryk were looking like children impatiently waiting for their nameday presents—as Urianger began to put some of his own aether into the Talos to get it moving. With a loud gridding noise, the Talos creaked and slowly moved. They watched with amazement and excitement as the stone giant began to get to its feet and stood tall for them.

“It’s working!” Thaffe cried. “It’s working!”

It looked ready to dissolve into cheers at least until he heard Thaffe’s shocked voice say, “M-Magnus…”

Thancred looked back in time to see the man had come to watch after all. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared ahead, as if unable to believe it. But then pain washed over his face as they moved back and allowed him to approach the stone creation.

But there was no excitement or joy in his face… only grief… terrible, terrible grief.

“You left me for this?” he heard Magnus whisper as his shoulders trembled, “This wretched heap of stone and rubble…” The bottle fell from his hands and rolled across the stone ground, and he stepped closer, pressing his forehead to the Talos’s leg. “This worthless pile of earth?” the hand that had held the bottle now curled up into a fist and he hit the Talos’s stone leg over and over before breaking down completely as he whispered, “And yet… I can’t… I can’t…”

Thancred just looked on, completely lost in thoughts as he remembered all the times that he muttered those same words.

Claire, who was standing beside him, also seemed unable to turn her gaze away from the scene, her eyes glazed over with a kind of sadness that he couldn’t remember seeing before. But neither of them asked the other as they watched Magnus cry. When Thaffe and Jeryk both tried to comfort him the two of them decided to give them space and time and they left together when they noticed that half of their group was missing.

They wandered the tracks for a time before they found Minfilia sitting on the top of a cliff near the edge of Twin, with her arms around her knees and hugging herself as she shook. Urianger was kneeling next to her, speaking quietly. Thancred made to join them when they came close enough to hear what was being said and when he heard his own name, he led out his hand to stop Claire, who paused.

“Thancred most of all. He’ll never admit it, but I can see it in his eyes…” she croaked out and she was whimpering, on the verge of crying outright before finally crying out bitterly, “I wish he’d just say it - just say that he hates me! That he wishes I was dead so that she could return!”

But that wasn’t true. He didn’t wish that. He yearned for his Minfilia to be returned to them, but he didn’t wish her dead… never. Why would she…? Oh, wait… now it made sense. He lowered his head, screwing up his eyes as he felt sick to his stomach.

He did this to her. He made her feel this miserable and he hated himself for it.

However, the simple truth was that he didn’t know how to tell her how he felt. Looking at her now, she never looked more like a frightened child who was separated from her parents and didn’t know her way home.

He just wanted to tell her that he was afraid of giving her anymore of his heart in terror of it being broken again. He wanted her to realize that all he wanted was for her to be safe and happy and that he was there to guard her with his life.

But he didn’t know how.

Urianger suddenly patted the top of her head gently and reassured her, “None of this is thy doing, child.” He seemed to struggle within him for a moment before confessing, “‘Twas I who set the Oracle on her path unto the First. I who condemned you all to suffer these torments. ‘Tis my sin alone, and one that will haunt me unto my dying day.”

That was true… but though Thancred wanted to hate him for that, he could understand why he did what he did.

Together they looked over the landscape of red rock and sand as Urianger told her simply, “Yet, I dare not dwell overlong on my many regrets, for the world is a tapestry of fates, interwoven and inseparable, and we who strive to better it cannot choose but make difficult decisions.”

Urianger heaved a sigh, and for the first time, Thancred could see the trace of the ‘Sorcerer as old as time itself’ in his face. He suddenly looked as if he had aged a hundred years or more in that brief moment and he had to wonder just what was going through his mind to cause him to look like that?

But he then went on with a rather rueful smile at Minfilia, “For naught of worth was ever achieved without sacrifice. And thus must man ever struggle to weigh life against loss.”

It seemed like good advice, but still, Thancred could swear that he felt that there was more to it than that… like Urianger was trying to convince himself of that as much as to Minfilia.

When the girl looked up at him, he could see a tear falling from her cheeks and Urianger gently wiped it away as he reassured her, “The one for whom thou mournest beareth no grudge. Were she here, she would not suffer thee to languis in sorrow. She would tell thee to seek thine own path, thine own purpose.”

She would, wouldn’t she? She—she always did love children and hated to see them cry. Thancred couldn’t help but stop the faint smile on his own mouth as Urianger chuckled sadly, “It is a truth which I myself was slow to learn. Yet a truth it remaineth.”

Thancred looked back up in time to see how Urianger patted her head again, and smiled kindly at her as he promised, “Thou needs but have faith. Have faith, and all will be well.”

His words seem to be enough to bring comfort to Minfilia, who was gazing up at him with those crystalline eyes once more and nodded, despite her sadness, and managed him a small smile of gratitude.

"Go to her."

He had almost forgotten that Claire was here. He heard Claire whisper softly next to him but he ignored it at first. He wanted too… was close to doing so. But he couldn’t. No, not now… it wasn’t right. He remained silent for a long time before finally answering, “Not today.”

He made to turn and walk by her, but she suddenly blocked his way, causing him to blink in surprise.

For one moment he was certain she was going to punch him… or perhaps he was hoping that she would give him a smack. But she just stared at him in a way he had seen somewhere before… ah… now he remembered. It was the same look whenever Louisoix caught him doing something he shouldn’t. Disappointment.

“I won’t tell you what to do. It is not my place. But if you don’t tell her today… when will you next have the chance?” was all she asked him before shaking her head and walking away.

He watched on sadly as she moved out from outside their hiding place and approached the two. He watched as she joined them on that ledge and they talked for a moment before Urianger stood, saying something that sounded like wanting to check on the Talos and that they should rest here before heading back. He left the two girls to sit and talk on the ledge as he walked along the tracks, his head down, and his heart heavy.

They left Claire and Minfilia on that ledge to talk for some time, but eventually, the two came back and Minfilia was looking a little more cheerful. Still sad, but there seemed to be a new thoughtfulness to her face as she greeted them, as if she had much to think about in the short time that they spoke.

When he saw her, Thancred did try to speak, but his throat closed up and his tongue felt heavy so that he couldn’t muster any sound. Not that he could think of any words to say right now.

They left the miners of Twine go over the Talos, getting it to walk and testing it out, all of them looking ecstatic that their long years of work had finally paid off. Even Magnus seemed to be pulling himself slowly out of his anguish and by the time that they were certain that the Talos was fully functional, he seemed to come back to life and shake off the boozy stupor he had been in.

“It’s been years since I’ve seen a Talos in such fine shape,” he sighed when they approached him, “Would that Agna was here to see it. Or our son… I was ready to let her dreams die down there in the mines. Even after you’d found the leonine, I refused to believe that it could work. Gods, what a fool I was. But I tell you now—I’m going to take good care of this Talos. For both their sakes. On behalf of my family, and all the miners of Twine, thank you.”

They didn’t do that much—or at least, _he_ didn’t—but they smiled at him as he began to explain how everything, including the gate, works. They were finally going to head there and that the control box was at the mines.

Soon… very soon… they would see her again. Now that the moment was here, he was terrified and wanted to turn and run as far from Naabath Areng as he could.

Before he gave into his desire though, he heard Minfilia clear her throat.

“Before we go…” she whispered and he looked down at her, “While you were away with Claire, I prepared an extra set of cartridges for you.” And from her pocket, she pulled out a small white bag full of cartridges… including one on top of the pile that seemed to glow.

He looked at it in surprise as she explained, “It’s the practice cartridge you gave me. I know I should’ve thrown it away ages ago, but I’ve been adding a little extra to it every day. After so many charges, I’m honestly not sure what it will do. But I wanted you to have it. For luck.”

He was oddly choked up as he took it… feeling how warm it was among the other cold ones.

“Minfilia, I—uh…” he tried to thank her but was still unable to speak. She just smiled before saying they should go and they followed after her… feeling lower than he ever had before.

They followed the others straight to the old mines where they first met and began to set the Talos up with the trolley, and Jeryk seemed to be in tears of joy. He was just wishing out loud that he wished that he could capture this moment in a painting or even a quick sketch. Suddenly he turned to Claire and began asking her since she was good at everything, he wanted to know if she was an artist too? She just shook her head politely at him but he could feel her eyes on him and he sighed.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I will talk to her,” he promised her, “When the time is right.”

Damn her stoicism… he just could never figure out what she was feeling. She didn’t look relieved or disappointed again—she just nodded and let the matter go from there. He supposed that was the best he could get from it.

It was about twenty minutes later before the Talos was ready for them and they were busy at the control panel.

There was no point in delaying their meeting with the former leader of the Scions, and before he could have imagined it, they were climbing the ladder to the trolley as the Talos took the handles, built perfectly just for its massive hands.

That was when they all realized that there was someone missing. Urianger was still on the ground, and they were all looking down at him questionably, wondering what was going on. Thancred was about to joke that even though Urianger was afraid of water that shouldn’t mean he was afraid to travel by rail.

“Thou must needs carry on without me,” he said seriously, “The path to Nabaath Areng lieth open. Whilst thou travelest thither to the south, I would apprise Mistress Alisaie and the others of our progress. As circumstances permit, I will thereafter rejoin the hunt for the remaining Lightwardens.”

What? He was leaving them now? Oh, he wished not… while he could see the logic in his suggestion, the idea of going on alone with these two frightened him more than any sin eater. But, after getting one good look at his face, he knew that he would be fighting a losing battle and agreed that it was for the best.

“Magnus,” Thancred called, still feeling unease. “Will the gate close immediately after the trolley passes through?”

Magnus wiped his brow, leaving some dirt spread across his furry forehead, and was in good spirits without having partook in any spirits himself, shook his head, “No, it will stay open until someone closes it manually. Built that way to prevent any untimely accidents.”

Well, at least they didn’t need to worry about being trapped there. They would just walk along the tracks back through the gate should something else happen. Thancred nodded, and turned his attention back to Urianger. “Then you and the others can meet us in Nabaath Areng after giving the Eulmorans the slip.”

Urianger nodded in understanding and they began to bid their farewells.

“Urianger,” Minfilia spoke up shakily, and when he looked at her, she seemed to lose confidence in her words for a moment before saying earnestly, “Thank you. For everything.”

He just smiled back and reminded her quietly, “Remember - thou needs but have faith.”

They all wished each other the best of luck before Magnus yelled at them to grab hold of something if they finished with their goodbyes for he would hate to see them all take a tumble. Urianger waved them off, as the trolley slowly began to move. But as they were leaving, Thancred caught hold of his friends’ eye and they nodded. It was now almost time and they all had to be ready… for whatever outcome awaited them.

The Talos sped up and they broke eye contact as he looked forward, preparing himself for whatever was waiting. The Talos sped up as it lumbered behind them, moving surprising fast for a figure of stone, and carried them out of the railyard and ever onwards.

It was a surprisingly smooth ride with nary a hiccup along the way. This was certainly a fine way to travel and Thancred was wondering if they could bring something like this to Eorzea to allow people to get around without the need of Chocobo porters every moment. It was something that he could bring up with Cid when he got back.

He even chuckled as Minfilia looked over the ledge—and he was ready to grab her if she leaned too far over—and watched the scenery go back in a windy blur. Soon enough, they spotted the gate settled into the mountain as they passed below the crystalline wave of light that seemed to make the glare of the sun even more painful than before as it cast facets of rainbows along the deck of the trolley. He was feeling more than a little concerned when they saw the gate and there were no signs of it opening… at least until they felt a slight shake beneath them, as if the Talos stepped on something. At last, the heavy gates began to creak open. To think that they hadn’t moved in decades and they were still moving as if they were freshly built? This was a marvel of engineering after all.

“So far so good,” he sighed as the door opened and entered a darkened tunnel.

It seemed a smooth trip the rest of the way… at least that was what he was hoping for. But as they fell into a slope and he saw he could see light at the end… what he saw when they came out was when his jaw and heart both dropped.

He couldn’t see him at first after the glare of the light momentarily blinded him after they existed the tunnel—but it couldn’t be anyone else.

"Wait... is that—Ran'jit!"

And it was indeed the old General from Eulmore… and Minfilia’s old prison warden.

He didn’t have time at all to react. He was so certain that he had been killed back in Rak’tika…? How the hells did he get here? As the trolley approached the old man—who was standing so causally on the tracks—he gave out a single kick and before he knew it both the Talos and trolley were knocked off the tracks and they went flying through the air.

Dazed and baffled at what just happened, Thancred hit the ground with all the wind knocked out of him and it took him a few minutes to be able to wheeze himself into a kneeling position.

“You’re a stubborn old swine, aren’t you…” he growled.

“One who has mastered Gukumatz fears not the blackest pit or the fieriest hell,” Ran’jit answered calmly, “Your deeds in the east did not go unnoticed. Long have I lain in wait, and sure enough, you did not disappoint. Had you only sworn fealty to Lord Vauthry, you would have no cause to skulk about like frightened animals.”

Damn him… he must have suspected that they would break up into two groups—especially when he noticed that Minfilia wasn’t with them. He didn’t know how he was able to get here ahead of them and through that gate none the less, but he would worry about that later. He was already mentally preparing for them all to fight him again when he heard a slight grunt of effort from Minfilia as she rolled to her stomach and was trying to get up.

“You will remain as you are,” Ran’jit ordered, “While I dispatch these villains.”

Perhaps he thought that she would meekly shy away from the coldness in his voice, but if he thought so, he was gravely mistaken.

“No! I won’t…! I won’t let you!” she shot back, and though there was a slight tremble in her voice, she didn’t back down like one would expect.

That seemed to quickly spark anger in him as Ran’jit glared at her.

“You forget to whom you speak!” he barked at the girl in outrage, “Who armed you? Trained you? Fought and killed a thousand sin eaters with you? And when you were inevitably cut down and lay lifeless in my arms—who sought out your successor to carry on the futile struggle again and again?! We seek to bring peace to what is left of this shattered land, while these mad fools would only bring further chaos down upon us! Do not be deceived, child! Only by Lord Vauthry’s hand will this dying world know a sliver of salvation!”

Blah, blah, blah… the guy comes back from the dead and suddenly he’s looking to stand at the altar and preach to the world about the glory of serving a fat lard like his master. Thancred was already reaching for his weapon, ready to strike at him in the middle of his rant, which looked like it may go on for a while, but Minfilia had beaten him to it.

“I don’t know about the world… but I never asked to be saved,” she spat back, “However much it hurts, and however hard it gets, it’s my life, and I want to live it on my own terms!”

He froze at her words as she rallied to her feet, holding onto a bruised arm from when she landed after flying out of the trolley, but that wasn’t enough to stop her. No, she went on into a rant of her own, her own anger rising like boiling water and scorching as it spilled over the sides. It looked like she had been wanting to say this for some time as she yelled back, “And those ‘mad fools’ you want me to abandon? The ones I’ve traveled with, fought with, and may one day die with—they feel the same. So no, I will not be deceived! No matter what you say, I refuse to believe it’s all for nothing!”

She took a deep breath before saying in a smaller tone, “They are everything to me! All I have and all I need! And I will gladly do anything for them.”

His heart beat painfully at that… for he knew that feeling very well. For they were family to him and he would gladly give much and more for every single one of them—yes, even that stick in the mud Urianger.

Minfilia then stood tall, her eyes blazing forward, and she seemed to find some satisfaction at seeing Ran’jit’s furious appearance as she gave him an ultimatum.

“Let us pass, or kill me,” she declared slowly and with no trace of uncertainty, “I’m not leaving here without them.”

Something in Ran’jit’s face broke at that.

“How dare you!” he roared out, seething with rage before taking several deep breaths and decided, “Very well—if you would cast your lot with villains, then you shall share their fate!”

Thancred's body moved without him even realizing it. one moment he was on the ground, the next he was in front of Minfilia and blocking the attack that Ran’jit had aimed directly for her—as if his hand was about to grab her throat. Thancred was barely able to hold him back, but in Ran’jit’s anger, he didn’t seem to notice that someone else was there before Thancred forced him back. He just swung his blade as he stood between him and the girls, his blood reaching through his veins as he suddenly found the words that he wanted to say—or rather needed to say.

"I heard what you said. And I'm sorry for all the things I've left unspoken,” he said to Minfilia, back to her. He would normally be looking at her, but didn’t dare take his eyes off Ran’jit, who was still looking ready to try and take out Minfilia first.

There was no time to waste. He didn’t think he would have the strength to do what needed to be done if he waited any longer. There was only one thing that he could do right now and that was to protect her from their biggest threat from getting to the next Lightwarden.

"You have to go. Now!" he commanded to both Minfilia and the Warrior of Darkness.

"Thancred no—!" Minfilia gasped, but he wasn’t having any of it.

"Go!” he snapped back, “Do what you came here to do. I'll not have you waste that newfound resolve on me." The girl was finally ready, he could see that, and he had to continue to fulfill his promise to both Minfilias until it was over. He turned his head slightly just so that he could get Claire, who had already gotten to her feet long ago and was reaching for her weapon, but he just silently shook his head at her, getting her attention.

They shared a look with each other, much like how he did with Urianger earlier, before looking back to Ran’jit, still ready to go as he said, "I leave her in your hands. Hurry!"

All he managed to catch was a nod from both of them before he was looking back at Ran'jit. He heard the crunch of their footsteps and knew they were making a break for it when he saw Ran’jit’s head turn. He then leapt forward to attack their retreating backs, but Thancred was on him in an instant and forced him back, pointing his gunblade at him, silently daring him to try that again.

"Not another step,” he warned, “Your fight is with me."

"You think yourself her protector!?” he barked back with an edge of laughter to it, “Hah! As if a whelp like you could be a better father to her than me!"

What kind of fathers were they though, really? One kept her locked up almost her whole life while the other was afraid to get too close? It was a miracle that the girl wasn’t messed up in the head after all the hell she went through.

He was the first to run forward and he met Ran’jit with his blade. It was galling to be fighting a man who fighting back with no form of weapons other than his hands and feet—and who was old enough to be his own grandsire—but he ignored that as he fought back as hard as he could.

"Whatever it takes, I swear I will end you,” Thancred pants as he brought his blade down only for it to be knocked away with a punch and he landed a solid kick to his stomach—where Thancred was certain that he broke a few ribs—and knocked the wind out of him for a second time.

"Hmph. You lie to yourself as you lied to her," Ran'jit shouted back, his face full of anger before he created balls of explosive aether between them and brought lightning down upon them. Thancred gritted his teeth as he felt himself burned from the bolts, but he refused to allow the old man to gain the upper hand.

“Aye, I lied,” he confessed, “But no more. She deserves better.”

She did deserve much better. Better than anything he could have to offer. Only now did he realize just how cold he was, how he must have forced the poor girl to suffer. If he did live through this, he swore that he would do all he could to make it up to her and the others.

“A life of pain?” Ran’jit demanded as both he and his drake attacked, “Of ceaseless conflict and despair?”

Thancred could imagine the pain that he must have gone through that turned him into this. But this was no way to handle it. He wasn’t going to stand back and allow him to have his way any longer. Still, the drake did knock him down and he felt himself wheezing for air. No, not today. He couldn’t let them down today.

He got back up as more lightning fell and now he had to pace himself and avoid the attacks if he wanted to stay alive long enough to deal any damage.

“This is going well…” he growled, unable to stop himself from joking despite the seriousness of the situation.

“Vanity…” Ran’jit snapped before using another blast of wind aether to force him back and held up his hand. “Beast of my blood, answer my call!”

Thancred knew what was coming now. He groaned out as he watched the long dragon-like drake appear before them. It then swirled around the old man, aether suddenly erupting like a volcano as a blast made his head ring and revealed the armor. Somehow he had merged with the serpent dragon and was garbed in crimson armor and tattered garments with a gleaming red scythe in his hands.

“Rend my foes and ward their blows,” he cried as Thancred rallied to his feet.

It was this technique that earned him the title of General in the Eulmorian army.

There was a reason he was considered to be ‘undefeated’ before now.

Thancred just gritted his teeth, knowing that he had to think fast if he wanted to avoid becoming another victory under his belt.

"Ha, so you really are a monster,” he taunted, more to try and annoy him and give him time to think than actually trying to scare him.

"Better a monster than a deceiver," Ran'jit swung his scythe, cutting through the air and making Thancred dodge back just in time. "A spinner of dreams and false hopes."

"There is no folly in hope!" Thancred returned the hit with a shot before Ran'jit jumped back and away, easily dodging it.

"... I said as much myself, once,” he sighed, “I was wrong. Never again."

This was getting him nowhere.

_‘Damn it! I need time to line up a clean shot,’ _he thought to himself, dancing around the man, slashing where he could and trying to avoid the incoming attacks. “I suppose if there's no other way…”

It was an old friend of his that never failed him before. But with his body in the state that it was…?

Still, he had to do something.

“When will you learn?” Ran’jit demanded.

“When you’re dead and buried!” Thancred countered and with a newfound resolve, he rolled out of the way of the scythe just as Ran’jit summoned several heads of pure aether in the form of dragon heads. All the heads were now locked onto him and he was dangerously close to becoming roast here and now.

“Yield now and I will grant you a quick death,” Ran’jit snapped.

Oh, how nice of him. Too bad that Thancred was too stubborn to give up to an old swine like him.

“But we’ve only just begun,” he countered with a shite-eaten grin on his face before stepping into Perfect Deception: a technique that hid one from another’s view. He was more amazed that he was able to pull it off at all… but almost immediately he could feel his body breaking under the effort. He was choking on his own blood as the aether in his blood reacted violently to the change and his own heart was thumping hard in his own ears.

“Not good,” he wheezed as Ran’jit was now leaping across the field looking for him.

_‘The strain is more than I remember,’ _he thought to himself,_ ‘At least now I can get that shot.’_

He could feel his pulse beginning to quicken and a tightness in his chest before he was able to get Ran’jit to stand still long enough for him to get a shot in.

But Ran’jit wasn’t amused even with the bullet in his shoulder.

“You would court death for mere parlor tricks?” he demanded and Thancred was sent flying back and hit the ground, his Perfect Deception fading and left him visible.

Thancred panted hard as he got back up, his legs feeling like jelly, “My life would be but a small price to pay.”

Look at him… what did he have going for him? Here he was, completely alone, with no real plan, no one coming to back him up, and with nothing to lose. He had no reason to bluff here. And for a moment, it seemed that Ran’jit realized this fact—that his opponent wasn’t too concerned with the prospect of his own death.

That seemed to shake him slightly, but it quickly faded as he snapped, “Then pay it you shall!”

He had to bid his time to strike again. Until then, he just had to survive. Easy right?

Ran’jit’s attacks were relentless, coming in wave after wave, mostly of fire and lightning with the occasional swing of his scythe. But Thancred was able to keep ahead of them. If nothing else, he had one thing going for him that Ran’jit didn’t have… someone to protect and he knew that he had to hold on… for Minfilia and Claire’s sake.

“You never understood her,” he said, hoping that he could get him off guard, “She is not a bird to be locked away in a gilded cage.”

“And you presume to be her protector,” Ran’jit sneered back, “Pathetic!”

He called forth the dragon heads once more and Thancred took that as a sign to fade from view once more.

“Looks like I’ll have to use it again, then,” he panted before fading away. The second time was even more painful than the first. Now it felt like large insects were crawling up under his skin and a few blood vessels were now popping—at least that was what he assumed that strange popping noise in his ear was.

“Urgh… hold still, damn you!” he wheezed as he had to fight his way just to get close enough to fire another attack. And so the fight went on, though Ran’jit seemed more infuriated at this point.

“You have played your hand far too early, boy,” he warned and they began to move in a perfect circle around each other. Thancred starting to feel hope blossom inside him for he knew that he was making progress, slow progress, but progress never the less. However, he was quickly fading. He didn’t know how much longer he could reasonably hold out for and Ran’jit was still going strong.

The attacks were coming harsher and faster with every second before he actually realized that Ran’jit was being pushed to his breaking point. Not as quickly as Thancred was, but it was enough to give him the fighting chance he needed. If he could just take him down then he knew that the girls would be safe from him pursuing them. Sure he may not live after that, but if it meant that Minfilia and the Warrior of Light had time to get away, it would be a worthy death in his eyes. He would be keeping Minfilia safe as well as making things up with Claire for his failure to protect her the day that she was served up to Ifrit so long ago.

“This has carried on long enough, wouldn’t you agreed?” he asked.

“Why do you persist in this folly?” Ran’jit demanded and he could see a vein reaching danger points in the older man’s forehead.

Well, the alternate is letting him win and he certainly didn’t want to do that.

“Is that all?” Thancred taunted as the dragon’s heads appeared once more. One more… he faded from view, but at this point he could barely draw breath and blood was beginning to spurt out of his many open cuts. This was his last shot and he felt that it was time for him to use his secret weapon. He pulled out the glowing cartridge, ready to load it into his gunblade… _‘Minfilia’s last cartridge… have to… make it count…’_ he was panting hard now and his fingers fumbled to try and fit it into the damn slot.

“There you are!”

He looked up in time to be hit by Ran’jit’s next attack and he felt blood dripping into his eyes as his trick faded and he hit the ground hard.

“Gah! But how!?” he demanded, blood dripping down his chin. Once more he desperately tried to disappear, but he suddenly found that his body was frozen and could not move. Not that it mattered since Ran’jit found him almost immediately again. It seems that he finally caught on to his own ‘aether’ and could find him even invisible.

“I’d hoped you would fall for it a third time…” he grunted, struggling to get up, “Urgh… though two times was perhaps already too many…”

His heart was beating in agony and his head felt like someone was shoving a spike through it as he cast his mind about for something, anything, that could get him out of this.

“No more tricks?” Ran’jit asked, also beginning to pant, as he walked towards him, his armor gleaming menacingly in the glaring light, “Then let us finish this.”

Thancred was at a lost; but the moment that he heard the word ‘trick’ he suddenly remembered one last ace up his sleeve… even though he knew that it would almost surely kill him this time.

“But you’ve not even seen the grand finale,” he grinned, trying to get back up, but his body was now rebelling against him. “One… last… disappearing act…”

“Were you not struggling to stand I might think you serious,” Ran’jit stated, not seeing the danger that was coming towards him now.

“Oh, I am _deadly_ serious,” Thancred grinned as the dragon heads readied to attack. It was his last resort, and even before he lost the ability to use magicks, it was very dangerous technique to use. But he did it anyway by stepping into his Souldeep Invisibility. This was a technique that completely concealed one’s own presence by temporarily severing the flow of the Life-sustaining aether around them. He doubted that even those like Urianger and Y’shtola could find him like this… though he knew he had only seconds in this form.

If nothing else, just seeing Ran’jit boom out in frustration was enough to bring him satisfaction even as he struggled to breathe.

“Fool!” Ran’jit roared out, “You think the shadows will save you?”

Ran’jit then fired a blast of wind-aether and though he was hit, the spell didn’t fade and Ran’jit still couldn’t see him.

“There is no escape!” Ran’jit screamed now attacking the air randomly, attacking as wide a space as he could until he found him, “Do you hear me!?”

Just… a little more… it would all soon be over. 

Feeling as if his heart was threatening to burst open, Thancred finished loading his last bullet into his weapon and clambered to his feet. He could feel his aether suffocating him from the inside and his blood was seeping up through his many wounds and cuts as the pain from his broken ribs made him feel that he must have punctured something internally for sure.

“Thank you, Minfilia…” he whispered, “For this precious gift…”

Feeling as if his legs turned too lead, he forced himself to walk, wondering how his body hadn’t given out on him by now, but got close enough to Ran’jit to fire.

"To hell with you!" Thancred cried as he delivered a rather hard attack which worked like nothing else had and Ran’jit finally fell.

"Gaahhh!!!"

Ran'jit was the one taken to his knees this time. Panting he glared up at Thancred, who stepped back into the open and breathed properly for the first time—growing light-headed from the sudden rush. Ran’jit’s armor faded away as he looked up, hardly able to move.

"You would have her suffer and die,” he snarled at him, “I would spare her that fate!"

That may be… but better the master of your own destiny than merely a pet of another. She was not some helpless little girl—not anymore. And he wasn’t going to allow him to control her any longer.

"That is not for you or anyone else to decide—ever again,” he hissed, still ready to go another round. But the two just looked at each other for a long time at those words. It seemed that some kind of understanding reached them both and Ran’jit silently looked away. With a burst of lightning, the man and his dragon that swirled around him, disappeared and left them alone.

He was gone… finally deciding to flee. And it was then that any strength left in him faded. Everything that had happened in the last few years seemed to crash down all at once and he tried to remain upright, but with his vision swimming before him, and him coughing up blood, he allowed himself to backwards onto the warm ground and stared up at the sky, panting for breath.

He laid there, flat on his back with his arms outstretched as he felt his painfully beating heart slowly returned to normal. There was a slight wind on his face and he closed his eyes… almost willing himself to believe that he was lying out upon Thanalan’s desert sands with a warm sun on his face—just outside the Waking Sands where his family of misfits and outcasts were all working merrily inside. He could almost hear the voices of Tataru scolding the other Scions into not leaving all their books around the place as Papalymo and Yda—Lyse—getting into some petty disagreement and Y’shtola hummed in amusement.

He was so lost in the feeling that when he did open his eyes that, for that split second, he was wondering what happened to the sky.

Right… he was here, wasn’t he?

Five years since he first came to this world. Five years since he last saw the night sky… and even longer since he spoke with… his Minfilia.

When he learned of the fate that awaited them on the morrow though, he knew that he would be willing to do whatever it took to prevent that future from coming to pass. He couldn’t just sit around and wait for them all to get killed… so he had to make himself useful until the Exarch could get his act together and bring the Warrior of Light here.

During that time, he learned of the latest ‘Minfilia’… a child who was both like and unlike his own Minfilia. But it wasn’t her. He could not lie and say that he didn’t secretly hope that she would be in there somewhere when he saw her. But when he found that little girl huddled in that cell in Eulmore…?

It had taken him months of reconnaissance to be able to learn everything he needed to know to plan the rescue. Sure he could sneak into the city itself easily enough, but he had no idea where they could be holding Minfilia. He could remember the pristine of the white marble and majestic buildings carved out of stone… so familiar with his hometown of Limsa Lominsa that he felt strangely at home even in this city a world away from the one he grew up in.

He had knocked out a Eulmoran guard and stole his uniform to get down to the lower levels until he finally managed to track down the entrance. From what he later learned this subterranean chamber was used as a storehouse in one age and a safe haven to shelter the people from the sin eaters until Vauthry took over and converted into a makeshift gaol.

It was here that he felt it was safe to leave the guard’s armor off—it was hard for him to move in anyway—and continued down into the deepest chamber. He managed to evade any watchmen who were stationed here, and only dispatched those whom he thought would try to stop them. Thankfully they were in the middle of a guard change so the area was left mainly empty for him. This was good for him since if he was expected to spirit away a child he needed to use everything at his disposal to ensure her safety.

While he knew that the Exarch cautioned him not to expect their own Minfilia, Thancred couldn’t help but feel a powerful connection to this girl—a girl that he had never even met before—and he knew that this was the right thing to do.

After he finished off the last guard, he was outside a heavy looking door and he pulled out a small knife to cut the ring of keys at the guard’s belt.

When he stepped inside the room—this wasn’t what he was expecting. It was a windowless, yet very comfortable-looking room with a plush bed, study furniture, and an enormous bookshelf that was lined with countless books. It wasn’t a bad room by any means… but merely a place to keep a little girl as a prisoner—or a pet—for her remaining days.

And there she was.

A little girl, no more than ten summers old, was sitting on the bed with one of the tomes in her hands as she looked over it with a rather bored expression as if she had read it a thousand times already. She did look up when she heard the door open, perhaps expecting a guard to bring her meal… but her jaw dropped in shock at her unexpected visitor. He stared at her as much as she stared at him—startled at how similar she looked to young Ascilia. The only difference were her startling eyes of crystal…?

“You... You are?” the girl asked fearfully.

There had been only one thought in his head at that moment: ‘It’s not her.’

But in that moment he felt only something warm blossom in his chest and he couldn’t stop the smile coming from his face.

“Minfilia. It’s time to go,” he said as if he were telling her that it was time to get out of bed so that they could go out. Which, he supposed, was exactly what it was. But he was treating her as if this was an outing that they had been planning for a long time and he held out her hand, as if they already knew each other.

As soon as she heard her name, she suddenly smiled at him and after only a moment of hesitation when she pulled up the hood of her long white dress that swept across the floor, she got off the bed and she took his hand.

Immediately, she seemed to trust him… to feel that same sense of familiarity that he felt the moment he saw her. The moment that he took that tiny hand in his own, he made a promise.

_‘This time. This time, I will make it right.’_

He tried so hard to not grow attached and kept her at arm’s length while still holding onto hope that his Minfilia would come back.

But now he fully understood the reason that she spoke to him that day. The day that she borrowed this child’s body and spoke to him through her… because she knew that she would never return home with them. Even if it was decided that she would take control of that body in the end, she would never be able to return with them.

She was forever trapped in this world… and by forcing her to remain she would only continue to suffer.

And more young girls would be forced to make that same choice in the end.

No more of that. This he was sure of.

These girls have as much right to live as she did… if not more.

Not that it made accepting this any easier. If anything, it was even more painful to think about.

‘_Not a single day goes by that I don't think about all you have given me,’ _he thought sadly to himself. ‘_Countless memories and moments I took for granted... Gods you grew up so fast.’_

But he did what he set out to do. He protected her, he taught her all that he could and made sure that she would make it to Naabath Areng; he could leave Claire to take care of her the rest of the way there.

All he could feel now was his blood-soaked clothes and his body now so numb that he could barely move. But he was smiling the whole time as he went on thinking to himself, _‘But you had to, didn't you? Eyes closing as painful memories returned. For those you had lost. For those you could yet save. A world teetering on the very bring of oblivion, for which you gave your everything without hesitation....’_

Everything seemed to spin around him as it became a hazy whirlwind of light and color and the pain in his chest just would not die down. Not that he paid proper attention to that, he could only remember the day that they last spoke before coming to the First. His memory of her voice as she spoke to him, and he thought, _‘your kindness, your compassion, your love ... Then and now...’_

His vision was now blurring and the light was burning through his closed eyelids. With the last ounce of strength he still had, he raised his arm to cover his eyes as he knew that this had to be it.

"One last time, with a little help. I'm so proud to have been a part of your life..." he croaked out, his voice now breaking at this, not even sure that she could hear him—though he had the strangest feeling that she could when he felt that wind kick up dust around him.

"Oh Minfilia..."

He finally whispered what it was that he wanted. What his wish would be… but it was lost on the wind so that not even he heard his own words. He just let the tears fall properly now, with no fear of being seen by anyone and allowed his grief to carry him away from here. He knew he was in bad shape and though he could have sworn that he heard the concerned cries of his friends, he simply chalked it up from left over memories from his dying brain.

He didn’t know if he would truly die here, but if he did he was satisfied that he did what he needed to do. With his mind’s eye full of memories of both girls that he had come to love as his own… for the first time in years, he blacked out with a smile on his face—not regretting his choice to stay behind in the slightest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I did skip over most of the unimportant stuff in this chapter because this was Thancred’s chapter. His feelings about all that was happening and his coming to accept what was going to come and I liked to think that it had come full circle. But how will he feel when it’s not his Minfilia who returns to him? Next chapter we learn more of what was going on inside Minfilia’s head at that point and her feelings about this. As for her talk with Claire? And that supposed conversation that she had with Alphinaud earlier? You will find out in the next chapter as well as an unexpected twist at the end. It’s just that this was Thancred’s chapter. And I really like to think that it did him justice.)


	24. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so here we are with the two Minfilias and a single choice is all that stand between us and the power to track the Lightwardens. But a choice must be made today. The question is who will we be forced to say goodbye to...? Forever?

They were making good progress so far. 

With the rebuilding of all that were damaged from the attack well in hand, the Crystal Exarch had retired early that evening to the tower—under the guise of being drained from his duties of helping those displaced from the sin eaters. 

Which wasn't a complete lie, he was exhausted from it all, but the tower was more than able to keep him going despite the lateness of the hour with its boundless energy. At this point, he wished to check on the Champion and the Scions to see how their progress was going so far. So he reached out to the mirror and watched as the Scions, who had split into two groups, were still continuing their journey through the Hills of Amber.

He had just witnessed them able to restore life to the Talos in the small town of Twine and were getting ready to head towards Nabaath Arang to meet with their original Minfilia. 

Ah... from the looks of things it seems that they were getting ready to leave Twine. Their meeting was soon upon them... it was simply a matter of time.

Though, if he had to be truthful, he was deeply concerned with how this would turn out... and what it could do to the Scions no matter what the outcome was. But he had every confidence that they would find the Lightwarden soon enough—?

But he held up his crystalline hand so that he could get a better look at their hero's face and he felt concern boiling inside. Though the image was slightly distorted thanks to the crystal, he could see that she didn't look well at all. Her complexion had taken on an ashen color and the dark circles under her eyes stood out sharply, especially underneath her hair which was halfway white now... she was looking more and more...?

"Like a sin eater..." he sighed. He knew that this was coming, had known about it for years... but it was still painful to watch their hero suffering like this. Still, she was putting up a brave face and not letting the others worry. Indeed, it looked like she was offering some words of comfort to young Minfilia as they sat near the edge of the cliff and talked. He wished he could hear what they were saying at this point even though it was none of his business. Old habit from when he was young—which was many, many years ago—of just aching for all kinds of information.

Still, she was holding up... which he was grateful... but he feared how much worse it will get after this next Warden is defeated?

He turned his attention back to the Talos and watched how they were getting it to walk with them and were leading it over to the tracks—so to be ready to head to the railyard for the trolley. Hopefully, Urianger would be able to contact him soon to give him an update... it was like reading a picture book to an exciting tale but had no words to accompany it. As wonderful as this mirror was it could only show him images, leaving him unable to hear what was being said.

He did not tear his eyes away even as he heard the door behind him open and footsteps echoing around the hall. He didn't even have to look to know who it was. If it had been Lyna, she would have made her presence known to him before entering. And anyone else with manners in this city would have knocked first before entering.

“To what do I owe the pleasure that is your extended stay?” he asked without turning around.

“Oh, to the tediousness of our heroes’ present endeavors,” Emet-Selch's bored answered back with a slight sleepiness to his tone. “That and the insufferable abundance of Light in Amh Araeng. I should be glad to keep my distance.”

He heard him give a loud yawn.

“I’m rather fond of sleep, you know,” the Ascian went on in a rather contented way, “Wonderful way to pass the time. Not that my compeers would agree, mind you. Always on the move, the lot of them. Like Lahabrea, constantly jumping from vessel to vessel. Such fire, such determination! So much passion, fleeting and forgotten…”

He could dully see where this was going. Emet-Selch had sometimes come by to check on him to see if he could get something to slip about his plans. Well, the Ascians weren't the only ones who were insufferably vague when it came to discussing what they were planning... something that he suspected fascinated Emet-Selch as much as frustrated him.

“Come to think of it, Exarch, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you retire to your chambers for so much as forty winks,” Emet-Selch chirped up, as if merely discussing today's weather, “However do you keep your eyes from closing?”

The Exarch stood there stiff and did not answer, not even bothering to look back at him, refusing to rise to the bait.

After about a minute of silence, he heard Emet-Selch sigh.

“The cold shoulder. You wound me, sir,” he said in disappointment, “Always so guarded in our every interaction—interactions you curiously refrain from sharing with the Scions and their champion…”

“And risk souring your budding relationship?” he answered back, wishing that he would just go away and leave him be to think, “I think not. Much as I dislike you, there are more useful targets for her energies. And I am not in the habit of pointing her at my enemies like a weapon.”

That was the one thing that he would not do. Especially not in her condition. She was not a weapon or a tool to be used... not to him... and not to so many others. The fact that he still stood here watching these events was proof of that.

“Is that right?” Emet-Selch went on with a hint of more interest, “Fond of you, are you?”

Again, the Exarch did not answer, but he could feel an unsettling feeling crawl across the skin that had not yet become crystal.

“You continue to fascinate me, Exarch. But tell me… who are you?” Emet-Selch asked quietly.

The Exarch did not like how interested he was... both in himself, the tower, and the Warrior of Darkness. Emet-Selch had been trying for weeks now to get some information out of him, but thanks to his last few decades of careful preparation, he was able to prevent him from learning anything significant... at least, he hoped so.

“The once great nation whose ingenuity gave birth to this tower was shaped by my hand," Emet-Selch sighed at the nostalgic memories as he turned around the room and observed the crystal walls, "As such, I know full well the wonders it can facilitate… and those it cannot. There is nothing in these walls which could have aided you in summoning our dear friend across time and space. Much less in possession of her mortal flesh! Not even I could have performed such a feat.”

Ah, he had a feeling that was the case. He had long since wondered about how Ancient Allag were able to become build the greatest technological advances ever seen in such a short time... much like with the Garleans... they had a helping hand to shape them.

“I see… you had a hand in Allag as well,” he said in understanding. Thanks to that information, thus solving one of the many mysteries he was still curious about the Allagans, he finally decide to turn around and face him. Such an answer, deserved an answer, if only to get him to leave him in peace.

“You would know what I am?" he asked him coolly, "I am the adjudicator of the sacred history with which you dared trifle. I am keeper of this tower’s boundless wisdom. The wisdom of ages without age. Of everywhere and nowhere. The great work of those who tamed the wings of time, and grasped the nature of the rift. ‘Tis a boon born of the sacrifice of brave heroes who gave their lives for a brighter future. I will not see their hopes and dreams squandered. The history which led us here will be unwritten. I promise you that.”

Nothing he said was a lie... but it left as many questions as it answered. That was the point though. And though he didn't show it, he could see the irritation and curiosity growing in Emet-Selch's face. But there was only one person so far whom the Exarch revealed the whole truth too and he would never speak of it to anyone. As if he would be so foolish as to come out and tell and Ascian everything and risk them from putting a stop to all that he and those same brave souls who sacrificed so much to see him to this point. Much and more had been asked for this one chance to change the future and he would not let those wishes die with him... not until his message was safely delivered. 

The two looked long and hard at each other before Emet-Selch finally shrugged.

“Well, it seems we are both eager to fulfill our duties, then,” he said.

“On that much we are in agreement,” the Exarch answered stiffly and he turned back to the mirror, blocking him out.

With his back to him, he could no longer see his expression—and in hindsight it was probably not the smartest thing to do to have his back to an enemy—but Emet-Selch seemed to realize that their little interview was over and he heard his footsteps leave. 

But not before he heard him add, "Well, in that case, I shall leave you to your duties... as I will return to mine. Though, one cannot help but wonder which one of us is more determined to see them through? And what we will be willing to give up to see that point."

The Exarch felt his fingers grip his staff tightly as he heard the door close behind him and he felt that it was safe enough to lower his hood for a brief respite.

Grateful for the freedom that lowering his cowl brought to him, he was able to refocus his attention upon the mirror and watched as Claire joined both Thancred and Minfilia on board the trolley. They were getting ready to leave as Urianger, who didn't climb up onto the trolley with them, seemed to be waving them off. 

No sooner did the Talos push them out of sights did Urianger say something to the miners and left them behind as he began to head his way out of the railyard. 

Not even a minute later, the Exarch heard the familiar ringing in his ears.

"Ah, Urianger," he said, glad that they were able to work out most of the problems with the linkpearl so that they could talk more clearly—with only the slightest bit of a buzz on the other end whenever one spoke, "How are things faring?"

_"As well as can be expected," he answered back, "Soon I will reunite with our other companions and assureth them that we shall have our answers soon."_

He gave him a brief description of all that they had gone through to get the trolley moving, and the Exarch could not help but smile at that.

"I am glad to hear of that," he said, pausing slightly and asking, "And how do you feel?"

He heard Urianger let out a long-suffering sigh.

_"I fearth that my heart growth heavier day by day," he confessed, "I know not how I will be able to keep my vow of secrecy until the very end... 'tis only my desire to see this world saved that keepth me going... yet...?"_

The Exarch shut his eyes and sighed once again.

"Again, I fear that I must apologize for this difficult position that I put you in, my friend," he told him sadly, "But soon, it will be over and you will be free from the burden that I forced upon you."

Urianger did not answer, but he didn't need him to know how he felt about all of this. 

"But what I must ask... is how you think this upcoming meeting with Minfilia will end?" he asked. 

Again, Urianger was silent as he gave it some thought.

_"In truth... I know how our own Minfilia would wish it to end," he confessed, "But that make not mine heart feel any lighter. More concerned I feel for Thancred. For now though, I will search out our companions and inform them of all that has happened thus far. We shall meet up as quickly as possible. Thus, when we have our answer and slay the next Lightwarden, I will inform thee of all that has happened."_

"Thank you, my friend," he said, "If you need anything, do not hesitate to call upon me."

He let the line die there as he turned back to the mirror.

Whatever else Emet-Selch may have said, there was one thing that he did agree with. And as he looked to the group aboard the trolley as they were heading their way through the desert, it only reaffirmed his determination... there was nothing that he would not give to see his wish granted. And if that meant sacrificing a life in the process to secure a future for both worlds... so be it.

***Elsewhere across the desert***

"I know that it's none of my business..."

"Then don't ask about it."

"...but... as your sister I’m asserting myself here because it’s my duty to ask what is going on between you two.”

He responded by telling her to shut up.

Y'shtola rolled her eyes as she led the way through the red sands, listening to the twins bickering the whole way.

They had decided to keep an eye at the Inn at Journey's End for Alisaie's sake but couldn't risk getting too close of being spotted by Eulmore and bringing them down upon the carers and patients. They did see a fair number of soldiers about, but they did seem scattered at the very least. Aside from a few skirmishes here and there, running back and forth to confuse the enemy, things weren't as bad as they feared. Nothing like how it had been back in the Greatwood. It seemed that without Ran’jit to take command then the rest of them were struggling to figure out what to do.

Unfortunately for Alphinaud, this gave rise to small talk and Alisaie was now poking his buttons to get some information.

"Now is that anyway to treat your favorite sister?" she asked him teasingly.

"You are my _only_ sister," he reminded her as he brushed his bangs out of his face and continued to look pointedly away, "And I thank the gods for that."

"Ahhh, you are becoming a brute!" she scolded dramatically. "No wonder your relationship is in flames."

“IT’S NOT IN FLAMES!” he yelled back.

“Oh, come on, you two could barely look each other in the eyes!” Alisaie pointed out, remembering how the two of them were avoiding eye contact. “I mean, I know that you are dense, brother mine, but I can’t think of what you could have done to cause this reaction?”

“What makes you think that it was my fault?” he demanded hotly, only to look away when Alisaie raised an eyebrow at him. He then added in a mumble, “It wasn’t… _completely_ my fault. She should’ve locked the door.”

“I beg your pardon?” Alisaie asked and he choked and looked away. By this point though, even Y’shtola was interested and was looking over at them as Alisaie was now pushing for an answer. This went on for some time before Alphinaud, finally realizing that she was not going to let this go, finally gave her somewhat of an answer.

“Look, we had… a slight… disagreement,” he muttered gruffly.

“Yeah, I figured that,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “So you said something to affect her in some way?”

“I didn’t mean to upset her!”

“So she _is_ upset with you! Spill it! What did you do?!”

“Just leave me alone!”

“Now, now, is this any way for loving siblings to act?” Y’shtola interrupted calmly, cutting through their bickering.

“Maybe,” Alisaie admitted, “But is it wrong to be concerned? Maybe I can help?”

“Help? Help me how? By pestering me?” Alphinaud demanded.

“Look, maybe we can help with whatever happened,” Alisaie said cheerfully, “You clearly don’t know the mind of a woman, but we do. So why don’t you tell us what happened and we’ll see how we can go about making amends.”

“I will talk to her when we get back,” he promised.

“Yeah, and risk another argument and make it worse?” Alisaie demanded, “When did you guys get into a fight anyway? You weren’t acting like this the other night? It must have happened early this morning, right? Now that I think of it, you did say that you were going to go and talk with her after we finished our breakfast…?”

He tensed up, an odd shiver going down his spine at those words and Y’shtola arched an eyebrow, wondering what on earth could have happened in such a short amount of time? But then the phrase _‘She should’ve locked the door’_ came back to her and a suspicion suddenly appeared in her mind.

“Correct me if my assumption is wrong, but it sounds like to me that there really wasn’t an argument but rather you entering a room you neglected to ask permission for," Y'shtola smirked, understanding immediately what must have happened.

Alisaie was now looking between her and her brother, completely at a lost here as Alphinaud just kept his head down and was as red as a rolanberry. When he didn’t counter that, Y’shtola laughed and said, “I’m guessing you like what you peaked on?”

Now Alisaie was growing frustrated and was demanding to know what they were talking about or she would bring it in front of Claire—which frightened Alphinaud more than anything. Under threat, he finally muttered something, but he spoke so low that Alisaie couldn't understand a word he said.

"Repeat that please?” she asked firmly.

Alphinaud mumbled something a little louder… but still impossible for Alisaie to make out—causing her to now glare at him, “That’s bad when someone with ears like ours can’t hear what you’re saying. One more time and louder please.”

"This morning… I went to her room to speak with her… and… I sort of accidentally… walked in… on her… without knocking … while she was changing…"

Alisaie it that time. Her eyes widened at that, suddenly understanding the sudden awkwardness.

“Oh,” was all she could say, also turning red at the thought.

"What did she say when she realized she had an audience?" Y'shtola grinned.

"Nothing really," he mumbled, now looking to the ground in such a way that it was as if he was hoping to be swallowed up, "She just threw a water jug at my head. Not that she needed to say anything, I think that it was pretty clear. After that… I just sort of… ran out of there."

“Wow, whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t that,” Alisaie said, still rather stunned by what she heard. "Well at least you had the decency to look away. I mean only an idiot would have just stood there and stared."

She laughed at that… not that it didn't stop her from noticing the way that Alphinaud's body stiffening and then she asked, "You _did_ look away right?"

The blush evident on Alphinaud's face was enough of an answer.

"You mean you went charging into a lady’s room without knocking and just stood there, like a buffoon, and watched?!" Alisaie demanded loudly, "What? Is decency completely dead?! I can't believe you! What is wrong with men today?!"

"Hey, it's not my fault ok?" Alphinaud tried to defend himself, but he knew that he had no leg to stand on here.

"Sure it's not," was Alisaie's sarcastic response. "I'm sure Claire invited you to watch?"

He was never going to live this one down.

“I can see why she’s annoyed with you,” Alisaie said with a disapproving shake of her head. “I swear, this whole thing between you two is really starting to get to me. Just what are you two? A couple or not? Just what is it?”

“I was going to talk to her about that very subject,” he mumbled, his face still red as Y’shtola listened in with raised eyebrows.

“I think that you both are overthinking everything here,” she sighed, “I understand your feelings on the matter, but you do realize that is not the way to go about it?”

“I didn’t mean to!” he yelled out, “I just walked in and…?”

“Look,” Y’shtola intercepted, “The best you can do right now is apologize. Though I struggle to think of any explanation that you could come up with can justify what happened.”

One would have expected Alisaie to start laughing, but the younger girl just still seemed to be in a state of astonishment and just didn’t know how to answer that.

“I will,” Alphinaud mumbled, “I just… don’t know how to go about it.”

It was a bit of an awkward silence for them all for a few minutes before Y’shtola’s head jerked up and she looked to the distance. He and Alisaie both turned, immediately thinking that more soldiers were coming for them, but it turned out that this was a welcomed face.

“Urianger,” Y’shtola said as they hurried for the dark-clothed figure that was making his way towards them.

They met halfway across the desert and he greeted them warmly as they quickly asked what was going on and where Thancred and the girls were.

“We choseth to part ways from one another so that I may hasten back to tell thee what has happened,” he said, “Rest assure that they are well and when last I had laid mine eyes upon them they were already on their way to Nabaath Arang safe and sound.”

“Then why are you not with them?” Alisaie asked hurried.

He sighed and gave his head a shake as he added, “The time is almost upon us mine friends. I came to meet with thee so that we may join them. For well do I fear that, no matter the possible outcome of this journey, Thancred will need our support now more than ever before. I fear what will become of our dear friend should he be confronted with losing one of the two girls that he careth more than any other.”

They all felt true fear there as they hurried on ahead, taking a path through the mountain that Urianger was able to use to get to them. He had explained of the settlement of Twine, of the trolley, and of how the others went on before them upon the tracks and that with the door open, they should be able to follow after them.

He led them to an area just outside of Mord Souq that was held up against the cliffs behind them that separated the deserts, and they were able to travel across the gorge to make it to a small cave. This cave led through the mines and would bring them out through the Hills of Amber. After that, it was simply a matter of traversing the tracks until they caught up with the others.

“How was Minfilia holding up?” Y’shtola asked, as anxiety began to settle inside them after they made it out of the mines and Urianger led them to the tracks.

“Shaken and conflicted with her feelings,” he confessed, “She is both determined but fearful. She wishes to maketh her decision but fears of the costs of what it will bring. For to her we must also lend our support.”

They were all worried, and they were all conflicted about how they wanted this to end. To see their old friend again at the cost of their new one? How could one ever hope to make such a choice?

They were both terrified of what was going to happen. Which was why they had to hurry to be there to support both Thancred and Minfilia when that moment came. No matter how this was going to end, they feared that at least one heart would be broken beyond repair.

They raced down the tracks, eventually coming to a tunnel when they came to the mountain, having been left open for them, confirming that the others must have made it this far.

They carefully slid down the slope and emerged on the other side, blinking a little surprised at the bright light.

“I have never been this far south,” Alisaie said as she squinted around them, observing the area with curiosity, shielding her eyes from the light bouncing off the wall of crystal. “They can’t be too far off now.”

“Nay, they should be close by,” Urianger confirmed as they began to make their way forward, “Let us hurry. We may still be able to fly to their sides and…?”

“Wait!”

The command from Y’shtola was enough to get them all to stop and they spun around to stare at her as she kept her gaze fixated forward. They followed her gaze, wondering just what the aether around them was showing her, when they could make out the form of what looked like dirty white rags lying in the sands.

“Thancred?” Y’shtola asked as she squinted to the white in the distance before her eyes widened in shock and she screamed out, “THANCRED!”

The rest of them had hardly ever heard such a cry from their friend, but Y’shtola had already broken free from them and she bolted to the figure lying there on the sands—the rest following behind. Alphinaud gasped when they were close enough to see the full picture.

Thancred looked as if he had tried to stop an entire army on his own. He was beaten black and blue, bleeding heavily in some places as his clothes were torn and covered with blood and dirt. For a horrible moment, they all feared the worse. Y’shtola crouched down next to him to raise his head and his arm—which had been flung over his face—slipped down he began to cough violently.

It was a good thing that so many of them knew a thing or two about healing. Alphinaud and Urianger focused on healing the worst of their friend’s injuries, who was still unconscious, as Y’shtola and Urianger supported him on either side.

As they focused on mending the flesh Thancred stirred and slowly woke up. He let out a shaky gasp before his eyes opened and he looked around hazily, as if struggling to recognize them all.

“You lot…?” he croaked, his throat so raspy that it was painful just to listen to him.

“Welcome back to the world of the living,” Y’shtola said, glaring down at him, “Now, I won’t hurt you in this state since that may accidently kill you… but in the worlds of the Admiral, what in the seven hells happened to you out here?”

Alisaie gave Thancred her water pouch, which he drank greedily until he had drained every last drop. After choking slightly, he was able to be pulled up into a sitting position where he wheezed out, “Ran’jit…”

“What?” Alisaie cried out, “That’s impossible! I thought that he was dead!”

“Nah, that would be making things too easy for us,” Thancred panting, still struggling to breathe.

“Well, this is something that I didn’t see coming,” Y’shtola muttered, “Then again, I suppose I survived that fall. I wonder how he did it?”

“But where art thou our companions?” Urianger asked as he looked around, eventually spotting the trolley and the Talos lying yalms away from them.

“Ran’jit was waiting for us this whole time,” Thancred gasped out, “He took care of the trolley. I stayed behind to deal with him. Minfilia and Claire went on ahead. And…?”

He began coughing and a few drops of blood fell from his mouth.

“We can worry about that later,” Alphinaud said, glancing around quickly, realizing how exposed they were before spotting the town a ways ahead that was barely being held together. He pointed it out and they decided to get out of the open and take shelter there as they treated Thancred’s wounds. With all of them supporting him, they managed to get Thancred to his feet, though he was barely able to take more than a couple steps before threatening to collapse.

He did manage to wheeze out a little more information about the battle taking place, for they needed to know just what kind of damage he had taken on in that fight.

“Just when I thought you could not be any more reckless,” Y’shtola scolded, now looking mad, “Using such tactics with your condition?”

“Jeez, you’re making it sound like I’m rabid or something when you say ‘condition’,” he told her as a dripple of blood dripped from his mouth and ran down his chin. They made it to a porch where they set him down in the shade and continued to work on healing his broken and piece together enough of his story to have a good idea what happened.

“Full sure I am that they will return to us hale and whole,” Urianger said as they laid Thancred flat on his back and he was bathed in the healing light of his friends. Y’shtola had joined in and helping to mend more of the internal damage that he took such as ruptured blood vessels and strained heart, while Alisaie stood on guard for there were more than a handful of fiends about them, “They will both return to us ere long.”

At the mention of their two comrades, Thancred covered his eyes once more as he let them work. But as Urianger looked on he noticed that Thancred was trying to whisper something. He then quickly suggested to the others to look around for anything that they could use to help them. Y’shtola and the twins went off to give a quick search through what remained throughout the remains of the settlement while he tended to Thancred.

Once the others were gone, he leaned over him, wanting to know what it was that Thancred was struggling to say.

“Pray, what is it?” he asked quietly and his eyes widened as he saw the tears dripping down his cheeks, the salty tears mixing with his blood and causing a slight wince but Thancred refused to lower his hand from his eyes.

“I let her go,” he croaked, “And I can only pray that I made the right choice.”

***Minfilia***

_"Because I'm not her. I'm not his Minfilia."_

She knows that. She knows that better than anyone that she wasn’t who she knew he wished her to be.

That wasn't the first time she had ever thought that. 

She could still remember growing up in her cell back in Eulmore and Ran'jit would talk to her about who she was before. When she had been very small, her eyes were wide at some of the stories that he did have to tell about her past selves. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember any of those events... none of the battles... not of the countless little things that Ran'jit had to tell her about the past Minfilias. 

Like the one who loved to sing and dance… while she could barely carry a tune herself… the one who could paint beautiful works of art… but her own drawings were ok at best... the one who loved to garden… that sounded wonderful but until she left her cell she had never seen what a flower looked like… or about the one who loved animals and was gifted in healing… yet she didn't even know how to use magic while growing up let alone how to save lives…?

Eventually, it dawned on her that she was completely different from those Minfilias—regardless of what anyone else thought. She tried to tell this to Ran'jit, but he just brushed it off. It didn’t mean much to him that she was just because she was the latest in a long line of reincarnations that had nothing compared to the others who came before her. As far as Ran'jit was concerned, all the girls were one in the same… just with different personalities and interests outside of the constant battles with the sin eaters.

She always knew differently. She could feel it inside that she was a part of those other Minfilia's but separated at the same time. She didn't know how else to describe it.

But what more could she do? She was instructed to stay in this cell because it was what was best for her. The only other person, other than the guards, who visited her was Ran'jit.

All she knew was a life of solitude in that lonely cell with only her books to keep her company. 

Because she wasn't her… she wasn't his Minfilia… any of his Minfilias.

And he knew it.

As time went on he started to find excuses for not coming to visit her as often as he once did. His visits grew less and less until she realized that he was ignoring her and only came to check on her when he had to. There were days that she would remain locked up and only see those who would bring her meals.

She spent a great deal of time crying in the dark, wishing she could see the outside world at least once. But this was all she knew, this was where she was safe and this was where she had to stay. That was what she was made to understand.

But when Thancred arrived that day… most would think that she would be frightened at the sight of this strange man she had never seen before… but that wasn't the case at all. 

Once the shock wore off and she looked into his face… she couldn't describe what she felt. Only that there was this wonderful sense of familiarity. Like he had been an old friend that she hadn't seen in forever even though she was sure she had never seen him before. She didn't have friends after all.

But one look at his face she felt this warmth inside her that she clung on to. And when he held out his hand, telling her it was time to go, she could not get up fast enough.

It was much later did she realize why he felt so familiar. Because he was close with the original Minfilia. 

But she wasn't her.

This he also became aware of with time.

She was not her, she was _never_ her. 

She tormented herself with these thoughts because she wasn't good enough. She would never be good enough for them or anyone.

Once she came to that realization, she felt herself growing apart from Thancred. Well, emotionally anyway, she didn't stray from his side at all within that first year after escaping Eulmore. But until he taught her how to defend herself she was terrified of taking more than a few steps away from him in this strange and dangerous world.

All her life she had been locked inside a gilded cage but now that she had a taste of true freedom for the first time, she realized she never wanted to go back to that cell no matter how nice they made it. But she also came to the painful realization that until she decided what she wanted she would never truly be free to live.

Despite all that he had done, she had once loved Ran’jit like her father. But he wasn’t like the caring parent that she had read about in the countless of tomes that they given her to keep her entertained. And now, with the knowledge that he was determined to drag her back to her cage, frightened her more than anything else out there in this world.

So when she saw him standing on the tracks, she felt her very blood run cold at the sight. She stood there, frozen in shock until she felt her self flying through the air and hitting desert sand and rock beneath her. She came in contact with the earth hard and rolled painfully on the hot ground, coughing and gasping for air as her vision spun around her.

She could hear Thancred growling at Ran’jit but it took her a few minutes to register what they were saying before she was able to figure out which way was up and down. Ran’jit turned his cold eyes to her and barked, “You will remain as you are, while I dispatch these villains.”

Once more, she felt that surge of obedience seize her as if chains holding onto her. An old habit that was grained into her from a young age into following whatever orders that Ran’jit had given her. But this time, she felt herself resisting those chains that held fast to her spirit.

She wasn’t sure what it was exactly this new sensation was, only that it was rising hot and fast through her and gave her the strength to move her limbs as she moved up onto her hands and push herself up.

“No! I won't...! I won't let you!”

It was one of only a handful of times that she actively defied his orders. The other times that she did yell at him, refusing to let him have his way, she had always felt fear inside because she knew how strong he was. But this time, this time was different. She was still the weaker of the two of them and knew in a head-on fight he would certainly beat her, but she didn’t feel the fear that came with that.

She felt…

Anger.

And that anger only grew as he looked at her with a mixture of frustration and bitterness. He then barked, “You forget to whom you speak! Who armed you? Trained you? Fought and killed a thousand sin eaters with you!?”

Again.

He was doing it again.

She wasn’t her—any of them—she wasn’t that person! All those Minfilias that he trained and fought with were different people each time. They were their own person with hopes and dreams of their own. And they deserve to be treated as such; as did she!

Suddenly, that anger boiled under her skin and rose up so that it cast aside all trace of fear inside. It was like clear enlightenment hit her at that moment as she understood. He couldn’t look at her and see a separate girl from the other Minfilias. He held onto the idea of who she was, or rather what he thought that the Oracle should be. He saw the Oracle—a precious treasure that needed to be kept locked up and safe. Not a living, breathing girl who wanted to be free from that lonely cell.

And so the answer to how to break free from him hit her like she got run over by the trolley as memories entered her mind.

_“But Master Ran’jit…” whimpered the little girl, no more than six years old, holding onto the old man’s hand as she pleaded with him when he was leaving her ‘room’, “Why can’t I go out? Please? Just for a little while? I’m afraid of the dark.”_

_“You are safe here,” he told her gruffly, “The world is a dangerous place for you. Now stop crying. It’s inappropriate for the Oracle.”_

The memories of her years trapped all came flooding into her mind and before she knew it, she found herself screaming, “I don't know about the world… but I never asked to be saved.”

All her life she never had a choice in what she wanted.

She trusted Ran’jit because she had no choice but to do whatever he wanted. And look where that got her? Close to a decade locked up in a pretty cage and knowing nothing of the world. But he had taken enough from her. She wasn’t going to lie down and take it anymore.

Until she started making her own decisions she would never be free.

It wasn’t until someone asked her, flat out, what she wanted did the answer became clear.

_*Earlier*_

_“Thou needs but have faith. Have faith, and all will be well.” _

_Faith that all will be well? Could such a simple concept truly be that easy? She didn’t think so, but the words did help to bring her some comfort._

_Urianger just smiled kindly at her before he looked up and she followed his gaze to see that Claire had joined them._

_“Is everything alright?” she asked them, “Or do you need some time? We can wait?”_

_“Yes, I do believeth so,” Urianger said as he smiled kindly at Minfilia, who looked down at her feet, still looking lost. _

_He seemed to give it some thought before looking to Claire and had a suggestion._

_“Why don’t thou remainth here and rest with young Minfilia for a brief respite?” he asked to Claire, “Doubtless, the others will be needing a little time to finish fawning over the Talos before we set out. It would put mine mind at ease if I knew that thee were taking this chance to properly enjoy the scenery?”_

_Minfilia didn’t look up at them, but she could only assume that she was nodding in agreement._

_Urianger placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up slightly, and he still looked at her with nothing but care as he told her to rejoin them when they were ready. Minfilia nodded as Claire slowly came over to sit beside her and Urianger left them alone. They remained sitting in that silence for what felt like hours as the land seemed to stretch out before them._

_Not for the first time, Minfilia wondered just what the lands beyond that wall of crystal once looked like? Before the Flood… how many beauties and dangers were out there before the light stole everything from them?_

_“You probably think I’m being ridiculous acting like this,” Minfilia said in a muffled voice, “Having so much trouble coming up with a decision when the answer should be obvious.”_

_“No, I don’t think so,” Claire answered softly, “I don’t think there is an obvious decision here.”_

_“Not to Thancred,” she whispered, not meaning to say that out loud. _

_“I don’t think so,” she answered again, “I doubt that he would ever willingly let you go for anyone. Not even our Minfilia.”_

_“I know what you’re thinking…” Minfilia sighed, “That I should…?”_

_“I think you’re confused,” Claire interrupted quietly, “All your life you’ve been led to believe that you are supposed to be someone else.”_

_“Well of course! That is what I’m supposed to be!” she choked out desperately, feeling like she was going to tear her apart on the inside. “I don’t know how to explain how I feel in a way that makes sense! Only that I’m…?”_

_“You don’t have to,” Claire interrupted again, “I already know.”_

_“How could you?” Minfilia said in doubt, now resting her cheek on her knees as she kept her head turned away from her._

_“You want Thancred to be happy and so you think that means sacrificing yourself, but you are frightened to do that. Yet, at the same time, you love him like your father, and you want him to love you back the same way,” Claire said and Minfilia’s head jerked up to stare at her in shock. “You want him to be proud of you and to accept who you are?”_

_“H-How…?” she croaked. _

_Had she been that obvious?_

_Claire only smiled sadly back._

_“B-B-But?” Minfilia stuttered, not sure what to say._

_“I only know what I feel,” Claire confessed softly, “And if it were me, that is what I would be feeling. I lost my father a long time ago. I don't remember anything about him. But I always wished I had that connection with someone."_

_She then reached up to her choker that held the red unicorn and she brushed her fingers over it with a small smile._

_"And then, I met someone who all but accepted me as his own," she added. "So… I like to think that I can understand at least how you might feel with a substitute father.”_

_Did she truly understand? She remembered how she told her and Alisaie that her father was dead but then she showed up with that necklace and claimed that… oh, now she understood. This adopted father must have given it to her that day she left._

_The choker she was wearing looked slightly worn—and she wondered who it must have belonged to before. Perhaps that was why Claire was smiling whenever she brushed her fingers against it. Like she was remembering something both happy and sad at the same time._

_Now that she thought about it… that reminded her of something she had. She reached under her dress to find the practice projectile that Thancred had given her when they first met. She had held onto it all this time, putting a little more magic into it every day as she continued practicing. She had wanted to show him how well she could make herself useful and whenever he thanked her for the projectiles that she gave him, it made her smile with pride._

_“I can’t say for sure what must be going on inside you now, only that it must feel akin to the seven hells,” Claire added. “But if it’s any comfort to you, I know what it’s like to feel the weight of expectation on you and feel as if you are struggling with who you are and what you should be.”_

_"Truly?" she asked, sure that she was pulling her leg this time, “How would you know? Is it because you were asked to become the Warrior of Darkness?”_

_Claire shook her head and answered, “Oh, now. This was long ago. They didn't always look at me like they do now. At one point, I was just a means to an end. A weapon or a tool, I suppose, at least in their eyes."_

_Minfilia stared at her._

_Her? Was she just saying that? She saw how everyone fretted and worried over her. Sure, they had her fight a lot, but never once did she see them ever treat her as anything other than a dear friend. Indeed, the twins, alone, were practically joined at her hip and were the first to leap into action if they thought she needed it._

_Claire chuckled when she noticed her staring._

_“You had not seen how they were when I first joined the Scions,” she told her quietly._

_"You mean the others treated you as such?" she asked, truly baffled at such a notion._

_“Mayhaps not knowingly,” Claire sighed as she leaned back onto her hands and stared up at the light sky before wincing in pain and just closed her eyes as she kept her head up. _

_“It started off small with a few missions here and there, a few harmless enough errands,” she sighed, “I didn’t mind at first since I was still learning what the Scions were all about. But after defeating my first primal, that was where things really started to speed up. They saw someone who could get the job done. So they gave me just about every job that involved some kind of fighting or… persuading. It didn’t take me long to realize that they were treating me like… a convenience. I was a puppet… a tool… a negotiating piece… a weapon.”_

_She opened her eyes and looked down sadly at her as she confessed, “And though I never voiced it, I always… resented them for that. And you wish to know the worst part of it all?”_

_Minfilia just stared at her, almost afraid to hear what she was going to say next before Claire confessed, “They rarely ever asked me what I wanted. They just assumed that I would help. Even should I give my all to see a job done they would quickly move on to the next ‘project’ and asked if I would help with that. And again… and again. Just assuming that I would be there like their perfect wind-up doll. Or a sharpened blade in this case.”_

_“If… if you felt that way, why did you allow them to use you like that?” Minfilia gasped out, finding it difficult that any could see her as a tool like that._

_“I guess I hoped that the end would justify the means,” she confessed, “If it made Eorzea a safer place, then perhaps it would mean that one day there would be less fighting. I liked that idea. But then they started to compare me to the Warriors of Light that we lost in the Calamity… the last Calamity I mean. It made me proud to think that they would hold me up on such a pedestal but I never really thought about it until they started bringing it up more and more… and before I knew it they were hailing me as a hero and I was given the title of Warrior of Light.”_

_“That… that sounds like…?” Minfilia croaked out as Claire nodded._

_“I’m sure that it sounds a little similar,” she confessed. “At first, I was proud to wear the title. But the fun soon left it. It became more of a burden than a joy to carry. But I continued on because I wanted to continue helping people. But then… the bloody banquet happened. And all that went down in flames. One by one, the others stayed behind, including Minfilia, giving me a chance to escape. I did, and only Alphinaud and Tataru escaped with me. Which led me to Ishgard… which led to more fighting. Which then led to Ala Mhigo and then Doma… and eventually, led me here.”_

_She sighed and shook her head heavily. _

_“All that… and I feel like I got nowhere,” she whispered before glancing at her once again, “Don’t be like how I was. You have a choice. You always did. But I think you were scared to make the wrong choice and that is why you are hesitating now.”_

_She was scared? Of course she was! How could she not be? This choice was going to decide her future. Either she would be forced to take up all of the previous Minfilia’s burdens and live or fade away to—who knows what?_

_"What do you want to do?"_

_Minfilia gazed at her, though Claire didn't look back as she kept her gaze upon the frozen wave of crystal in the distance._

_"Why are you asking?" Minfilia asked softly._

_"Because it’s not often when I am asked that question," Claire told her, "So I will do you what I wish that I had been asked. What is it that you want?"_

_"I know that Minfilia would...?" she began but Claire was shaking her head._

_"I'm not asking what you think that she would want, I'm asking what you want," she interrupted firmly._

_"Does it matter?" she asked as she wiped her nose, tears welling up harshly in her eyes._

_"It makes all the difference in the world," she answered back, "What do you want, Minfilia?"_

_“I want…” she croaked and before she knew it, she broke down completely. She didn’t howl out or cry, but she did weep bitter tears as she buried her face into her knees and cried. She felt Claire rub her back in a soothing way as she let out how she felt with all of her tears. _

_“I’m not her,” she cried, “And I can’t ever be her. I want her to come back and free me from all this, but I don’t want to give myself up. I want to be my own person. I want to fight and help others. I don’t want to be a burden to you or anyone else. I can’t stand the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of me. I want to be someone who can help others. And not because I’m some stupid Oracle! I don’t want to be her…”_

_She felt good to get out some of this terrible weight that was crushing down upon her. Some of this grief that she had been carrying around for so long now. And as soon as she did, she found herself unable to stop, feeling as if something poisonous was leaving her as she vented some—not all though—of her wishes. Finally finishing by saying:_

_"I want to be someone other than Minfilia."_

_“And you have every right to be,” she said as she helped her up to her feet. _

_Claire just let her cry herself out and she hiccupped into silence again as she wiped her tears away from her face. _

_"However Thancred may act about this, he was right about one thing, this is your choice,” Claire told her. “And not one to be made lightly.”_

_Minfilia nodded before the question she needed to hear the answer to the most came blurting out of her mouth._

_“Would… would you hate me for taking deciding to take Minfilia away?” she asked worriedly._

_Claire was silent for a moment as she thought the question over as Minfilia stared at her anxiously._

_“No,” she finally confessed, “I guess… I would be sad.”_

_Minfilia lowered her head before feeling Claire place her hands on her shoulders and she looked up with wide eyes as she finished, “But… I would be sad to lose you too. But it’s not my opinion what matters.”_

_She gently wiped the tears off Minfilia’s cheeks as she told her, “I will support whatever decision you make. But I don’t want you to make a decision that you will regret because you think that’s what everyone else wants. Don’t be like how I was. When we meet with her, I want you to speak with her and say everything that is on your mind like how you did right now. Everything that you feel. No excuses, no lies. She will not mind if you continue on or if you shout and rage… all that she would want is honesty. And when everything is laid bare… then you choose. But if there is even the slightest bit of doubt in your mind, don’t you dare decide.”_

_Minfilia sniffled at that, but she found that it was a reasonable request and she nodded. Right now, her heart was torn in two. One part of her wanted to give in and surrender her pain to another. But the other…?_

_“I’m scared,” Minfilia confessed and she felt Claire take her hand._

_“Whatever you decide, I will support it,” she promised, “So long as it is what your heart truly wants. But… my one condition…?”_

_Minfilia nodded again, understanding. “I know,” she said, “I promise, that when I meet her, I will say what I want and I will decide then. And when I do… I will not turn from it.”_

_*End of Memory*_

She meant what she said at that moment. She never asked to be born as the Oracle of Light! It just happened that way! She may not be as strong or as brave as the previous girls who carried this name, but this was all she could do!

She was her own person and she wasn’t going to live like some kind of pet bird in a cage any longer!

She was venting all these feelings that she had been carrying around like shackles inside her, spewing forth to Ran’jit in a way that she never thought she would hear herself say.

“However much it hurts, and however hard it gets, it's my life, and I want to live it on my own terms!” she screamed out, forcing herself to stand back up, her anger continuing to spill out as she finally found the courage to sever the chains that held her bonded.

“And those “mad fools” you want me to abandon? The ones I've traveled with, fought with, and may one day die with ─ they feel the same. So no, I will not be deceived! No matter what you say, I refuse to believe it's all for nothing!” she yelled, finally doing what she wanted, seeing the world as she saw fit, and realized that it wasn’t so bad out here in the light. Better that than one small room, however nicely it was decorated, being your entire world. She thought of the kindness that her friends showed her, both the big to the most mundane and she treasured each and every memory both good and bad. Because they were proof that she was alive and continuing on with them.

And going on in a world without them was a world that frightened her.

“They're everything to me,” she confessed honestly, finding herself smiling at this simple truth, “All I have and all I need. And I would gladly do anything for them.”

She raised her head proudly as she glared at the man she had once both loved and feared more than anything else as she gave him the greatest ultimatum she could, “Let us pass, or kill me. I'm not leaving here without them.”

Her words were enough to infuriate Ran’jit, outraged that she was daring to speak out against him and the next thing she knew was that he was flying straight at her. She gasped, but didn’t back down, refusing to give in to fear this time, but that was when Thancred leapt between them.

She stared at the back of his head as he held his weapon up protectively in front of her.

“I heard what you said. And I'm sorry for all the things I've left unspoken.”

_‘Thancred… I’m sorry if I hurt you. I know that it was never easy, but thank you so much for all that you did on my behalf.’_

“You have to go. Now!” he ordered.

“Thancred, no─”

She pleaded to him, but he would not budge. He was willing to die to get them the time that they needed. No, she would not accept that. He yelled back, refusing to back down either, determination blazing in his voice before he ordered to Claire to take her and run.

And so, she left with Claire. Trusting in his strength for it wasn’t just in her that a new resolve, a new strength that seemed to magically erupt inside them. He could win this fight, she just had to believe.

They ran along the tracks as they headed further south until they found the ruins waiting for them.

Though now that she was finally here, she came to the realization that she had no idea where she was supposed to go from here or how to contact Minfilia. They were so focused on getting this far that she didn’t even think about what she was supposed to do once she got here!

“Come on, let’s look over by the crystal wall,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than how she felt, and Claire followed after her through the red ruins. Everything was tilted at an unnatural angle and she couldn't help but feel slightly dizzy as they made their way through the ruins. She stuck close to Claire for the most part, who was looking around sharply, as if expecting trouble around every corner.

Not that she could blame her; after the shock of seeing Ran'jit again it would be enough to put anyone one edge. Oh, she hoped that Thancred was alright…?

They would just have to hurry.

They climbed up over the walls, already half buried in sand, until they were directly underneath the wave of light. It was so bright here that she was forced to shield her eyes to try and see more than a few steps in front of her. 

But finally, they managed to make it to very near the very edge of the solid crystalized wall and she looked up at the buildings around her.

She knew this place. This was where she felt herself both a part of and separated from Minfilia… she was close. She could feel her presence close by.

Once she realized this face she felt herself stop as fear took root and seemed to hold her squarely in place. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to just stand there frozen and never move again, but then she felt Claire's hand take hold of her own and gave her a comforting squeeze. 

Minfilia looked up at her with wide eyes as she kept that stoic expression on her face. No smile or a frown... it was completely blank. 

She wasn't giving her any clues or suggestions to what she should do. This was completely her choice. Claire nodded and they continued on until they reached the tallest building for malms and looked right up to it. 

This was the place alright. She remembered the platform that stood here; just like last time. 

They stared up at the building that the top was obscured by the brilliant light that reflected through the wave… such brilliance… such…?

“Is this…?” she whispered as she felt a stabbing pain in her head and everything faded.

Minfilia recognized the power of the Echo—revealing to her the past once again. 

She felt it… experienced it from Minfilia's point of view—the Real Minfilia. The random thoughts that drifted across her mind such as: _She could not allow him to give himself up… no, not that she now knew the truth. He needed to remain behind._

But who? Who was she thinking of? She was having a hard time trying to focus on the memory of what happened the day the Flood had been stopped. 

It slipped through like water through her cupped hands as other memories and feelings swept through her body. 

She tried to focus, but felt herself fading in and then out before riding it, allowing herself to be carried away.

And there it was again.

That wonderful feeling of being pulled into a loving embrace and held as if she was truly treasured. She smiled at the feeling, never wanting to leave it, yet the world stopped spinning and she opened her eyes to a beautifully bright place.

She looked around, completely at a loss to where she was. She gazed about in a blinkered way, finding that the light here didn't hurt her eyes like the sky sometimes did. This light was calmer… cooler… more soothing as it shimmered with a deep golden white and she felt as if she were wrapped up in a warm blanket. She looked down and saw the light shimmer beneath her feet as if she were standing upon water and wondered just what this place was.

She then saw Claire out of the corner of her eye and she felt relieved to know that she wasn't here alone—not that anything here would hurt them—she just knew it.

“This place…” she whispered before she heard a slight rustle… and then there she was.

Minfilia—the real Minfilia—had appeared and was walking towards her… the one true Oracle of Light.

The Oracle took slow and careful steps towards them, her feet bare upon the water’s surface, gazing at them both with a loving smile.

“You…” Minfilia gasped, staring up at her as the older woman came to a stop just out of reach of her, “You’re…”

“Ours is a meeting long overdue,” the Oracle said, “Full glad am I that we may finally speak.”

The Oracle then looked over to Claire, her empty eyes lighting up as Claire smiled back.

“It’s good to see you again,” she told her, which seemed to please them both.

The Oracle just beamed at her friend and gave a nod much like how she had seen Claire do countless times before. But then she turned her full attention back to herself and went on, “My dear, sweet child… yours is a burden none should ever be forced to bear. Such pain and suffering you have endured, yet still you came. For this and more, I thank you.”

The Oracle suddenly looked guilty but Minfilia shook her head, knowing she didn't deserve thanks. She was just a pale imitation. She couldn't even escape her room in Eulmore without help.

“I’ve lost count of the times I’ve almost given up,” she confessed, “If people hadn’t helped me every step of the way, I never would have made it.”

“Yet here you stand, resolved,” the Oracle reminded her kindly, “Now… tell me your heart’s desire.”

Her heart's desire. 

She was still afraid of the answer that she knew she wanted to give. She knew she said she had thought long and hard what she would say when she was face to face with her, but now that she was, she found those words weren't enough to express how she felt. She gave it a moment to get her thoughts together before answering, “To defeat the sin eaters, and bring this world back from the brink! The remaining Wardens have hidden themselves from us. But with the power of the Oracle, I thought that we might be able to find them…"

“Indeed you could. Their radiance would be unmistakable,” the Oracle confirmed for her, her tone becoming more serious, “But know, my child, that the power you seek will come at a price. We stand now at the crossroads. A decision must be made.”

So this was the answer that they needed. In the end, it didn't really matter which one of them remained behind because either one of them could become he eyes that the others needed.

The question of who it would be… was entirely up to her. 

One of them will live on while the other would fade.

She looked down, shaking slightly as the full weight of this choice pressed down upon her as if she were underwater.

The Oracle then smiled again.

“Tis only natural to be afraid. To hesitate,” she reassured her soothingly, “But for your many trials, you have grown stronger and wiser. And with the love and support of those you hold dear, you have grown to love yourself.”

To love herself.

Yes, that was true, wasn't it? Slowly but surely, the more she travelled with her friends, the more she saw of the world, however tiny it was, the more she began to realize just how much she wanted to be a part of it. The more that the others cared for her, the more she realized that perhaps she didn't have to be like any of the other Minfilias. They cared about her not because of her name or what she could do, but because they supported her—each in their own way.

She did learn to love the person she had become… and was determined not to be the one she used to be. It was because of this that the answer rang out clearly in her mind and she nodded.

She took a deep breath before walking forward so that they were close enough to touch and she looked up into the Oracles face—who was patiently waiting for her answer.

“The Flood has washed away so much of this world,” she told her softly. “So many people and places and possibilities—and all of the heroes who fought to protect them. Yet here the Scions are, trying so, so hard to help those few of us who remain. And seeing how tirelessly they work, how completely committed they are to the cause… I can’t help but believe.”

This world was badly scarred and just clinging to life. It would be a lot of hard work, but someday—perhaps when she was long gone and turned to dust—it will be rebuilt into something even greater than it used to be. She wanted to be one of those who first lay that foundation and watch it grow for as long as she could.

She looked down and smiled as she confessed, “But I want to do more than just watch and cheer. I want to make a difference. I want to help them, like they helped me—and maybe even inspire others to do the same.” She looked up and went on, “Coming together, providing for one another—that’s the only way forward I can see. Since all of our heroes are gone, we’ll just have to make heroes of ourselves.”

She wasn't a hero, but if she could someday help others who were lost—that would bring her the most amount of joy that she could imagine. 

She gazed up as the Oracle stared at her, her mouth falling open slightly, as if taken aback by her wish. For a moment, she feared that she may have said something wrong, but when she saw the Oracle smile again a second later, she knew she made the right choice. The Oracle then reached out and placed her hand on her shoulder.

“Tis a beautiful, wonderful dream,” she answered, “One we share. That selfsame hope lives on in you. It gives me comfort to know that the future is in capable hands.”

And then she felt themselves being wrapped up in even more light. So this was it...?

This would be the end? By surrendering all she had left to her that would put an end to the rebirth cycle wouldn't it? There would be no more Minfilia's, or at least, no more Oracles of Light. She wasn't sure what would happen after that, but either way, she vowed that she wasn't going to let that stop her.

“If ever you should falter, remember this: no one, however powerful, is immune to the whispering of doubt and despair,” the Oracle whispered to her gently as Minfilia felt her eyes droop and she became sleepy, “Do not give in to them, but do not deny them either. Look instead to the light within, that you may continue to serve as a beacon to others.”

When Minfilia saw only love and acceptance in the Oracle's face, any lingering feelings of doubt were dispelled and she nodded, promising her, “Thank you, Minfilia, for believing in us. For believing in me.”

Minfilia felt herself stand a little taller as she felt this other Minfilia press her lips to her forehead and everything faded away as she was bathed in a sea of light and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Feeling proud for coming to make her first, and perhaps the biggest, choice of her life.

***Claire***

So the choice had been made.

Claire watched on, having suspected for a while how this would end. While she was relieved to see that they wouldn't be sacrificing this Minfilia, she still felt conflicted on having to say goodbye to the one they first knew. 

She looked to her old friend and knew that it would be the last time they would ever meet.

Minfilia, their Minfilia, looked to her.

“Dearest friend… no words can express my gratitude to you for keeping her safe in these tumultuous times,” she said softly as the child Minfilia seemed to be in a daze at that moment, “You are a hero to us both.”

The Oracle of Light's smile faded for a moment before adding, “But not even the most valiant heroes can stand alone. Only together may you change the fate of two worlds.”

Claire blinked, confused by the way she said that as Minfilia smiled again and then everything faded around her and she suddenly felt herself falling back. The light that surrounded her wasn’t like what was in her. She felt warm and comfortable as her eyes closed and she seemed to become weightless as she drifted downwards. That was when the images she had witnessed through the Echo returned to her—the vision she had seen the day that Minfilia arrived in the First and halted the Flood—setting everything into motion.

_*Earlier Flashback*_

_This time it felt as if she was watching the scene play out as it happened so long ago. When Nabaath Arang was still strong and filled with people… but it was being swallowed up in the oncoming wave. A great wave made of pure light but moved as if it were water, was rising up higher and higher until it was just over their heads and blocking out the sky. Below it the streets were full of people who were screaming and running, desperate to find some way to escape the Flood, but had nowhere to go._

_“Run for your lives! It’s the Flood! The Flood!”_

_There were children crying having been separated from their parents and people were being trampled or just given up in the street as hope left them._

_She wanted to help but what could she do against such an overwhelming force?_

_But then one man, who had fallen, was pointing to the tallest building and cried, “Look! Th-There’s somebody up there! On top of the palace!”_

_Most kept running, not bothering to stop, but a handful of people were looking skywards to see her there against the Flood._

_Minfilia was there, looking just like she had the last time they spoke. This had to have been right after they said goodbye to her while back in the Source… for surrounding her were five balls of light. Lights that she had seen before as well._

_Minfilia hovered in the air before holding up her hands and winced in pain as she gathered the light within herself. That was when one of the lights took on a new form… it was knight Branden. He held up his hand and offered up himself to her light and giving her strength before fading away. Immediately afterwards, Renda-Rae appeared and she made her sacrifice by offering herself to the ever growing shield of light before fading away with a content smile. Nyelbert and Lamitt also appeared and together they passed on what little strength they had left before they passed on, leaving Minfilia with only one last orb of light._

_Finally, this last light took on its form and it was Ardbert. He held up his hand, ready to give himself, but that was when Minfilia commanded in a firm voice, “No. Stand back. We will stay the Flood.”_

_Ardbert's eyes widened in shock._

_“But this is what I want!” he pleaded back, “It’s my sacrifice to make!”_

_But she just shook her head._

_“Your time has not yet come. When all hangs in the balance, you must give them hope,” was all she answered before a blinding light engulfed them all._

_His eyes widened in shock as he screamed out her name and then it was all gone._

_*End of Flashback from before*_

Claire had seen all that and the images were playing themselves over for a second time. 

She didn’t open her eyes as she drifted through this sea of light, close to falling asleep. But then she felt someone wrap their arms around her and rest their head against her chest in a tight embrace. She instinctively wrapped her arms around the figure and held on tightly… it was Minfilia—the child Minfilia's form… but the voice that spoke was not the same voice that belonged to this girl.

“I pray you forgive me for this,” Minfilia, the Oracle, whispered to her, “I just wanted to hang on… just for a moment longer. To cling to whatever piece remained left of the woman I used to be."

Claire did not answer as she held her, rubbing her back much like how she did earlier when the child Minfilia was crying. 

“Long have I watched over you during your journey through the north,” she told her softly, “Never once doubting that you would succeed where anyone else would have fallen. You should know that I thought of you a great deal in these many decades. It brought me no small amount of comfort. But this child has chosen her future and so happily will I give onto her what little power I have left to bear. Soon… I will rest.”

“Was there no other way?” Claire could not help but ask. Was there something that she could have done…? If she had just forced her to come with her that day in the tunnel…?

“I fear not else could have been done. But take comfort in the fact that it has ended in no other better way,” Minfilia reassured her. “Do not blame yourself for this. You have done nothing but support and care for me. And for that, I thank you. I never would have made it this far on my own. And though it is hard to let go, I’m finally ready to rest. But do not fear… though I may be gone, I will not be forgotten. I will live on in the Scions and in this beloved child. The love that I always felt around me will never fade.”

Claire smiled at that and she knew that Minfilia must be able to see it for she chuckled slightly.

"And... when you see Thancred…? When you can, please pass onto him a message from me?" she asked.

"What is it?" Claire asked.

"Tell him that I never blamed him. Not once," she sighed, "My father's death was not his fault and so he should move on from that. Nothing he could have done could have stopped what was set in motion from that day. I suppose, a tiny part of me did want to blame him, for he so readily offered himself up as partial blame… believing that he could have done something to have prevented the goobbue from escaping. No. He is innocent in that act and it is time that he learn that. It is time for him to move on and embrace life."

"I will tell him," Claire promised as Minfilia hummed in a contented way.

"And also F'lhaminn... my… mother," she added, "When you next see her, please tell her that not a day went by that I didn't think of her. How often had I thought of her and how much that I owe to her. She made me the woman I am and I will always be grateful to her for all she had done. Tell her from me that I love her and she will always be my mother. And that I have long since forgiven her for her part in my father's death. She deserves to be happy from this moment on."

"I will tell her," she promised.

"I know you will," Minfilia chuckled, "You’ve always kept your promises. Unlike me. I can only hope that you can forgive me for not being able to keep mine own in returning safe and hale."

"It's alright..." she whispered back, hugging her tightly, "I'm only sorry that it had to end like this."

"Don't be," Minfilia said, "Looking back, I realized that bringing you into the Scions was the best thing that could have happened to us. And not just because of your strength. You were the one who changed us into the Scions that Eorzea needed us to be."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked, now confused.

"It wasn't until we met did I really began to see just how... disconnected we Scions were with the people of Eorzea,” she confessed, “I was so focused on dealing with the Ascians and the primals threat other than problems that were right in front of us. I don't think I ever truly understood the difficulties that the people went through... those were distant thoughts as we worked to bring the dawn's light to Eorzea. A grand ideal, aye, but so far off that we were blind to the suffering at our own doors. Only when it was too late did I realize just how dangerous it is when someone is so focused upon the light that they fail to notice the chasm opening at their feet. That was what broke us... and almost destroyed us."

"I still don't understand," Claire told her, wondering where she was going with this.

"Don't lie to me now. I'm sure that you must have seen it," Minfilia told her peacefully, "What the Scion's greatest flaw was all along. We were ignorant of the people’s suffering. The same people we swore to defend—in many ways we didn’t understand. Not truly. But you did. You did understand and you never turned away from those who needed help. You knew more about the people and their sufferings, as well as the beast tribes, than any of us did. The Scions were all but destroyed that night but the best part of us lived on through you and eventual grew to reflect that."

Her arms tightened around Claire as if desperate to hold on for a moment longer.

"Thanks to you, the Scions learned and survived," Minfilia whispered, "We have lost much and more along the way but the Scions have grown to become something even greater than I ever dared to hope. Though I was seen as the leader, you were the heart. And that is all because you were born with a very special gift. Something even more powerful than the Echo or the Blessing of Light. You have the gift of understanding. Of listening..."

Listening…? Understanding…? Where those simple things that changed them?

"Thank you," Minfilia whispered, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done and will continue to do. You are an inspiration to us all. And… please look after the others for me?"

"I'll... I'll try," was all Claire could said, feeling tears welling up behind her closed eyelids.

She could hear the smile in her voice as Minfilia spoke again, and somehow she knew that it would be the last time she would ever hear her speak.

“You are loved…” she whispered before she felt herself fade. “By so many… if you can only remember one thing, let it be that. You are so loved and we will always believe in you. Goodbye… my pillar of strength… my hero… my… dearest friend.”

“Minfilia…” Claire whispered and felt a few tears drift past her as she fell deeper and deeper and then everything was gone.

**…**

Feeling only slightly light-headed at this point, Claire came too and looked around—quickly realizing that she was waking up right where she left off in Nabaath Arang, at the foot of the building where she saw the images of Minfilia and the Warriors of Light. 

Did all that really happen? She could still feel the weight of Minfilia's arms wrapped around her as well as her voice ringing in her ears.

She craned her neck upwards to the wave... finding it had grown strangely... darker. As if the light that was inside it was now extinguished. 

She then began to spin around, looking for Minfilia, wondering where she was before spotting something white lying at the foot of the stairs of the platform and she sighed in relief before rushing over to her.

Claire gently shook Minfilia to awaken her until the child groaned.

Minfilia slowly sat up and that was when Claire realized that the red of the sand didn't leave her hair... but how…?

Claire felt her mouth fall open as Minfilia blinked up in confusion and stared around.

“What happened?" she asked innocently, "I remember speaking with Minfilia… and then…”

But Claire was too busy staring at her, completely taken aback by what she was seeing, that she didn’t answer her.

“Is something wrong?” Minfilia asked worriedly.

“Your eyes, they’ve changed,” she said.

That was putting it mildly.

She still looked like how she did before all this, just her hair and her eyes had changed. Her long, golden blond hair had now been transformed into a coppery red much like the sands beneath their feet... while her eyes now looked... normal. They were no longer that luminescent, crystalized blue but regular pale blue eyes of any other child.

Minfilia was confused by her words at first before some of her locks fell into her face and she stared at her red hair in shock. She then pulled out one of her daggers, which she took great care of and polished so much that they were rather like warp mirrors—but they worked well enough for her to get a glimpse of her eyes and stared in before she stood up.

She then smiled as she glanced back to the wave, as if the answer was very simple.

“A parting gift, I think,” she said softly. “Until now, I’ve walked the path she set before me. The path she set before all the Minfilias. But she’s given me a new path—a new life—that I can call my own. And even though she’s gone, I can still feel her… warm and calm and gentle.” She closed her eyes and placed a hand over her heart—much like how the original Minfilia used to do.

“I can feel the beating heart of the world, the Light what swells within it," she spoke softly before looking up with a brand new excitement that Claire had never seen before and cried, “And the Lightwardens. There’s one here in Amh Araeng. Let’s hurry back. The others need to know.”

Claire wholeheartedly agreed before Minfilia's joy withered and faltered before looking to her feet.

“You don’t think Thancred will be angry with me, do you?” she asked with her head low.

That was the question, wasn't it?

She gave it some thought before answering.

“It’s what Minfilia wanted,” she told her, “I’m sure he’ll understand.”

He will mourn for her, that she knew, but she also knew that he could never bring himself to hate her. He will be happy to see her return.

“I’d like to think so too, but…” Minfilia sighed before Claire moved forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug.

“Don’t worry,” she promised, smiling proudly at her decision, “I’ll be there with you.”

Minfilia, though still looking worried, did nod in agreement to that.

“Would you mind going on ahead?” she asked quietly, and when Claire hesitated, she added, “I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”

Claire agreed, suspecting that she just needed a little time in figuring out what she wanted to say to the others, and especially to Thancred, before meeting with them again.

But she did tell her that she would know if she wasn't following behind her, as she headed out. She didn't know how the others were going to react to this news, but she could only hope, for Minfilia's sake, that they understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oh, that is so sad! But what did you all think? It was hard to try and come up with how Minfilia would be feeling through all that and when I realized how similar it was to the WOL’s own story I had to compare the two of them. And I don’t know about anyone else, but I found the original Minfilia’s goodbye to a little… flat. To be honest, I never really liked Minfilia, the First’s Minfilia I love her, its the Source’s Minfilia that I find lacking. I don’t know why I just was very annoyed with her for some reason. I actually made an entire video on what I think about Minfilia and you can check it out here: Is Minfilia Useless? Made it a while ago before 5.0 came out but just in case you lot are interested. Again, I love the Minfilia of the First, she is just precious and I am happy that we managed to keep her. I don’t know how we’re going to be able to keep her in the story after the others return to the Source, but I hope that we do get to keep her because I do love seeing her here. But how will the others react when they see her? Find out next time!
> 
> Oh, and for the scene with Alphinaud, let me say it first nothing lemon happened, but he did get an eyeful—more than he intended to get. We’ll find out more about what exactly happened in the next chapter as well as diving down into the next dungeon to face the fourth Lightwarden. Which leads one to wonder how our Warrior of Darkness will hold up?)


	25. More Than a Hunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The choice has been made and now we have a new companion to join us, or rather a new name. The journey took them deep below the sands of Nabaath Arang and now they are faced with another Lightwarden. But even if this one should fall there is still one left waiting in the wings. And even more importantly, it seems that the Warrior of Darkness pain is now clearly made. She knows that she must keep going... but at what cost?

Thancred stared up at the sky as he let the others continue to work on healing him. It was a slow process but he didn't dare complain, knowing that the only reason he wasn't a meal for the vultures right now was because of them. 

Still, it was slightly maddening to be forced to sit there and wait as the others fussed over him. He didn't need to be tended to, he needed to know what was going on!

The problem was that he was so tired and beaten up that trying to remain awake was a struggle in and of itself. He could feel himself drifting in and out of conscious as the others continued to ask their questions on how he was feeling or where it hurt the most.

After he awoke for the third time, most of the pain had faded so while his limbs felt heavy he was able to move to a sitting position at last.

He looked around at them all with a fond smile for each of his comrades, glad to see them all here and well.

"Ah, thou hast finally awoken," Urianger said as he observed him with those accursed calm eyes. 

"Thancred, are you still in any pain?" Y'shtola asked hurriedly.

"N-No," he admitted, "Just... tired. But I have a feeling that I owe that to you all."

"Well, we do know a little bit about healing," Alphinaud smiled. "Thank the gods. When we found you lying there in the sands we feared the worst."

He gave a strained smile before looking around.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Another settlement just within Nabaath Arang," Y'shtola confirmed for him. "But unlike the town that Urianger told us about, Twine, this one seems to have been abandoned long ago. It has given us a safe place to rest for the time being. Now, can you explain to us exactly what happened? Your words didn't make much sense as we brought you here. Are you sure that it was Ran'jit?"

"Yes, please tell us," Alisaie added, "When we found you, we were all but certain that you were attacked by wild beasts."

"I feel like it," he confessed as he rubbed the back of his head. His mouth was still incredibly dry so talking was painful at first until they were able to give him what little water they had left. 

After coughing out the dryness he was able to tell them exactly what happened, Ran’jit’s powers and how the battle went to how he stayed behind and the girls went on ahead of him.

"I can’t believe Ran’jit is alive after all that?" Alphinaud gasped.

"But it sounds like he was forced to retreat, so you at least dealt him a serious enough blow," Alisaie offered and Thancred gave her half a smirk at the thought before looking up to the frozen wave behind them. 

"How long ago did you find me?" he asked, damning the light once more since it was impossible to tell how much time had passed already.

"Just little over a couple bells," Y'shtola confessed.

Bells? So they must have found Minfilia by now... surely a decision must have been made? The thought had them all suddenly feeling cold despite the heat from the desert sands.

"Is there a way that we can follow after them?" Alisaie asked worriedly, looking to the same wave and worry was settling in from their lack of contact with the others. "We might be able to...?"

"At this point, I think it fair enough to wait for them to come back," Y'shtola disagreed, "They will undoubtedly come looking for Thancred once... once all is said and done."

And there it was again, the worry of wondering who will be accompanying the Warrior of Darkness back to them.

"I believeth that they will return to us err long," Urianger sighed, "Surely young Minfilia hath made her choice. We will wait for them anon."

"I agree," Y'shtola sighed, not looking happy about it, but covered it up by looking over Thancred's condition again. "You, meanwhile, are lucky to be alive. I always knew that you were reckless but I think that you did more damage to yourself than Ran'jit did."

"Well, they say that our own worst enemies are ourselves," he shrugged.

"You think that you would be a little more concerned given the state that you are in," Alisaie said with a shake of her head. "Just a little longer out there and you would most likely be dead and then we would have the trouble of hauling you back to the Crystarium. I would hate to imagine what to say to your many admirers back in the Source if we were to return without you."

"Ah, tis a tragedy that no bard would ever be able to put justice to, but if that is to be my fate...?" he began dramatically and that actually cause Y'shtola to laugh, taking them all by surprise.

"I shouldn't encourage you," she told him with a shake of her head but a fond smile still there nevertheless, "But it has been so long since I heard you waxing lyrical that I did not realize how much I truly missed it. Where did that side of you go after all this time, I wonder?"

He grinned.

"Not sure, guess he was on leave for the time," he sighed as he glanced back up to the sky. "I know that I haven't been pulling my weight around here lately. That changes now."

"Ah, now there is the problem," Y'shtola said, giving him a hard poke, "You are working to the point that it is not healthy. We do not expect you to carry everything on your shoulders, Thancred," she reminded him, "It's ok to let your guard down around us."

"She's right," Alphinaud added in full agreement, "You expect too much of yourself, my friend. You are a valued member of the Scions and we need you."

Thancred wasn't sure what it was, but there was a new weightlessness in his chest that made him stand a little taller. Despite the aches of his body, he felt surer of himself than he had in so long now. 

He wanted to tell them this, but that was when he heard a pair of boots on sand and he looked up to see their one and only Warrior of Darkness making her way towards them... alone?

“Claire!” Alisaie gasped, the first to notice her, “Thank the gods you’re all right.”

“You’re back!” Alphinaud added, looking ready to fling his arms around her, “We were beginning to worry about you.”

“Welcome back,” Y’shtola declared as Claire drew up to them all and she gave her the glance over, “I see you fared better than Thancred.”

Aye, there wasn't a single scratch on her... but where was Minfilia? Claire seemed calm enough though so he didn’t feel that he had to worry about them being attacked on their way back…?

"Ah there you are, we were worried,” he said giving her a weary smile.

"Really? She wasn't the ones that nearly got herself killed,” Alisaie reminded him, getting back to properly scolding him, "It's a good thing Urianger called on us when he did. You were at death’s door when we found you."

He looked down at his hands, feigning guilt like how he did when he was young and when someone noticed him around and suspected trouble. He knew that he looked a mess, but could only confess, "But thanks to your timely ministrations, I was not obliged to walk through it."

He wanted to ask what happened, but he was afraid of learning the truth. If she was here then that could only mean one thing...?

He then noticed the flash of white stepping out from behind a worn down wagon a few yalms away and slowly approach them. He looked up and, sure enough, it was Minfilia. But... it was... it wasn't...?

He stared at the change in her appearance. Her red hair and her pale blue eyes...? 

Such a minor change could make a world of difference... he looked at her and could no longer see his Minfilia in her... instead he could only see the little girl that he rescued from Eulmore nearly three years ago.

Soon the others noticed and were staring at her with stunned surprise.

"Minfilia...?" Alphinaud asked as she slowly approached, looking nervous. 

As soon as he looked into his eyes and he saw the bundle of nerves that she was in... he knew who it was.

He then smiled as he said, "You saw her."

Her head jerked up at him, surprised that he could tell who he was really looking at and she nodded. She just nodded, looking like she was ready to start running—reminding him of a deer who had been spotted and wanted to escape—which was cute to him.

But she took a deep breath as she raised her hand to her chest, hovering over her heart much like how his Minfilia used to do whenever she was nervous.

"I know I haven't exactly been pulling my weight up till now, but that's all going to chance, starting today," she said and he blinked, recognizing his own words mere moments ago.

But hearing her voice again, recognizing the child that he had grown to care for over these last few years, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride and affection rising up inside him as she went on, "I'll do whatever it takes—whatever it takes to make Minfilia's dream a reality.”

He didn't say anything as he slowly stood up, ignoring his body's screams of protest, and slowly walked over to her.

She had been through so much in her young life but was now expected to take an even greater burden. 

She would need someone there to help her when she stumbled along the way. His heart ached at not realizing this sooner... never once seeing that he wasn't the only one who needed a family there. It took everyone here reminding him that they were here to support him did he finally realize that what he was searching for was right there all along.

And it was time that he reminded her. He was determined for her to see that she was surrounded by so many people who cared about her and that they would see this through with her to the end.

“I can track the light wardens now, maybe even help you fight them,” she whispered almost shaking when he stood in front of her.

He missed some of the things that she was saying as he stood before her... and gently rested his hand on her head in a gentle pat—something that he always knew made her smile.

"I'm glad you're back." 

He knew that his words shocked her for he felt her trembling under his hand.

"You don't have to say that, you know..." she croaked out without ever looking up.

He removes his hand as he smiled down at her as he confessed in a gentle voice, actually forgetting that the others were there with them, "But I want to. You're family. How else would I feel?"

He would never forget their Minfilia of the Source. He will forever mourn her, but it ended in a way that was best for everyone. He knew that he would never be able to continue on if he ended up losing this little girl.

He watched as she finally looked up at him with tears of relief welling up in her eyes. She broke down and wept as they all watched on, offering silent support as she cried tears of joy.

It wasn't until Y'shtola spoke up did he remember where they were and made a rather surprising declaration.

"She will need a name,” she informed them.

"A name?" Alphinaud repeated at a loss.

They all looked at her in confusion, but Thancred understood at once. She is her own person, not Minfilia. And much like with himself, a new name is the mark of a new beginning.

"A name of her own," Y'shtola simplified, "I would not have her walk in the shadow of another any longer. And I think it a fitting tribute to our departed friend too. At the mention of Minfilia, I would remember the woman who preserved out fellowship when all seemed lost."

Everyone became silent as they thought it over, but he knew that everyone was in silent agreement. It was a fine idea and one he wholeheartedly approved of. The only question now was what name would be appropriate for this moment?

Alisaie broke the silence and asked, "Do you remember what you were called before you were taken to Eulmore?"

"I'm sorry. I don't. I couldn't have been very old when it happened,” the girl said after she finished wiping her tears away. 

He felt a stab of enmity at that, making his throat feel like it was closing up, or perhaps that was more likely to having spent the last bell or so coughing up blood.

Thankfully, Y'shtola took it all in stride, indeed she didn't seem surprised by this, and stated in a much more upbeat tone, "Then we must think of a new name. Suggestions?"

No one spoke up, which surprised him, surely one of them would have an idea? But he then realized that they were all looking at him, and he was taken aback by their knowing smiles until Alphinaud pointed out cheerfully, "If the lady herself has no preference, I think the honor should rightly fall to Thancred. After all they have been through together, he's practically a father to her."

Father? Gods, he didn't have the first idea to how to be a parent! He was her bodyguard, that's all! But the words caused him to laugh inside his own head as he knew the truth.

Mayhaps... there is some truth to those words though he knew that he wasn't much of a father. Any real father would have forbidden their child to take such a road. Any even fewer would ever dream of trading their daughter for someone else—even if that person meant the world to them.

"Well spotted!" Alisaie spoke up with amusement, "I'm so glad you're here to explain these things." 

Alphinaud's head jerked around at her and demanded, not liking her teasing tone, "And what exactly is that supposed to mean!?"

"Oh nothing~" she countered with a sing-song in her voice.

Thancred blocked them out as he looked to the girl and began to think. 

A name...?

What kind of name would fit her? Well, he knew that it had to be something good... something special. He struggled to find any name that would be perfect for her. At first he thought of a few names that he knew back in the Source, but nothing was the perfect fit... he then thought of everything he had seen here in Norvrandt when a memory suddenly came back to him.

It was the first time that he had run into Urianger in Il Mheg after the man arrived here in the First. The two of them had taken shelter in his home after having been stumbling around for bells as the pixies played their tricks on them. When Thancred asked him how he learned to deal with them, Urianger went into a long lecture about the pixies and their customs. He even taught him a few words in their language. But soon enough, Thancred tuned him out as he helped himself to some of the food that Urianger set out for him as his new young charge was curled up, fast asleep, in a nearby chair. 

If Urianger noticed his attention slipping, he didn't acknowledge it as he went on speaking. Truthfully, Thancred didn't remember much of what he said among all the thous and thees—but there was one word he learned that stood out clearly in his memory.

"What about... Ryne?" he finally said out loud.

Everyone else seemed confused by that until Urianger spoke up in understanding, "Ah. 'Blessing' in Fae..." But then Thancred cracked a smile when Urianger suddenly spluttered, clearly remembering that conversation well and demanded, "Wait! Doth this mean thou wert listening when I delivered my lectures on the pixies?"

Thancred told him the truth—partly because it was the honest truth and partly because he just wanted to mess with Urianger a little more and confessed, "Not exactly. But that one word made an impression."

He didn't dare look at Urianger, knowing that he would never be able to keep a straight face if he did. But he picked that name so that she would never again think of her life as a curse. Rather she would always remember that her being here is a Blessing.

But then he remembered that the girl had yet to voice her thoughts on the matter and cleared his throat as he looked away in embarrassment, adding, "Of course, if it's not to your liking, I can think of something else."

"Ryne," the girl repeated as she thought it over before she began to smile, "Yes, I rather like the sound of it." 

She then looked up and gave him the biggest beaming smile he had ever seen and cried, "Thank you!"

He then looked back to her as he also beamed back, feeling lighter and freer than he had in so long.

"That settles it, then," he said proudly, "Welcome aboard, Ryne!"

"I won't let you down," Ryne vowed and he didn't doubt it.

After that, they started off with a small party of sorts. Well, it was more of a meeting with everything that happened since they split up as they shared some water and rations that they brought with them. But Minfilia—or rather Ryne—couldn't have looked happier than a child on their nameday. Which was another thing that they would have to figure out. Mayhaps when this was all over they could plan a nameday party for her that would make up for all the ones she missed.

“Despite this glad turn of events, the suffering born of mine all-too-arrogant meddling paineth me still,” Urianger sighed as they sat down to enjoy their lunch.

"Not just your appearance has changed either," Y'shtola was informing the girl, "Your aether has changed. It has taken on a faint, golden hue. Curious.”

"Really? Is that a bad thing?" Ryne asked in surprise.

"Not at all," Y'shtola reassured her, "It's actually quite pleasant to look at. It reminds me of sunflowers to be honest..."

Alphinaud, who accepted some cool water from Urianger, sighed and added, "Minfilia will be sorely missed. Though it was Grandfather’s legacy which first brought me to Eorzea, I would never have become a Scion were it not for her. Indeed, there would be no Scions, and two worlds would be the worse for our absence. Tataru and the others will no doubt be heartbroken to hear the news of her pressing. Until such time as we can return to them, however, we must keep our heads held high. Though we have lost one Scions, we have gained another, after all."

They did, didn't they? Thancred dreaded the moment having to return and tell Tataru and F'lhaminn what happened, but he did take some comfort in reminding himself that the girl he once cared for wasn't gone... at least, not completely. 

He suddenly stood and headed a few yalms away, around the building, promising the others that he was just stretching his legs. They looked ready to stop him as he waved his hand, reassuring them that he wasn't going to go far and that he just needed to take a leak.

Which was a lie of course, but no one stopped him as he walked away, leaving Claire at the mercy of Alisaie as she told her off for taking so long.

“Do you have any idea how worried we were when word reached us that Ran’jit was alive, and headed for the Hills of Amber?” Alisaie demanded as Claire watched her tranquilly, “Oh, I can’t wait for this to be over, so we can all go home. Assuming we even can.”

Thancred chuckled at that before stepping out of earshot and took a sigh of relief.

He gazed up at the sky for a moment before he closed his eyes and felt himself fade in and out.

He didn't know if it had been real or not, but as he laid there dying on the sands he could remember feeling as if someone was there with him. He remembered straying into a kind of dream with a beautiful golden light as he drifted through the place. He then felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him in a tight hug as well as a strange perfume entering his nose. He recognized it at once as the kind that Minfilia always wore as a child. F'lhaminn told him that she gave her the perfume so that no matter how tight a crowd they were in, she would always be able to track her down by following her nose.

It was a perfume that Minfilia always wore. Though it stopped after the Calamity for it was no longer made. But after they left the Waking Sands to move to the Rising Stones… until that last time he saw her the night of the Bloody Banquet, he could swear he caught hold of that wonderful scent.

The same that he breathed in at that moment and the voice echoing inside his mind:

_"Thank you, Thancred... for everything."_

He knew that voice as well and he opened his eyes with a sad smile. He could never be sure if it was a dream or if it was truly her... but he wanted to believe that it was her saying goodbye. 

She was letting him know that she was free and no longer in any pain. And that was enough for him. He didn't know if people from different shards ended up going to different afterlives but he hoped that they didn’t. He hoped that she found her way to her father.

"Minfilia..." he said quietly to himself, "I may not have always been there when you needed me, but know that those moments that we shared together, I will cherish. I'll keep going on to fight for a world where the Scions won't be needed. I'll see enough of the world for us both."

He then smiled a little wider as he could have sworn that perfume drifted upon the wind for a moment.

"I'll never forget," he vowed, "I promise you that."

"Thancred?" 

He looked up to see Claire had followed him.

"Hey," he said tiredly, turning to face her, "Don't worry about me. I just came out here to think."

"Are you feeling alright?" Claire asked him, looking over his filthy, bloodstained clothes.

"I'll live," he reassured her. "The others took care of the worse of it, though I fear I may not be up to fighting a Lightwarden right away after this. That's disappointing."

She smirked at that.

"Besides, this makes us even," he said and she looked at him in confusion as he elaborated, "Well, me paying you back for just one of the million of other things you did for me after all this time. But I like to think this makes up for my failure to assist you when you were served to Ifrit."

Claire blinked at that and he laughed, adding, "Don't say that I shouldn't blame myself. I don't. At least, not anymore. I feel much better. I guess getting the living tar beaten out of me by some miserable old fart was enough to snap me back to my senses. So now, my dear lady, I reassure you that I am well."

She then smiled and said, "So our new Thancred is the old one returning?"

"Well, I like to think of new and improved," he said with a chuckle, "But come on, you can't improve what was already perfect, can you?"

She laughed and he knew that he still had the charm after all.

"If it means anything, I missed this side of you," Claire answered.

"And it does," he said softly to her, "In truth, I missed it as well. I find it harder to believe that I could ever forget in the first place when surrounded by such fair maidens."

"We going back to that?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Now, now, I merely speak the truth," he reassured her with a wave of his hand, "Tis a curse of the Bard in my blood. But you needn't fear I know that you are taken. I swear, Alphinaud would fire his spells upon me if he learned I made a move on his beloved."

She turned red and he grinned like a cat who got the cream. 

"It would be awkward anyway," he added in a much more sincere tone, "You are as dear to me as if you were my little sister. And I like it that way."

He glanced up at the bright sky. Now the only thing that would make this moment even better if they could see passed those damn clouds.

"If nothing else, it's good to know I have people like you to watch my back and snap me back to reality... even if it takes a while," he said.

"About that," Claire said and he looked up as she told him about Minfilia's last words and what she wished him to know.

"I see," he said softly as he sealed those words into his heart, "So she never blamed me. She always said that it wasn't my fault but there was just a part that made me struggle with accepting it. Mostly because I realized that in a lot of ways I was still powerless to make a difference."

He closed his eyes and said a final prayer to the girl he would always remember as his first 'family'. But she was right. He wouldn't forget. But it was time to move on. 

He opened his eyes as he glanced back and added, "Thank you for telling me that. And thank you for standing by Ryne. And Minfilia. I’m sure it meant a lot to her, seeing you one last time. Would that I could have been there to hear what words were exchanged between them."

Claire opened her mouth to speak when he held up his hand to stop her, knowing that she was about to tell him, and reminded her firmly. "When all this is over, perhaps I’ll ask."

He wanted to know, but mayhaps he wasn't ready for it yet. It was enough for him to know that the woman he loved like a sister was finally at peace while another dear friend and one he loved like a daughter made it back to them.

Speaking of which...?

"Thancred?"

The two of them looked up to see that Ryne was jogging towards them.

Claire gave a slight wave as the girl came skidding to a stop in front of them.

"I'll leave you two alone," Claire said as she excused herself.

"Ah... Claire...?" he called before he could stop himself. She looked back in polite puzzlement as he struggled to say something. There was something that he desperately wanted to say to her but...?

"You know what? Never mind," he said with a rather shaky laugh. "I'll tell you when we'll through here."

Claire tilted her hand, but she nodded and left them alone. He let out a sigh before glancing down at Ryne, who shifted a little.

"I'm sorry for this," she said, reach out and taking his hand as she looked over the rips and bloodstains on his coat, "You got hurt because of me."

"Don't you think that this was your fault," he said, "I knew what it meant when I stayed behind. This was something that I knew that I had to do."

"But you could have gotten killed," she reminded him.

"Hey, you should have seen Ran'jit by the end of that fight," Thancred joked. Sure he almost died in the process but gods it was worth it just to see that old man leave with his tail between his legs like that. "I'll live," he reassured her. "And I don't regret it. I think that we should also be safe from Ran'jit... for a time anyway."

He doubted that he managed to get through to the old man, but there was some kind of change inside him as he looked at that withered face. He didn’t know what it was about, but he didn't question it. In either case, he hoped this would put a stop to his hounding after them... at least until they finished what they set out to do.

"What about you?" he asked her suddenly, "You didn't get hurt or anything did you?"

She shook her head.

"A little sleepy," Ryne confessed, looking back up to him. "Now I feel... I do feel something different inside me. I can track the light so easily now that I'm surprised I couldn't see it before. Minfilia transferred whatever power she had left to me and I am not going to waste it."

Despite the conviction in her voice, she suddenly grew timid again as she lowered her head.

"I was afraid that you would hate me for this," she said quietly.

"No," he answered softly with a shake of his head, “Minfilia will always have a special place in my heart. And I know that you are not Minfilia. You are Ryne. You are who you want to be. Not what she was. And... That’s all that I want for you."

She looked up with wide eyes as he smiled, knowing that his face wasn't the prettiest thing right now, but he did his best to show that he didn't hate her for her choice. Rather he was relieved and he would be here to support her for as long as he was able.

And she seemed to understood.

She then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, taking him by surprise.

"Thank you for letting me choose," she whispered, rubbing her face into his front. 

Thancred stood there stupidly for a moment, not quite sure what to do there. He was still a complete idiot when it came to kids. He knew that wasn’t going to change. But as he looked down to the little redhead, he found that he was willing to learn. He wasn't her real father... and he would never be the greatest. But gods he loved this little girl and he wasn't going to let that go.

He just hugged her back tightly as happiness filled every being of his body.

She wasn't his Minfilia.

But she was now and would always be his Ryne.

***Alphinaud***

He was glad that everything seemed to work out for the best. While it did hurt to know that someone she knew was gone forever, he could not lie and say that it wouldn’t have broken a lot of hearts to lose Ryne in the process.

He noticed that half their group was suddenly missing and he said that he would go and find them so that they could discuss their next step to go on to the next location. He stepped out from around the building and began to look about, hoping they didn’t go too far… but as soon as he found Claire walking towards him, her hands rubbing up and down her arms as if she were cold and was trying to warm herself up, he felt himself freeze.

She didn’t notice him at first until she almost ended up walking right into him. She finally raised her head as the two of them shared a long look.

“Are… are you feeling better?” he asked softly.

There was no need to ask what he meant. They were both clearly thinking about what happened earlier.

_*Flashback*_

_They promised to talk after they returned from the Greatwood. But with how tired she looked, he didn’t dare bring it up—deciding to wait until she got some rest before they could have that talk. But then the attack on Lakeland came… and now here they were and they still were postponing their discussion!_

_Well, he was finally working up the courage to tell her what he wanted—nay, needed to say—and he was afraid that if he waited any longer he would lose the nerve to do so. So he came down the hallway of the pendants, his eyes fixed on the room near the very end. It was late enough in the morning that he didn’t need to worry accidently waking her up—at least he hoped not. _

_His mind was so focused on what he was going to say, an entire speech in his head, that without even thinking about knocking, he entered. Only for his mind to be completely wiped clean when he stepped inside._

_A water jug came flying out of nowhere and almost ended up hitting him as it flew past his head—he heard the wind rushing by before it hit the wall behind him with a loud BANG!_

_“Seven hells!”_

_Claire was leaned heavily against the table and her eyes were wide with shock when she realized that he had come in and that she almost ended up slamming a jug at him._

_“W-What are… you…?” she gasped, her whole body trembling before she dropped to her knees and before he fully registered what was going on she began to have a full coughing fit. She was on all fours as she coughed and coughed, barely able to draw in air. _

_The sight was enough to snap him out of it as he flung himself to her side bent down lower over her as she coughed violently. A few drops of blood spilling from her mouth and sprinkled upon the floor._

_His first thought was to get help, but he didn’t want to leave her on her own if she could not breathe! He just pulled her up into his arms and held onto her as she continued coughing over and over into her hands and he ran his fingers through her hair as he offered words of comfort._

_After several tense minutes, her coughing slowly eased up and she started to take shaky breaths—more like wheezes—and she all but collapsed next to him, her head in his lap._

_“Are… are you alright?” he asked in a shaky voice when her breathing returned to normal._

_“I had something in my throat,” she panted, though he knew she was lying from the blood that was smeared on her lips. It was then that he final noticed that there was a knife impaled into her arm and he gasped, having not noticed that._

_“You’re bleeding! What happened?!” he yelled as he went to work on healing her arm once he pulled the knife out. What was going on with her? Did she intentionally harm herself? _

_“I was clearing up the table when I suddenly couldn’t breathe,” she replied dully as he helped her to sit up from where they knelt on the floor. It was only then, when his hands felt the flesh of her shoulders did he realize that she was dressed only in a hempen camsie and pair of pantalettes… leaving precious little to the imagination with how tightly they hugged her body._

_Once this fact sank in, he gulped nervously before his eyes spotted the blanket on the bed and went to fetch it. He gently placed it around her shoulders as she breathed in short, horrid gasps. She did not say anything as she hugged the blanket around her and he went back to treating her arm and demanding to know how a dinner knife ended up in her arm if she didn’t stab herself._

_“When I realized that I wasn’t getting air I tried to grab my throat and I was throwing things around?” she offered, “I don’t remember much more than that before I tried to cough up my lung. I guess…?”_

_She trailed off and he wasn’t sure if she really meant it as an accident or not… he did believe that she was in a lot of pain though. The blood of the floor was testament to that._

_“If you aren’t well, I’m sure if we explain to the others then we can wait a little while before…?” she shook her head and was now refusing to listen to his words about waiting._

_She tried to put on a brave front but he could see it clearly now._

_She was completely burnt out._

_He wanted to sit beside her and give her some comfort, he didn’t know how to do that. Showing affection towards someone was something that he still struggling with. He grew up in a household that had always been very proper and so it was expected of him to reflect that. He looked around to try and figure out what he could do… when he spotted the stove and he was suddenly hit with inspiration. _

_It was the one thing that he knew always seemed to cheer her up._

_“Do you want me to make you something to drink?” he asked, “I think you could use it?”_

_She just nodded, but he could see how her eyes were glittering with unshed, exhausted tears. He couldn’t bear looking at them and quickly got up to make some hot chocolate. He didn’t know what to say to what he just witnessed. She swears that it was an accident but he found it hard to believe that her falling could ram the knife into her arm like that…?_

_Had she been in so much pain before that she didn’t even notice if she hurt herself?_

_He knew that she hadn’t been acting like herself recently, but he just assumed that she was tired. Had she been hiding it from him? He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and her half white hair gave her the impression that she had aged considerably in the last few weeks._

_Between everything that was happening he knew that she wasn’t taking care of herself properly. Now that he thought of it, when was the last time she ate something? He could see the way her collarbones were beginning to stick out. And when he tried to heal her arm, though it had been closed, there was something strange about the aether in her blood… almost as if her body was lacking in what it needed to heal her wounds. _

_The worse part though were her bloodshot eyes and the trembling… and he could not help but painfully realize that she was not thinking about herself here… like she never did. He used to be able to see through the parts of the walls she put up around herself—he was given glimpses through the shield that separated her from everyone else… but now she was blocking it all from everyone… even him._

_She was holding it all inside and was suffering for it._

_This whole journey to slay the Lightwardens was pushing her in such a way that he never thought possible. She always seemed so strong and indestructible. But now he could see just what a toll this was taking on her._

_“How are you feeling Claire?” Alphinaud asked after a few minutes of working on the hot chocolate, “And please don’t lie. How are you really feeling?” _

_“Terrible,” she sighed and she rubbed her temples as he brought the two mugs over to the table and sat opposite of her. He tried not to look at her too much because he could not help but notice… he could see her skin and how it was adorned with scars—both old and new, large and small—results of countless battles that she had faced. But that only added to the beauty he was staring at. Despite the seriousness of the situation and what he had just seen… he could not help himself and think just how beautiful she was._

_Which was what hurt him all the more to see her suffering so._

_She slowly raised her eyes and gazed at him before resting her forearms on the table, still clutching the drink between her hands. _

_“Please,” he said, “Let me help if you aren’t feeling well.”_

_He was willing to drag her off to the healers if he had to but she just shook her head, merely telling him that anything she had wasn’t going to be cured by them. He was demanding an answer as she explained that the reason that she had been in agony a moment ago was because of the light inside her. He blinked, confused at that, asking what she meant and that was when she told him all that she knew. _

_That the Light from the wardens wasn’t destroyed… but it had to go somewhere. It was now all trapped inside her body and that was what was causing her tiredness lately. But today was the first time that she every felt true pain from it. _

_“I guess… with all that has been happening and the stress that we’re under, I let my guard down for a moment here while I was changing,” she confessed grimly. She then seemed to realize her state of dress and wrapped the blanket around her a little more tightly so that he could no longer see anything below her neck._

_“I’m sorry…” she whispered in embarrassment._

_“N-No, don’t be,” he stuttered, now fully embarrassed as well, “I’m only glad that you’re alright. But… I still don’t understand what…?”_

_“In truth, I do not know full well what is going on either,” she confessed grimly, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “I feel that there is so much more happening here than I rightfully understand. And I hate that feeling.”_

_He looked down, wondering how he could respond to that. How could he help her? Why was he so useless here?_

_That was when he felt her hand upon his cheek again and slowly looked up as she stared directly into his eyes. He felt her gently stroking her thumb along his cheekbone as he leaned his head into her palm, savoring her touch. _

_“Please…” he whispered, “Tell me how to help you. How do I support you? What can I do to take away your pain?”_

_She looked long and hard at him before she leaned in and he welcomed her lips against his own only too willingly. Even as he felt his own will crack and shatter as he silent wept for the pain she must be in._

_*End of Flashback*_

He had remained until he was sure that she had recovered enough to finish getting changed and he went outside to think. But what he saw was hard to erase from his mind.

He looked long and hard at her… having barely been able to look her in the eyes since then. He so badly wanted to ask for advice and came close to revealing what happened to Y’shtola and his sister earlier, but they quickly jumped to a much more comical outcome and he chickened out as they pressed for information.

“I’m sorry that you had to see me in such a way,” she sighed, her cheeks stained red, “I was just… I… I don’t even know how to explain it. Only that I wasn’t myself.”

“But are you alright?” he asked a little more urgently as she removed part of her armor to reveal the wounded arm and saw that the mark had already mostly healed and left only a faint line in her skin.

“Better than before,” she reassured him, “I only hope that you didn’t think that I intentionally hurt myself in the process.”

“No, I don’t think that you’re that type of person,” he sighed before blushing as he remembered the image of her nightclothes.

She raised her eyebrows at him suddenly at his blush and she seemed to guess what he was thinking, and warned, “I better not find any drawings from what you saw this morning by the way.”

He let out a shaky laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’ll tell Y’shtola or Urianger when we’re done here, what happened,” she promised him, “But we need to focus on slaying the Lightwarden for now.”

He nodded, not happy, but he did understand her eagerness to continue on. That was when she asked a surprising question that took him completely aback.

"Did you see them?" she asked and he froze at the question as she rolled her eyes and added, "I meant my scars?"

"Oh," he gulped, sounding relieved for a moment, "Ah... yes, I did."

At least, he was being honest.

She shook her head.

"I hope that I didn’t scare you with them either. I don't like showing them," she told him quietly. "They all bring back bad memories."

"No! I mean, don’t feel bad. What I’m trying to say is, I thought that they were… beautiful," he confessed and she looked up in surprise at that. But he meant every word. For when he saw those marks on her skin, he could only think of how war heroes often have medals as symbols of their bravery… her scars were no different from that.

He only thought that they made her even more beautiful, if that was possible.

“Just… promise me that you won’t overdue it until you’re feeling better,” he pleaded with her, “I don’t think that you should be up and moving right now if you aren’t yourself?”

He still didn’t think she was being completely honest with him but trying to force her to tell him was just going to push her even farther away. He was trying to get through her defenses, not try to push her into building them even higher. He would wait until later to confront her and hope that she would be more willing to listen.

They were running out of time for the First and they needed to hurry to slay the Lightwardens.

“I promise,” she finally said, “But only if you promise me one thing.”

“O-Oh course, what?” he asked as she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, causing warmth to spread through his whole body the moment her lips touched him.

“No matter what happens to me, promise me that you won’t ever turn to the bottle to try and cope with it,” she said.

He looked on in bafflement as she smiled tiredly and she confessed, “I recently met someone who sought to drown himself in alcohol to forget the pain he was in,” she reasoned. “Promise me that you won’t go down that path.”

He was confused at that as she just smiled tiredly, but she did promise that when this was over, she would speak with the Exarch or someone on what could be done about her condition. So with that in mind, he did let the matter go, merely taking her hand as they walked back to the others. Not even paying attention to how some of them seemed to giggle at seeing their joined hands.

***Claire***

Once everyone had rested up, they set off onwards the west and through the remains of the mining town before coming out towards the edge of an enormous hole in the ground. It was surrounded on all sides by stone walkways built up in multiple layers with a giant crane right above their heads.

"It was said that the queen of Nabaath Areng commanded this well be built in the memory of her beloved," Y'shtola commented, "And up until the Flood, it was a place of respite from the desert heat. The town we passed through worked in maintaining the crane for the water. But after the Flood and the onslaught of sin eaters they left for safer places."

"Can't blame them for that," Thancred reasoned as he looked to the wave of Light and knew that this had to be one of the first places to fall to the eaters.

"They call it Maliak's Well," Alisaie said.

"That's the largest well I've ever seen," Ryne pipped up innocently.

"Well, until a few years ago it was transformed into an excavation site by the miners of Amh Araeng before they were also forced to abandon it," Y'shtola informed them.

"So this was one great reservoir?" Alphinaud asked curiously as he looked over the edge cautiously.

"Yes, at least it used to be," Y'shtola confirmed, "Who knows what has become of it now?"

“That the walls should still bear so great a burden after countless years of neglect bespeaketh the surpassing skill of their architects,” Urianger said admiringly.

“I didn’t expect to see Talos wandering about—much less of their own accord,” Thancred said, pointing to the wandering stone statues as they lumbered somewhat awkwardly, “How long must it have been since their creators’ bones turned to dust?”

Ryne looked over the ledge carefully as if she was looking for something she dropped. 

“The Warden is down there, I can feel it,” she declared for them.

“You sure?” Alisaie asked and Ryne nodded, explaining that she could taste it’s aether on the wind.

Alisaie seemed to have a new fire under her as she looked to Claire and said, “Let’s put an end to this, Claire, and return the night sky to Amh Araeng. I can’t help thinking about all the children at the Inn. Abandoned to wait for the inevitable. So long as the Light holds sway here, there is no hope for them. But if we defeat the Wardens, if we restore the night, then maybe… maybe they can still be saved.”

She didn't think about that, but she suddenly felt a new reason to go down there and put an end to this. She thought of little Halric and all those other people... could it still be possible to save them? Well, she was willing to find out. 

So they began to talk about how best to go about their trip below ground

So in the end, they were to go in two waves. Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Ryne all choose to go with her. Mostly because she suspected that Alphinaud still wished to keep watch over her and Alisaie was so full of fire no one could stop her. As for Ryne, she needed to go with them so that she could direct where they needed to go; and with Thancred still recovering, he would need Urianger to heal his wounds while Y'shtola was ready to battle any foes that the first wave missed.

So with their groups planned out they moved down the stairs.

“The Warden’s presence feels… familiar somehow,” Ryne said suddenly as they moved down further into the shade, taking relief from the glare above. Ryne was now commenting on what the aether of a sin eater felt like and she was suddenly trying to figure out what was so familiar of it since it was both very like but unlike smaller sin eaters.

“Now that I think about it, it reminds me of… but that makes no sense," she said, suddenly startled.

"What doesn't?" Alphinaud asked and she jumped slightly as if she had forgotten they were there.

"Sorry," she said, "I’m sure I’m just imagining things."

They were taken aback but they let the matter go as they stepped into the dark caverns of the well.

They entered a realm that was not unlike some of the temples that she had ventured in countless times before. It was both old and young compared to them though. Most of it was in good order so that they were able to make it through without fear of something collapsing on top of them.

She could make out broken crates and even moldy mugs that had been abandoned—as if the previous owners had used it up until a point but were forced to leave it behind in a hurry. They ended up coming across some creatures very quickly, bladebearers she thought their name was, as well as some wandering Talos that had been left to become ‘feral’ in the years without masters to command them.

If nothing else, the light was blocked out and brought much relief to her eyes. The glare was starting to get to her again, and she was grateful for the chance to relax her sight and focus without worry of being blinded from the light that bounced off her blade. They made their way through a gate at the back, stepping across the tracks as they found the tracks below that led deeper. This was starting to quickly seem more a mine than a temple.

Most of the tunnels were closed off by thick gates, but Ryne was quickly able to point out which way they needed to go, pointing ever downwards as they left the temple-like area behind them and entered the mining part properly.

“It looks like we can descend from here,” Alisaie said as she pointed up to the some enchanted lanterns that cast a faint light about them to guide the way. At least, Claire assumed they were enchanted since she could not see how they could still be burning after all this time unless the Talos were changing them as part of some function?

They headed down to an area that led back to the open pit and she could see that they were walking along the deeper layers of the hole for she could see the light shining but left them in the shade. That was when in the wide room they came across what looked like a giant armadillo waiting for them.

She supposed that they should just be glad that it was a wild beast and not a sin eater that was waiting for them. Still, it was big, had claws, and it certainly didn’t like being disturbed. It was causing the ceiling to cave in from above and giant boulders to fall before waving its spike-like tail around so that she was hit hard and shot back. Though large, it was undoubtedly agile and could move deadly with its claws in the front… as well as having its friends to call upon and they were fighting off an army of the armadillos before they were able to kill the damn thing.

Feeling slightly bad with the idea that they killed it while it was just defending its home, they moved onwards, still finding no trace of the sin eaters, but Ryne said that it felt like they were much deeper.

After moving through a few rooms with nothing but some minor creatures stalking the halls, they found another open doorway that led them outside again.

“I doubt that the Lightwarden will be hiding up on these upper levels,” Alphinaud stated as they headed down the stairs and found themselves clinging to the wall as they followed the tracks until they broken off and left them to jump down to the next level.

There were even more broken Talos around them and when she looked deeper she could see there the cable for the crane above could reach and into a large pool of water complete with a waterfall directly below them. It seemed that it was protected mostly from the light with how deep it was and she wanted to be able to tell the people of the settlements nearby that there was water ier. Maybe someday they could reopen this place—or even better—with all this water they could use this to start rebuilding the cities.

Of course, they would have to take care of everything down here first… just another reason to put a stop to the warden.

“Hopefully this tunnel continues onward,” Alisaie panted as they stepped back into more of a cave-like system that was carved out rather than built like the first half. Still following the broken tracks, until they came to more creatures who relish the dark and the damp like giant slimy custards and Phoebads. As they approached the track going onwards, the wooden blockade fell away and Ryne pointed downwards that was where they needed to go.

They were able to leap down and landed painfully at the bottom and Claire looked around to see giant wooden buckets the size of bathtubs scattered in this most bottom level. They must be near that pool that she saw before… in fact, she could hear the faint dripping of the falls and the smell of cool water.

They could just make out a few tiny rays of light from the hole directly above them… revealing how deep they must have gone. However, it was at the end of the next corridor was something very strange waiting for them. It was a Talos… with buckets on its head, hands and feet?

“Are those… buckets…?” Alisaie asked slowly as the massive creature creaked and cracked as it moved, noticing them.

"Yes…" Alphinaud said as if he was not sure if he should answer or not, or at least doubted his very eyes, "Yes, they are."

They ran up to face it as it began to wave its buckets around. The size of the buckets now made sense as they rushed at it. It must have been made to carry buckets of water or fill them up so that the crane could lift it out. Its job must be to guard the pool in case any creatures try to lay claim to it—which was why it was now attacking them. It slammed its fist on the ground and caused geysers of water to rush up before its chest opened up and revealed even more buckets before knocking them back with bursts of water.

It spun around in a circle, getting anyone it could hit with its water jects as it swung its massive hands around at them. Thankfully, it was just a stone statue and could not think up plans to fight them outside what it was created for and so they were able to get around its blasts of water and watched it crumble and break apart into dust.

They paused only long enough to drink their fill of water, which was both sweet and refreshing, before continuing on.

“I think I now understand Alphinaud’s aversion to water,” Alisaie said, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand as she continued on, dancing out of the way as her brother took a swipe at her.

“Not. Another. Word…” he threatened and she laughed.

They had to be pretty deep by now; which Ryne confirmed this by telling them that they were right on top of the source of the Light she sensed.

“Maybe one more level below us?” she said carefully as they headed to the next doorway, “Either way, it’s very close now.”

They came to a wall of dead crystal, drained of all energy, and that was when they spotted them… sin eaters. They were in the forms of giant scorpions and even one in a giant sprite form as they fluttered around the waterfall. After killing the last sin eater, they were able to break their way through the dead crystal attached to the wall and into an area that had clearly been used for mining. There were old mining equipment scattered about them but everything was coated with thick dead crystal and crystalline dust.

“These crystals are devoid of aether…” Alphinaud said as he bent down to pick up a piece and examine it with a critical eye.

Possibly drained from the Lightwarden since it would be hard for its servants to bring it food and supply its hunger for aether. Which means that they must be getting close by now.

They headed past giant piles of rocks before they began to glow and she sensed enough to know what was coming.

“Gods, is nothing safe from the sin eaters’ corruption?” Alisaie groaned out as the boulders rose up into golems and reached out hungrily towards them. They killed them all and the fighting caused the crystals from a nearby tube to fall over and crash, creating a convenient bridge for them.

“We’re right on top of it,” Ryne warned as they reached the other side.

But this time, Claire didn’t need Ryne to tell her. She could feel its light and how the light inside her seemed to rise up like a beast sniffing the air hopefully for an easy meal… it was just ahead.

They came to a wide open room and they looked down to see it. That had to be it. But even by sin eater standards… this was a very strange design for it. It looked like a large golden coin or a shield floating there with countless wings of feathers flying about it. The wings flew about it as they formed different shapes until they came together to take on the image of a celestial figure wearing a dress of feathers and golden mask.

It was certainly different, she could give it that.

Claire glared up at it with dread, knowing that even if they killed it, it was still going to be her who dealt with the aftermath. Still, she took a deep breath and walked forward; they braced themselves for the fight as it seemed to hover there peacefully and it was Alisaie who followed directly behind her.

“This is for you, Tesleen,” Alisaie vowed.

Claire drew its attention upon her as it began to slash its razer-sharp wings at her. The wings then moved up and she could see a pyramid of light before the corner shot out flashes. She called in warning to the others and they moved out of the way as beams of light like lasers scorched the ground.

Claire took command and shouted out warnings and to the others on when to move and what was coming as the wings spun about this way and that. It was a struggle to try and keep an eye on its attack while all around her she saw only feathers. Trying to keep up with its many different attacks was hard, but she knew that if she could just find the heart… or maybe in this case the brain…? Ah… that’s it! The wings were protecting the golden mask! All she had to do was get to that and she should be able to kill it then!

Of course, easier said than done. The thing was that the wings were protecting it so that when she slashed at it, she got only the sharpened feathers.

If she could only deal the wings with heavy enough damage…?

She then yelled for Alisaie to perform an attack that could at least stun the wings long enough to get her close in. Alisaie did what she asked without missing a beat and knocked the most of the wings in one go. Alphinaud and Ryne then ran in to get the attention of the other wings and left the mask relatively unguarded.

She had her opening and Claire rammed her blade right through the golden face. She knew even before it hit the ground that it was over. It let out a loud bell like sound before it collapsed… nothing more than a broken pile of wings and face.

She stood there with the others, the rest of her friends having caught up, and watched as it dissolved into droplets of light. Now that the battle was over she felt genuine fear settle in this time for she knew what was coming.

It took every ounce of self-control she had not to turn and run for it. This was going to hurt, that much she was sure of. Feeling like she was about to cry, she could only watch as the light slowly formed into that familiar ball and rose up. She could feel the light already inside her fighting—as if sensing it was about to grow.

She beat it down as she braced for the worse.

The light flew straight at her as if a starving beast having spotted food.

Oh, how it hurt!

It was as if fire was burning her veins and made it hard to even stand up. It was anguish and it was all that she could do to force herself to remain upright as she bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from screaming.

She expected it once again when the song continued to play inside her head. Whose voice it was, she still did not know, but it was loud enough to make her head feel as if someone hit her over the head with a hammer:

Home  
Riding home  
Dying hope  
Hold onto hope... Ohhh...  
Home  
Riding home  
Home, riding home  
Hope, finding hope... Ohhh...

One brings shadow, one brings light  
One more chapter we've yet to write  
Want for nothing, nothing denied  
Wand'ring ended, futures aligned  
  


She focused on the sound though as the light settled inside like a cat curling up before nestling down in her basket and going to sleep. The light sank into her skin and she thought it was over. But then she heard a loud cracking noise that echoed in her mind that blocked out the singing as agony ripped across her chest and throughout her body. She couldn’t fight it as she let out a startled gasp and staggered forward, almost blacking out.

She breathed through it all until the pain—or at least most of it—faded. She just turned to the others and forced another smile despite desiring just to curl up and cry from how badly it hurt.

It seemed that she was able to fool them… well… some of them.

***Urianger***

The journey down here went as well as they could have hoped for.

Ryne’s senses were true and unwavering as they descended through the remnants of the past. Ryne was able to guide them through the tunnels ever deeper until they stood here triumphant in their victory.

At first glance.

The others were celebrating their victory, not realizing how Claire was in no mood to celebrate. Her movements, until that point, had been precise and deadly as she took the full blunt of their foes. But now she trembled slightly where she stood.

The moment that they slew the Lightwarden and it was nothing more than a pile of feathered wings and she stepped forward to take in the light once more, he had been watching in terror. He watched as the Light joined with her aether until it pulsed out violently and she staggered as if about to collapse.

He made to run forward, terrified that it was too much beyond even her, but after several painful-sounding gasps, she managed to force the light down.

She turned to the others and forced a smile that did not match her eyes. She was in pain. He could see that even without looking at the overall effect that this journey has had on her. She was deathly pale and once the light had faded, he saw how even more of her pink hair had turned white. She had only a few pink locks left while the rest of it was as white as snow.

The dark shadows under her eyes became even more pronounced. Indeed, if the joy that the lightwarden’s death weren’t there, he was certain that the others would be panicking by now. Though, he knew that shouldn’t be long before they noticed. But Claire didn’t say a word about how she was feeling. Indeed, she looked like she might be sick if she did say anything. After they climbed their way out of the pit, she just excused herself. With Thancred and Y’shtola helping the others out, he went on ahead, vaguely suggesting that he would just do a quick survey of the area and ensure that no other remaining eaters were about them. But in truth, he wished to ask how Claire was doing.

He found her back in the area that was full of water and he found that she had thrown up all that was in her stomach before rushing off to clean herself off in the water.

He quickly dashed to her side and crouched down next to her as he rubbed her back in a soothing way as she coughed.

“Damn it…” she hissed, and her breaths came out in painful wheezes as if she was struggling just to fill her lungs with air, while her body shook violently, “I feel like…?”

“Here,” he said as he reached for the pouch at his side and he pulled out a bottle to hand to her. She looked at it wearily as he explained, “I hath been working on such a concoction to aid thee with thine headaches. This may help?”

In truth, it was a potion that he had come up with the Exarch after he told him of Claire’s condition. Thanks to the knowledge inside the Tower, they were able to come up with a potion that would help… or at least to just numb the pain.

She looked like she was going to refuse, but after some gentle coaxing, she relented and swallowed the contents of the bottle in two gulps. He continued to rub her back in a soothing way as she focused on breathing until it eased up.

“Dost thou feel any relief?” he asked worriedly.

“A little,” she confessed. “My body feels numb. But in a good way.”

“Please be aware that this sickness you have is not healed,” he reminded her as he stood up and offered his hand to help her up. “But it will help to ease thy suffering.”

Stubbornly, she shook her head at the offered hand and turned back to the water and filled up her own water pouch.

“I have made several bottles,” he reassured her, as she quickly drained the full pouch, as if she were dying of thirst, “If though art willing, I will be more than gladdened to aid thee by making more.”

“Maybe,” she offered, giving him an exhausted smile, “Thank you. I think I’ll be ok. But I don’t think that I’ll be up to doing much fighting on the way back.”

But he nodded in full understanding.

“Come,” he said bracingly, “Let us return to the Crystarium and rest.”

The others caught up to them right after that, with Alisaie was excitedly talking about the inn and saying she only wished to have seen the looks on their faces when they saw the night sky, which she was sure must be what was waiting for them now. Urianger did his best to smile at Mistress Alisaie’s joy, but he could not help but worry. Claire was taking her time at the water’s edge as she drank and drank but it was like no matter how much water she took in it wasn’t enough to quench whatever thirst had taken her.

When Ryne noticed this, asking if she was feeling aright, Claire just wiped her mouth and forced another smile before saying that she was just feeling tired and was looking forward to leaving the desert behind them.

The others, save for Y’shtola, who was glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes, and an anxious Ryne, nodded in agreement and headed towards the exit as Master Alphinaud seemed to hover over their friend.

The rest of the way out was mostly silent as they began to difficult climb straight out until they were able to use the crane rope to scale directly out of the pit and were welcomed back with a darkened desert with a scattering of stars over their heads.

It looked almost completely unrecognizable under the night sky. But it was also strangely beautiful at the same time. At least, Mistress Alisaie thought so.

“At last,” Alisaie said, coming to stand beside them. “Night has returned to Amh Araeng.” She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, fighting back tears. “We’ll save this broken world yet, Tesleen. You see if we don’t.”

Urianger wasn't sure who this 'Tesleen' was, but before he could ask, Master Alphinaud suddenly pointed off to the distance to where they spotted a couple of the Eulmoran airships having leady taken off and were drifting across the dark sky, their balloons blocking out the stars in certain places.

“No doubt retreating in the wake of the Warden’s demise,” master Alphinaud said, a note of irritation in his voice.

“Back to Kholusia,” Y’shtola said, speaking for the first time since defeating the Lightwarden. “The last refuge of Light.”

“Home to our dear Lord Vauthry,” Thancred sneered at the name. “Who will no doubt do everything in his power to thwart us?”

“As well he should,” Alphinaud said, his face the picture of resolve--something that he recognized countless times in his grandsire's own face, as he declared, “For defeat there would spell the end for both him and his heavenly host. There, the fate of this star shall be decided.”

Despite the weariness they all felt and the lateness of the hour, Urianger could not help but smile proudly at how confident he sounded. It seemed that their adventure here had done him a world of good... as did his sister.

“When all of this is over, it would mean a lot to me if we could go and visit Tesleen’s grave together,” Mistress Alisaie said and, once again, he was struck by how affectionate that the younger woman was with their Warrior of darkness as she took her hand, “I have such a lot to tell her.”

Claire nodded in agreement to that as Alisaie beamed at her. As they were preparing to head out though, he noticed how Claire's expression faded to one of an aged pain as if she had just aged to a much older woman.

But it seemed that someone was paying closer attention than she thought for Ryne came up to her.

He kept his head down as he helped finished packing up what little items that they had as he listened in carefully.

“Are you feeling alright?” Ryne asked with a rather apprehensive tone, “After you defeated the Lightwarden, I could swear I saw its aether-” 

Ah, so she could see it now. Just what he didn't need to make this even more complicated. 

"Saw what...?" Claire asked and he could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

“Uh… never mind," Ryne said carefully now changing the subject as she decided, “I’m still getting used to my powers. It’s probably nothing. I’m just relieved I was right about where the Warden was hiding. The last one is hiding in Kholusia, isn’t it? I can’t feel it from here, believe it or not…” 

She then went on to say that she may be better able to track it once she was close enough but they should be heading back to the Crystarium for some rest in the meantime; something that they all agreed with. He sighed, wondering if he could possibly make it through these next few days alive with how angry Y'shtola was continuing to grow with him.

The walk back was long but thankfully peaceful with the creatures lurking the road bolting from the dark sky.

But the whole way back, he kept a close watch on Claire out of the corner of his eyes. She was silent and her paleness in this darkness so that she seemed to stand out sharply. 

Soon enough the others noticed her complexion and lack of involvement with their conversations—not that she ever joined in much before—but to which she just firmly shook her head and he feared that she was fighting the urge to be sick again.

He did his best to distract them with his lectures, for once grateful that they seemed to be enough to direct the attention.

Well, almost... Y’shtola was burning holes into the back of his head and he felt a strange shiver pass over him whenever she did speak to him—which was usually short and brisk—as if she didn't want to waste more time than she had to on him.

And he couldn't help but flinch slightly whenever she passed by as well—something that Thancred quickly noticed and was watching with suspicious eyes. 

Thankfully, they made it back to the Crystarium just as the first few rays of sunlight began to touch the otherwise darkened sky—revealing dark shades of purples and blue amidst the black.

He let out a shaky breath of relief as they came up to the gates. 

Claire quickly excused herself to the markets so that she could leave her possessions in Feo Ul's care and she would catch up to them in front of the tower. 

They let her go off as they approached the tower, and he was looking forward to informing the Exarch everything.

But then Y'shtola suddenly stopped and held out her arm, saying that she and Ryne would catch up, but they just had something they needed to discuss with Claire first.

About what?" Master Alphinaud asked in surprise as Mistress Alisaie went on ahead, now walking with a new spring in her step.

"Just girl talk," Y'shtola insisted, "We won't be long. You get going and inform the Exarch all that happened."

The others were too tired to try and fight with her, and so they went on. But Y'shtola saved her glare directly for him and he knew that he would be in for a telling off later. He could only hope that his excuses that he had been pondering over for the last few weeks would be enough to appease her for the time being.

***Claire***

Gods, was everything always so loud?

Listening to the others talk the whole way back was enough to make her head feel like it was ringing again thanks to her skull crushing headache. She did not say a word the entire trip back and had to bite down on her tongue more than once to keep herself from crying. 

She had made up some excuse to get away from the others so that she could take another one of those potions that Urianger gave her—for while she normally wasn't one for it she was desperate to numb the pain for a while.

She rested upon the stairs for a moment and caught her breath before heading back to the tower. To her surprise however, she found Y'shtola and Ryne waiting for her. 

She approached, looking from one to the other in polite confusion.

“Y’shtola said she needed to speak with us,” Ryne explained, “It sounded rather urgent.”

"About what?" she asked, taken aback by how raspy her voice had become.

“The others are with the Exarch,” Y'shtola reassured her with a wave of her hand, “Before we join them, there is something I wish to confirm.”

She took a step forward and observed Claire for a moment before she looked to Ryne and asked much more business like tone, asking, “Tell me, Ryne—have you noticed anything peculiar about Claire’s appearance of late? Anything at all? Speak freely. She won’t mind.”

Well, how nice that they still acted like her own opinions mattered. Her thoughts were strangely bitter right now.

“Well… since Minfilia bequeathed her power to me, I’ve been able to see the Light inside her… though I didn’t think anything of it at first,” Ryne confessed carefully, “But after we defeated the Warden in Amh Araeng, I realized something was wrong.” She looked to Claire and confessed, “You’ve absorbed its aether, Claire. And the light within you has grown monstrous.”

What did that mean? She knew that they mentioned this before back in the Greatwood, but she wasn't so sure just what it could mean... that or the Light was making her thoughts clouded right now—either way it wouldn't surprise her.

“Then it is as I suspected,” Y’shtola sighed before asking Claire, “How are you feeling?”

Claire was about to reassure them that she was fine—when it struck again. It was as if something inside her punch her… her head felt like it was about to split in two and she heard that awful cracking noise in her ears again—like ice breaking apart… her vision blurred and she saw faint light around the edges. But it wasn’t enough to block out the two concerned expressions that were now staring at her. She didn't know how she must look, but she could see their eyes widened in horror and Y'shtola looked ready to step out and catch her should she fall. 

She could see Y’shtola speaking, but she couldn’t really hear what she saying as she rode out the pain. She gritted her teeth and gave her head a shake as the worst of the pain faded away. 

She took several deep breaths and knew she couldn't hide it anymore.

“No…” she confessed, not bothering to hide the slight whimper in her tone, “I don’t feel well at all. I feel as if I'm breaking apart on the inside. The Light wants out."

Y'shtola brow furrowed in concern.

“If naught is done, this will only get worse,” she said before looking immediately to Ryne and asked, “Ryne—with the power of the Oracle, you have gained some measure of control over Light, have you not? Is there anything you can do for her?”

Ryne looked a little frightened at the question and could only shrug helplessly.

“Extinguishing it is out of the question,” she confessed, “Even at her strongest, Minfilia could only hold back the Light. I might be able to suppress it… but I don’t know for how long.”

“Then we have no choice but to rely on Urianger and his secrets,” Y’shtola sighed with a shake of her head as if she suspected that no good can come from this.

“If the next battle is to be the last, you may yet be able to play your part. But you will need all of your strength," she finished to Claire with a slightly scolding tone, "I will discuss strategy with the others and see that everything is made ready for our departure. You are to return to your chambers and rest until then. Understood?”

Claire did not appreciate being told to go to bed despite her body screaming at her to do so.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, “Let me help.”

“This is not the time for false bravado,” Y’shtola snapped back harshly, “Should your condition worsen, it could have dire consequences for us all.” 

Claire glared back, completely baffled by this sudden surge of anger.

But perhaps Y'shtola noticed this as her strict face suddenly took on a gentle expression and Claire suddenly felt horrible for making them worry.

“Now please, return to your chambers and rest," Y'shtola said, now more of a request than a demand.

Claire briefly entertained the idea of refusing to do so and push her luck, but she could see that she was not going to win this fight and in the end, she agreed.

“Yes, mother…” she said, unable to stop herself.

It seemed to have worked in cheering her up as well as Y'shtola.

“Hah. None of that cheek, or I will take you across my knee,” she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Now off with you to the Pendants. We will call for you when the time comes.”

Claire held up her hands in defeat and was about to turn when Ryne called, "Oh, here, I think that this is yours."

Claire glanced back to see Ryne had pulled out an envelope that bore her name and explained that she had found it on the ground after they climbed out of the pit and she thought that it was hers.

Claire looked over it wearily at first, promising to look over it when she got back to her room and thanked her before she headed off towards the Pendants, tucking the letter—that no one knew had slipped out from the pages of Alphinaud's journal earlier—into her pocket.

…

“Is everything all right, miss?” the manager asked in concern as he checked her in, “You don’t seem quite yourself. Perhaps a hot meal and a freshly made bed will improve matters. Your room is ready, if you’d care to retire?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes…” she said, her mind having trouble focusing right now. She thanked him as he gave her a bow before she headed longingly to her room. She was dragging her feet along after her, the world seemingly spinning around her as the hallway seemed to stretch on endlessly.

It was with relief that she made it to her room and entered, stopping dead at what she found waiting for her.

There he was.

Ardbert was standing there staring out at the night sky, his back to her. But he must have heard her returning.

She hadn’t realized just how much she had missed his presence. Perhaps if she didn’t feel so miserable she would have been asking herself where he had been before now. She took a deep breath and did her best to put on a cheerful face, hoping that the news that another Lightwarden slain and night returning would cheer him up.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” she said as she stepped forward.

He turned around to look at her, his eyes immediately travelling over her sorry-looking state. It looked as if he had been lost in thought for hours when she interrupted him—and knowing him—he probably had been.

“Sometimes the dead would rather not be disturbed,” he said grimly, “But enough about me—what of Amh Araeng?”

She had felt lightheaded up to that point and she left her bag on the floor and set the letter Ryne had given her on the table before sitting down and telling him everything that happened. He didn’t say a word the entire time as she told him everything she could remember… including the vision she had of him and the others.

He nodded at that.

“Aye, that’s exactly what happened,” he confessed as she paused to draw breath. “I was there with them, ready to offer myself to make up for our mistakes. But then… for some reason she stopped me. I don’t know why I didn’t go on ahead and do it anyway, but it was like she just knew something that I didn’t. But the worst part is that she didn’t even explain why. Just some vague nonsense. I mean… me? Give the people hope? After all that? Granted I don’t know if my sacrifice would have made any difference…?”

He shook his head bitterly as she gazed on sadly. He took a minute to compose himself before asking her to continue. She then told him of meeting with Minfilia and of this Minfilia—of Ryne’s—choice before they were able to track down the next Lightwarden.

When she finished, he folded his arms and looked to the floor.

“I see,” he said, “Minfilia’s gone, then.”

His face then took on a rather rueful smile as he added, “Which means the reason I must suffer this purgatory shall forever remain a mystery.”

That was what baffled her. Why did Minfilia stop him? She didn’t know. But she did agree with what he said before. Minfilia knew something but she had a feeling that even if she did ask she would…?

Just then another round of pain shot out through her entire body. She let out a startled gasp as she felt the light inside her rearing up in defiance, as if trying desperately to break free from her body. She writhed in her seat, unable to even scream as light clouded her vision. But she could still see Ardbert turn to look at her and his hopeless expression faded to one of concern.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice echoing in her ears as if hearing him from far away, “Are you all right?”

She couldn’t speak and just fell to the floor in agony as she shook and trembled much like what happened when she was last here. She rasped for air as Ardbert crouched down in front of her, looking at her with worry. What happened next, was unclear since she—herself—was so clouded with light. Only that he had reached out to try and touch her… and the moment that he did she felt something warm and bright flower through her… another light covered her eyes, but different from the light that was inside her. She could not explain, even to herself, what that was about.

It was both something familiar and foreign at the same time. Something that she had experienced both a million times before and just for the first time now. Something that hurt but felt wonderfully bliss like a heavy weight in her head but making her heart feel light. The feeling didn’t soothe her body but it soothed… something else… something deep inside that was firmly rooted into the very core of who she was.

But almost at once it faded when Ardbert let out a hiss and pulled away as if he had been burned.

As soon as _that_ light faded from her view… miraculously, almost all of her pain faded as well.

Her breath was back as the pain in her head faded to a minor annoyance and her vision returned to normal. She still felt sick to her stomach as if she had just swallowed a loaf of Mushloaf but the worst was now gone. She looked up from where she knelt on the floor as Ardbert stared at his hand as if expecting some else’s to be stitched on at the end of his wrist.

“What… what just happened?” he gasped as she slowly was able to get back to her feet.

She didn’t know… she couldn’t think… but that was when Minfilia’s last words came to her.

Her eyes widened when she realized that whatever she meant to say had to be involving this. She must have been talking about this. The reason Ardbert was still was because it had to do with her…

“There… there was something Minfilia said to me…” she whispered and relayed the words to him, as if hoping that he could glimpse some kind of enlightenment from it.

“Minfilia said my time had not yet come,” he said slowly, doubtfully, “That I still had a role to play. Not even the most valiant heroes can stand alone…” In that moment a glimmer of hope did seem to appear in his eyes, but then it faded like blowing out a candle and he shook his head hard before replying stubbornly, “No—no, it couldn’t be. There’s only one hero in this room, and it is not me. I’m just a shadow, cursed to wander.”

She frowned at him, hating how he belittled himself so.

“I don’t believe you…” she whispered back.

Before anything else could be said though, there was a knock at her door. She turned to look, wondering who it was who could be knocking now; in half a mind to tell them to go away so that she could continue talking to her ghostly companion. But, of course, when she turned back to Ardbert he had already faded away.

Still, whatever passed between them had given her strength and made her feel better than she had in a long time and she went to answer the door.

She wasn’t sure who she was expecting when she unlocked it, perhaps one of the twins there to ask how she was, what she did not expect was to see the Crystal Exarch standing there.

She blinked in surprise as he seemed unusually nervous to be there.

As soon as he saw her he seemed to have lost the ability to speak for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, “Forgive the intrusion, but Minfilia—that is, Ryne and the others were asking after you. Is everything all right?”

She wasn’t sure why—perhaps due to some of the frustration she did feel—she vented about the pain that attacked mere moments ago. Well, what use was it to hide it? He must know by now. She was sure that Y’shtola and Ryne must have informed the others of her current ‘condition’.

Though she couldn’t see his face, she could tell just how close to panicking he was.

“That pain again?” he asked hurriedly, “And did it pass?”

She was surprised by his urgent reaction but seeing the concern in his face brought this strange warmth through her chest. She did not answer but she did smile, letting him know that she was feeling better, and that seemed to be enough for him to sigh in relief at the sight.

“Thank goodness for that,” he said, “I would not wish to see you suffer.” He paused there and his head looked down as he admitted, “Though I know only too well how much you have suffered on our behalf in recent days. Indeed, I have no right to impose upon you further. Nevertheless, I must ask one thing of you.”

She wondered what this was about, as he seemed to struggle to put it into words what he was feeling.

“That you survive this, no matter what,” he all but begged, “When the dust settles, you must return to your world. For the battles to come and the wars yet unwon.”

She looked at him with a soft expression before he finished, “The final Lightwarden is all that stands between us and victory. There is still much we must do to prepare, but for now, I will see if there is aught that may remedy the strange affliction which plagues you.”

She appreciated that. His words did help to sooth some of the fear she felt inside to know that there were those who cared so much. But she doubted that any concoction he or the others could come up could fix whatever was wrong with her. This light… it was killing her. She slowly came to understand that thought and she honestly didn’t know what she was going to do after this. But she had come too far to stop now. She could only hold on for dear life and hope that this last Lightwarden’s light didn’t tear her apart any more than she already felt.

She had travelled all throughout this world, or what was left of it, and felt a true connection to it. She wasn’t sure why that was. Only that she felt strangely at home here. Like she had travelled these lands herself at one point. Which was impossible, of course. But whatever the case, she knew that these people deserved to keep living and she wanted to see them set free from the light.

But he was waiting for an answer and she knew that she could not promise him anything. Instead, she just promised him the one thing she could keep and vowed, “I’ll see it through.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” he smiled, his tone truly tender now, “Even if I had my pick of every reflection’s heroes, I could not have asked for a finer champion.”

It seemed that he wanted to say more, but he just smiled and said, “I’ll not keep you from your rest any longer. Take as much time as you like.”

He gave a polite bow as he backed away from the door. Claire walked through the door and into the hallway so that she could watch him leave.

“When the Warden is dead, will your work finally be done?” she asked and he paused there for a moment before looking back at her.

“Yes, I believe it will,” he reassured her gently, “Once the tyranny of light is ended, the people of the Crystarium will be safe, and the future that must be shall come to pass.”

He just smiled back and said, “Thank you for caring about me. But you need not worry for my well-being. You focus on yourself for now. If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask us.”

She nodded as he left without another word, leaving rather quickly after that.

She didn't say anything as she just watched him head down the hall. Once again, that overwhelming sensation of... familiarity hit her. Before when she met him it was slight, but now it felt like she was being hit in the head with a club... and she didn't know why. It was driving her crazy not being able to think back and remember what this nagging feeling was.

Why did he seem so familiar to her? There were still no shortage of questions and mysteries and most of them seemed to revolve around the Exarch. But seeing how much time and care he was putting into helping her… it convinced her once and for all that he truly did wish the best for her. He really did care for her wellbeing.

But who was he? Why did it feel like she knew him from somewhere long ago? Her instincts were telling her that she knew him but she could not, for the life of her, remember where.

If only she could see his face she may be able to have some answers. 

She was ashamed to admit it, but once in while whenever she spoke to the Exarch, she found herself tilting her head slightly, instinctively trying to get a look at his face from beneath the hood.

Of course, he always seemed to notice this and tilted his head to prevent her from seeing anything. He was always so guarded despite his friendliness towards her. He held many secrets but one of the ones that he was the most protective about was what he truly looked like. 

Whenever one of the others did the same trick, he did not pull it off with as vigilantly as he did whenever he was with her and she was all but certain of it... he did not wish for her to ever see his face.

She remembered the first time that they met—face to face—and how he smiled when he set eyes on her. The way that he talked when she asked him about the tower... it was almost as if... as if...?

Her eyes slowly widened as the thought played around inside her head.

No...?

"It can't be..." she whispered to herself before she quickly shut the door behind her and leaned up against it as she stared at the handle as if fascinated by it—though she wasn't truly seeing it anymore.

It couldn't be... yet...? Why did she think of _him_ whenever he spoke to her? His voice was certainly different and he sounded much older and wiser than the trouble-maker she once knew... but...? Whenever he looked at her—it was the exact same way that _he_ always looked at her?

Her mind was then cast back to the sandwiches that he left for her and another old memory came back to her of sharing sandwiches at the base of the Crystal Tower.

She shook her head.

No, that was impossible. He was still locked inside the tower back in the Source...?

But that wasn't the case, was it?

She immediately thought of the tower and went back to her journal... her first one... which was looking particularly woebegone now. She pulled it out from her bag as she took her seat at the table and began to search through the pages, turning them over in a hurry as she continued searching...?

Ah, here it was... the first time that they met: 

_While examining a large porcine carcass in Urth's Gift, you are addressed by an unseen observer who smugly declares that he has already collected the water-blessed ore that you came to find. Ostensibly on a whim, he then proposes a race to obtain a quantity of wind-aspected aethersand held by the Ixal. Hurray to the Ixal logging grounds in the North Shroud, and wrest the precious abrasive from the talons of the feathered beastmen._

She cracked a smile at that, realizing she never did give him a telling off for his 'prank' from before and turned over the pages fondly as she thought back to one of her favorite adventures of all time. 

But as she reached the end, she paused at the last entry she made that day:

_Now, to ensure the wish of the ancients comes true, the historian has decided to put the Crystal Tower once again into a long slumber. He leaves you with a task: build a bright future. His farewells fade with the closing of the Crystal Tower. _

That's right... he sealed himself up in the tower... but then the tower was brought here from the future... according to the Exarch, anyway. But he also stated that he did not know G'raha's name when she brought it up to him. 

Unless...? He had been lying about that. The only explanation that she could come up with is if the Exarch arrived here with the tower... but if that was the case... why would he hide it?

She wanted to ask, but she was terrified of knowing the truth... nor did she think she could handle it if she turned out to be wrong. Was it worth getting worked up about it now when they were so close to the end?

She had to know though. She knew that she would never be able to let this go and had to know. She would keep an eye on him and see if she can find him slip up at all before she would broach the subject with him. 

She would focus her efforts on their task first and foremost. When this whole thing was over though... when they had time... she would approach him about it and ask. Hopefully, she will have the answers she needs by then. She just had to last a little longer.

She looked around, wishing that Ardbert was here so that she could ask him what he thought of all this, but it seemed that he was wishing to be alone for now.

_"Sometimes the dead would rather not be disturbed"_ he had said.

She sighed sadly as she closed the book and got up from the table. She then noticed the letter where she had laid it down before, and made to reach for it when a horrible sickening feeling in her stomach began to act up just as pain struck her head.

She gritted her teeth, fighting the whimper as she left the letter on the table and staggered over to bed. 

She had grown so used to pain and constant headaches that she didn't notice that there was something different about this incoming one. She just stumbled over to the bed, still in her armor, and collapsed upon it... out like a light in mere minutes as the air seemed to vibrate around her.

_*Dream*_

_She was looking through the book for any kind of information that would help them. She knew that their time in this place was limited and they were already pushing their luck because of her. She had to hurry. _

_Thankfully, she had read through the book in record time, having finished all the notes that she could take before closing the book. She moved her hand to see the fading print of the title: Heavensward._

_The chronicles of a grand hero that had been written so long ago._

_She had come here looking for more information and she managed to find it. Well, have a better idea of it anyway. She had been tormenting herself trying to figure out the exact time to act... after reading through this tome though, she was met with an answer. _

_“No, this isn’t right,” she said to herself, knowing that this was the right choice, “It would need to be later. After the liberation of Ala Mhigo, perhaps…”_

_She had to figure out a time… she didn’t need an exact time, but at least a vague idea. The events in this tome had to stay unchanged to ensure the end of the war. Not only that, she may not be ready for such a battle at this point. So she couldn't risk interfering during this if it was still far too early in her journey. It would have to be much later._

_That was when she heard the loud bang coming from outside and she was almost knocked over from the shock of the blast—as if someone had taken one of those legendary Berthas and was firing upon the manor itself. She looked up at the walls of Fortemps Manor as dust fell from the ceiling and even more rubble fell. They were short on time._

_“Please tell me you’ve finished,” said a gruff voice and she looked up to the door to see her gun-toting compatriot having just entered, looking as battle-scarred and grim as always. “We have to go,” he barked at her, “They’ll be upon us any moment.”_

_“Very well,” she said as she rested her hand upon the tome again, torn between taking it and not, “Where to next, then?”_

_“Let’s just worry about getting out of the city, and pray the airship is still in one piece,” he answered gruffly, “Anywhere we go from here will just be more of the same.”_

_Just then they heard another loud bang that shook the entire building and she grabbed hold of the table to keep herself from being knocked to the ground a second time. At this rate, the entire manor would be dust in a mere half a bell._

_“Gods,” her compatriot gasped as he looked to the door, “By the sound of that last one, I reckon the knights twelve might be the knights’ rubble now.”_

_“Is there nothing else we can do?” she asked anxiously, knowing that they were out there because of them._

_“Do?” he asked, folding his arms, “Look around you—this isn’t war. It’s a sickness, and it spread to every corner of Eorzea. The city-states are in disarray, and by all accounts the Far East’s faring no better. There’ll be nothing left of us when this is over. This world is beyond saving…”_

_In that case, she should take the tome with them to keep it safe._

_He saw her hand upon the tome and for the first time cracked a smile._

_“I never tire of that story,” he sighed, “When the hero swoops in astride a white dragon to save the little girl…”_

_BOOM!_

_That last one was the strongest yet, and she heard some more pieces of furniture fall over as she really did fall to the ground that time, with only her hand protecting the book keeping her from falling flat on her face. _

_Her compatriot, meanwhile, pulled his gun out and was ready to fight._

_“I could die happy knowing someone like that was still around,” he stated mournfully. _

_She understood those feelings all too well. This world needs a hero more than ever. But they still held onto hope… they need only put the pieces together to finish their work of generations._

_She looked to the tome and prepared to tuck it away into her bag—unable to bear leaving it here to risk being burned or buried._

_“Indeed,” she said, “But not today. Not while our message remains undelivered.”_

_She tucked it safely inside her bag and followed him through the once great halls of House Fortemps… a place that once meant so much to that hero…?_

_“Have faith, my friend,” she promised him as they raced through the crumbling halls, “We will find her…”_

_And everything faded._

_*Waking*_

Claire awoken, her head feeling blissfully light for some reason and her body very heavy. She slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes before trying to hold onto the fragments of the dream she had. Was it a dream?

She didn’t know.

She tried to focus on who she had been before, but there was nothing there that she could drag attention to. She saw house Fortemps, that much she knew… and that man…? Who was he? He looked a great deal like Biggs… but it wasn’t him. He was older and battle-scarred while their Biggs was like a giant teddy bear.

That tome though… she recognized her adopted father’s handwriting as well as his signature… but she couldn’t remember the words. Just that the book was very important. Her fingers traced along her choker as she tried to focus more on the dream… there was fighting going on in the streets outside the manor? Why? Was something bad happening? No… it couldn’t be… she had been there merely a week ago… even less time than that back in the Source. Everything was fine. So then…?

Was that truly just a dream?

It felt so real though, not unlike when she walked inside the memories of another. But who’s memory? Who other than the Scions in this world could have memories of Ishgard? Nothing made sense. She normally would just put that up as another strange dream, but this feeling…?

She felt that person’s heart so clearly.

There was something that they wished to do… someone they were desperate to save. But who…? Who was it that made that person’s heart beat so painfully?

She couldn’t have imagined those feelings, could she?

“Was that… the past…?” she whispered softly to herself. Her instincts were screaming yes to her… but again… whose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oh, come on, you didn't think I'd ruin a good story with Alphinaud walking into a girl's room and seeing her naked did you? I just added that part in last chapter because things had been so dark and grim lately that I felt we needed something a little more light-hearted. But then it turns out it wasn't as light as you thought? Never think you got me figured out! Not even I know how my mind works. Anyway, what did you all think? Again, I know that some are wondering where I’m going with this, but the reason is simple… this story is all about the Warrior of Light coming to terms as the Warrior of Darkness. She is now at war within herself and she is struggling to figure out who she is and what she should do. All her life she had done what others wanted but she can’t keep living like that anymore. She is suffering heavily and everything she thought she knew is tearing her apart from inside. She isn’t sure what to do now. But she is starting to put the pieces together… though she can’t possibly realize just how big this whole thing is. Join in next time as we head off to Eulmore and get ready to settle things with the final Lightwarden!)


	26. Paradise Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle is upon them as the Warrior of Darkness make she way to the City of Final Pleasures once more. But there are many there who don't wish to see her succeed and therefor are doing all in their power to stand in her way. The final Lightwarden least of all as it finally reveals itself.

The Exarch left the Pendants after ensuring that their Champion was well—or at least, as well as could be expected. She admitted to him that she had been wracked with pain mere moments before he knocked… though, in truth, he found himself having been outside her door for a couple minutes as he tried to figure out the best way to ask.

Still, when he saw her, she did look more like her old self than she had in a long time. Sure the damage from the corrupting light had spread, even his eyes could see that, but she looked much better than she had been in a while.

He hoped that she would be able to hold out just for a little longer.

After all, there was but one last battle awaiting them.

He paused for a moment as this revelation washed over him. He had spent so many years—decades—planning this all out as carefully as he could. Had dreamt up with hundreds of scenarios on how this could end… but now that they were in the final stretch, he was nearly overwhelmed with a sense of dread.

He shook his head, refusing to allow his sentimentally to get in the way this time.

It will be hard to say goodbye to her… but he had fully embraced his role long before she arrived. Still, that didn’t stop how heavy his heart seemed to become as he stepped outside to breathe in the night air.

"What did our friend say?"

His head jerked up to see that, standing off in the shadows of building, was another figure who was strolling over to him.

"Have you been out here long?" the Exarch asked as Urianger stepped out to greet him.

"Our own Master Matoya did bid me to find thee," he replied with a firm line to his face. "I do believeth she wished to speak to thine other companions on this new development with our champion."

“I see,” the Exarch said slowly. “I take it she didn’t take the news well?”

Urianger shook his head grimly and confessed, "It is clear to mine senses that Y’shtola no longer trusts me. I informed her that I did have a plan waiting in the wings should the worst befall our friend, but when I resisted informing her the details of thine plan, she looked ready to curse me onto oblivion."

Urianger ran a hand wearily through his hair and finished, "But with her failing to come up with an alternative, she is left with no choice but to trust in mine judgement, albeit went against hers."

The Exarch heaved a great sigh, deeply concerned. He knew that Y'shtola would always be the most difficult person to try and convince—while the others seem to trust him enough—she had long since made her doubt of him very clear.

"I understand her concerns, nor do I begrudge her for it," he said, "But it will soon be over so we need only keep this up for a little while longer."

Urianger looked away, expression still stormy, but he didn't counter it as he looked back and asked again how Claire was doing.

"She looked pale, and she confessed that she had been in pain but moments before I arrived, but it had passed for now," the Exarch whispered, worry gripping his heart. He couldn't see her aether like Urianger and Y'shtola could... but even he could tell that the light was straining at its bounds. 

It would only be a matter of time.

"I feared that this would be the outcome. Containing all that Light…?" the Exarch muttered quietly, "And we still have one more warden that must be defeated before we can enact the final part of the plan."

"Assuming that she doth not fall first," Urianger countered through gritted teeth and a sorrowful expression.

The Exarch looked at him sadly.

"I doubt not that she will be able to handle it until that moment," he countered, "It's what comes after...?"

"Thou still seeketh to follow through with thy plan?" Urianger interrupted.

"Of course," the Exarch answered back sadly, "We have been over this before. My path is clear and my mind is set. As much as I hate to admit it, I fear that to save this world one more life must be taken. It only pains me that she has to suffer until that moment."

Urianger looked away.

"Once more, I am sorry for pushing you into this, my friend," the Exarch added. "But I pray that you will continue to press on until the end."

"Full well did I understand the cost of what must be paid when thee first confided in me the truth. I fear that I have already travelled too far down this path to turn back now. But still...!" His face was twisted with guilt before looking at him and reminding him, "She will never forgive thee for this.”

"I am aware of that," the Exarch answered back kindly, but still with that sad smile before he turned his head and glanced upwards to the Pendants, trying not to think of the shock and horror that she is certain to feel when she realizes the truth. "But she must keep going. And when that moment comes... the moment the last Lightwarden is slain and the light joins the rest... I will take care of the rest."

It seemed that Urianger wished to continue; but they suddenly heard voices coming from inside the inn and they left before being discovered by someone and forced to explain themselves. They slowly made their way back to the tower, feeling as if a dark cloud was hanging over their very spirits.

"Y’shtola will undeniably start to question as soon as we return to the tower," Urianger reminded him, glancing back to the pendants with worry. "But more so than that... thou mentioned that thee believe our Champion dost knowst thy true identity?"

The Exarch shook his head rather ruefully.

"If she hasn't figured it out by now, she is on the path to it. She has definitely grown suspicious," he said before shaking his head, a hint of a smile as he added under his breath, "I knew those sandwiches were going to get me in trouble."

"I beg thine pardon?" Urianger asked as the Exarch chuckled.

"Nothing," he said with a wave of his hand of crystal, "I will simply have to be more on guard now than ever. She is beginning to put figure it out, but she doesn't have all the pieces. Not yet. At least, I hope not yet; I forgotten how observant she can be. I have done my best to see that she is cared for whenever she returns to the Crystarium. As well as having done everything I could to try and keep my identity secret… but I fear that my own sentimentality is getting the better of me. Well, hopefully in a few more days it will no longer matter.”

Urianger did not look comforted by this.

“I have used my mirror to check in on her from time to time even when she is resting just to make sure she doesn’t need anything,” the Exarch confessed, noticing his companion's grim expression, “I was growing concerned for whenever she returns to her rooms she seems to be speaking to someone who is not there.”

"Speaking to someone who is not there?" Urianger repeated in surprise.

"I overheard her voice, though I could not make out what she was saying, mere moments before I knocked. I can only imagine that she is speaking to some manner of fae folk," the Exarch answered unconcerned, "Invisibility is a talent of theirs. She is certainly not acting like she is losing her wits. Nor does this mysterious companion bring her any distress, so I see no reason to bring it up. If it brings her comfort, we will not deny it to her."

Urianger looked down, unease still plain on his face, but nodded. 

The Exarch paused there and stared up at the tower, his mind wandering as he thought of these many long years of waiting. He had been preparing for this moment for so long now that oftentimes it felt like he would never reach this point. 

Now that it was here he felt as if he were in a dream. One where he would soon be forced to wake up from. 

Urianger followed his gaze to the tower before looking down in a melancholy way.

"There is still time?" Urianger began. "Time to find another way?"

But the Exarch just shook his head faintly. 

"I've had far too much time to think about it," he reassured him. "I will see this through to a happy ending."

"Thine faith is truly astonishing," Urianger complimented him.

“Do not fear my friend,” the Exarch beamed at him, “We will see this through to the end and I will be entrusting you to deliver the message when this is all over.”

***Inside the tower***

"So what does that mean?" Alisaie asked in confusion, "That there's a ‘light’ locked up inside her? I'm not sure I understand."

Y'shtola sighed as she folded her arms. After witnessing Claire's near collapse earlier she was left with a great sense of unease. So when the Exarch stepped outside, she sent Urianger out after him so that she could confess to the others what she knew about the current state of affairs without either there to change the subject.

"When she and the others first met me in the Greatwood, I ordered the Night's Blessed to surround them. I recognized the others, but her aether was so radiant that I did not know it was her," Y'shtola confessed, looking to Thancred and Ryne, who nodded to confirm that.

"I had wondered about that," Thancred said slowly, "And I noticed that our friend hadn't been looking well at all lately. She looked downright sickly as we were crossing over the deserts. I asked her about it but she insisted nothing was wrong."

"Well, that's just like her not to complain or let us worry about her," Y'shtola said, her tail swishing with irritation at that thought, "That's hardly surprising."

"Hasn't her aether always been bright though?" Ryne asked curiously.

"Always, but now it's vastly different to how it used to be," she answered, "In the Source, it was gentle and calm. But now...? Whenever I gaze upon her aether, it becomes so bright that it's almost painful to look at. Like looking at the full glare of the sun. In truth, I mistook her for a sin eater that day in the Greatwood."

That declaration sent chills of unease through all of them and they all looked at each other anxiously.

Y'shtola just looked away, a frown still weighing heavily upon her lips as she paced the room.

"To know that it was her, I knew something was wrong. And after hearing about how you have been going around and slaying the Lightwardens, it all made sense," she admitted quietly.

"But why would that be a problem?" Thancred questioned, "The Lightwardens are all dead save for one."

"Yes, their physical forms are dead," she countered, "But their Light didn't fade... rather it was... absorbed. It's because of this that I did not recognize her at first. And though she showed no signs of corruption, I fear that there is damage. Outside earlier... she almost collapsed. Something that I have never known to happen before.”

"That explains a few things," Thancred said as Ryne and the twins looked at them all with wide eyes. "Why her hair has been turning white as one of them. I thought that it was just a side effect at first...? You know, from stepping into that light…?"

"That may be part of it. But more so than that, I am certain all of you have noticed the changes in Claire's behavior and her declining health," Y'shtola pointed out, "I do believe that the light has taken root and done something to her. I'm afraid of what this could mean for our friend and I do think it best that we plan out for any end."

"What do you mean any end?" Alphinaud demanded.

“It’s not that serious, is it?” Alisaie asked worriedly, “Sure she’s been acting a little different lately…?”

“I fear that is the least of our worries…” Y'shtola shook her head. "If we do nothing, her health will only continue to worsen. And if she lets her guard down for even a moment...? Then... then she could...?"

She trailed off as the silence was deafening around them.

No one wanted to say it, but they understood immediately what she was trying to imply no matter how impossible the idea seemed.

That the Warrior of Darkness could become a sin eater.

“Should we just postpone it then?” Alphinaud asked quickly, looking scared, “The confrontation with the final Lightwarden, I mean. Just by a couple extra days when she is feeling better?”

“Would that matters were so simple, Alphinaud,” Y’shtola sighed, as she rubbed her temple. "I fear that what is wrong with her will not go away overnight and she will be needing something far more than just sleep. This isn't an illness with a known cure. And if we keep pressuring her to slay the final Warden...? Even if she is able to contain it, what then? All that light trapped inside her will only continue to fester.”

“Do you think we should mention this to the Exarch and see what he…?” Ryne asked but Y’shtola all but seethed at the mention of the Exarch.

“You still don’t trust him?” Thancred asked her, noticing how her ears were flattening against her head—a clear sign of her unhappiness.

“Of course not,” she countered, “I fear that he doesn’t care what is happening… or worse! That he has been planning this all along!”

“Wait! You think he knew that this would happen?" Alisaie demanded, her own fury rising.

"Of that, I do not know," Y'shtola admitted with bitterness, "I don’t want to make such declarations, but I am struggling ever more at keeping these suspicions to myself. I can’t help but feel that he knows exactly what’s going on and is deliberately keeping quiet. I hate that. I don’t know what to think.”

“But Urianger…?” Ryne began before Y'shtola cut her off.

"He’s hardly any better,” she added scathingly. "He did say that he had a plan in place should she fail to contain the light, but he refuses to share with me or anyone else! How are we supposed to support his plan if we don't even know what he's going to do? How are we to offer any aid? Not only that, he has pretended not to notice the light's corruption inside our friend. I find that shocking that he would not have noticed before."

"So that's why you two have had that falling out?" Thancred asked. "Hard not to notice that you have been giving him those nasty looks. You two had always gotten along so well until now…?"

She sighed grimly once more.

"I do not doubt the words he spoke to us in his desire to save the First," she said, "But there is something here that he is not telling us. And I am certain that I am not the only one who clearly remembers the last time that Urianger plotted something behind our backs even thought it was for a good cause."

Ryne looked confused, but the others were all recalling, what felt like a lifetime past, when his plan manipulated both them and the Warriors of Darkness.

"You don't trust him any longer?" Alphinaud asked slowly.

"At this point, I don't know what to think," she sighed, sounding exhausted, "I do think that he cares about all of us, and he has been protective over our friend since first arriving in this world. But I find it hard to believe that he did not notice the corruption from all that Light. I cannot help but feel that he purposely kept the truth hidden from us. I want to believe him when he says that he's on our side, I do... but he is asking a lot of us without offering an explanation. I've worked with Urianger for years, and I've always believed that he had the best of intentions. But his methods...? Let us just say they leave a bad taste in my mouth. I find it difficult to trust those who are overly fond of secrets. And yes, that especially includes the Exarch."

“Well, we have to do something,” Alisaie said quickly, “We can’t just stand back and risk something happening!”

“No, we can’t,” she agreed, “And that is why we must focus our attentions to not only the upcoming battle with the Lightwarden, but also to face any outcome that this next battle could have.”

"Does... does Claire know about this?" Alphinaud asked slowly.

Y'shtola shrugged at that, looking defeated as she admitted, "I did warn her of the dangers after we defeated the warden in the Greatwood... but as to how much she understands the danger she is truly in, I don't know. But she must be feeling pretty miserable right now?"

Alphinaud frowned at that, now feeling anger as he opened his mouth, about to demand answers, when the door opened and the Exarch and Urianger both came in. The rest of them fell silent as the others joined them.

"Forgive me," the Exarch said courteously. "I was concerned by what you told me and I wanted to check on her myself, to put my mind at ease. I told her to take her time and insisted that she get some rest. She will be joining us when she is ready."

The others all nodded, but that did not do much to cast the worry from their minds. None of them truly understood just what an enormous undertaking was happening behind the scenes. All they knew was that the deadly light was looming directly over them and brought with them the true feelings of fear and uncertainty.

***Morning***

Alphinaud awoke, feeling strangely heavy the next morning. He knew that he needed to rest, but after everything they learned lately he was struggling to let sleep take over.

_'It's almost over,' _he reminded himself, _'Once we slay the final warden, then we can focus on helping Claire recover and find a way home. All it would take is one last battle.'_

Still, what was this uneasy feeling rolling about in his gut that caused this sense of unease? 

Perhaps it was the lack of involvement from Emet-Selch? Y'shtola warning to them all? Or just the idea of facing Vauthry again after so much had happened?

He laid in bed for another hour as all these thoughts drifted about his mind until this terrible feeling in his heart grew to such a point that his anxiety couldn't be quieted. When he finally noticed the first rays of sunlight stretching across his floor he could no longer find an excuse to lie there. He got up and swung his legs out of bed as he went to the stove to make himself some tea, wondering if he should grab a coffee or something before heading to the tower later on.

That was when he heard a sudden knock on the door and he called 'Come in' without thinking.

Alisaie stuck her head in the room and looked around with a usually cheerful look. 

This was almost in stark contrast to how she looked last night, but he did give her a tired smile in return as he decided to reach for a second cup for her.

"What brings you here this early in the morning?" he asked politely.

"Just checking to see how you were doing," she said, her tone strangely jolly.

“You’re in a good mood,” he pointed out and she smirked as she strutted into the room, and that was when he noticed that she had her hand pointedly behind her back.

“I was just coming back after picking up my rapier from the Crystalline Mean,” she explained, “It needed repairs done though I found something very interesting on my way back up here and I just had to speak with you about it.”

“What is it?” he asked quickly, worry seeping into his heart, “Did something happen with the plan?”

“Nope, according to the Exarch everything is proceeding as we had hoped,” she reassured him.

Well, that was one good thing. But he couldn’t really think of this something ‘interesting’ that she would be so excited about.

“It’s a bit early for riddles, sister,” he yawned. “What is it?”

"Oh, nothing much," she said before she pulled something out from behind her back a rather smug expression. He didn't pay any attention at first until she spoke up, "Just wondering if you could tell me what this is for?"

He looked up to see a small box that was wrapped in velveteen with a blue ribbon around it. 

He blinked, wondering what she was trying to get at when he suddenly remembered what she said about the Mean and he went dead white at the sight of it.

"Now, Alisaie...?!" he began, leaping to his feet and ready to grab it from her as she began to pace around him.

"I certainly didn't expect something like this from you, or at least, being able to keep something like this a secret," she said and his face was now blazing hot with embarrassment as he made a wild snatch for the box, which she held out of his reach.

"Now," she went on with her story, a grin still stretching across her face, "As I went to pick up my rapier, the facet member brought out this order by accident. Naturally, I was confused since I had given them my surname when I placed the repairs. I mean, it's not exactly a common name, so I didn't think that there could possibly be a mix up! So imagine my surprise when they came out with this box instead of my order. I asked them about it and she showed me that this commission had been made by the same surname. That was when I recognized your signature, brother mine, and knew that you had placed this order ahead of me. So... after getting a good look at the item inside… I knew that it could only mean one thing."

She stopped pacing and pointed an accusing finger at her brother and declared in a loud voice, "You sir, are planning to give this to a certain adventurer friend of ours!"

Was there any point in denying it? She hugged the box to her and said, "That is so sweet..."

"Are you finished?" he asked sourly.

Her eyebrows raised, as if impressed that he didn't deny it but then she stood up tall and began to pace again.

"Now then...?" she began and he turned away from her.

"So no then..." he muttered in frustration as he spun in his chair and rested his head upon his folded arms, waiting for this torture to just end.

“Imagine my surprise when I saw this lovely little thing,” she went on with that shite-eaten grin on her face. “I cannot say I ever expected you to be so romantic brother. But as soon as I saw that engraving I knew that this was something special. Now, when were you going to tell us?”

“First of all, it’s none of your business,” he retorted as he made a swipe for the package, which she held out of his reach, “Second of you, that gift isn’t what you think it is!”

“Really?” she questioned, “Because from what I saw it looked like you are all but prepared to taken the plunge. I mean, I think that you both are a bit young for such a big commitment but I’m on board for it!”

“Just… listen…” he gasped and lowered his head, looking so pitiful that some of her amusement faded. He then took a deep breath and explained why he had it commissioned in the first place. For the first time, Alisaie listened very carefully to his words as he laid his heart bear. Not since that day he came to see her while she still served as a guard for the Inn did he speak so honestly about his feelings.

And as soon as she heard his words, she understood and sighed. She then handed the package over without another word and he opened the lid to get a good look at it. She watched how his face warmed at the sight of it and now she felt bad for teasing him.

“You really love her,” she sighed with a shake of her head. “For I can think of no other reason why you could have been so open about this. What you said just now was perhaps the most honest thing I had ever heard.”

“That’s it?” he questioned suspiciously. “You aren’t going to go on about it?”

“No,” she said. “Though I already knew the truth when I saw it. I knew that this was no normal gift. But brother… do you remember when last we had this discussion?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” he said grimly as he admired the hard work that went into his gift before closing the top and setting it aside. “And I’m still not sure how to handle this.”

“Nor do I,” Alisaie acknowledged as she folded her arms. “Truth be told I think that I…?”

But then there was a knock on the door before Alisaie could voice what she thought of this whole thing.

“Come in,” Alphinaud called and the door opened a crack to reveal Ryne’s red hair. It was going to take a while to get used to the change.

“Sorry to bother you,” she said, “Oh, Alisaie! I was looking for you too. Anyway, Thancred just told me to come and find you both. He said that we need to discuss the plans for today.”

“Ah, right,” Alphinaud said as he rubbed his face, coming back to the moment and reminding himself that they weren’t done here. He would worry about all this once they confirmed a future for both this world and the Source.

“I’m ready,” Alisaie promised with a wave of her hand. “I’ll go with you. Though if my romantic brother here is feeling up to it, he can escort us and carry our luggage.”

Alphinaud glared at her as Ryne looked from one to the other in mild confusion.

“Is everyone else already there?” he asked, determined not to go into any more details about that.

“Ah, yes… well, almost,” Ryne answered. “Thancred was going off to pick up some supplies that he may need, as well as getting more cartridges but he should be ready by now. And Y’shtola was just leaving the Cabinet of Curiosity by the time that I found her. Urianger is already at the tower with the Exarch, I think.”

“And Claire?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

“Still in her room I’m guessing,” she confirmed, “Though the Exarch already left a message for her to join us at the tower when she’s ready.”

“Do you know how she’s feeling?” Alisaie asked Ryne suddenly, “She’s pretty much locked herself up in her room the last two days and I’m really worried?”

“I’ve been talking with Y’shtola about that,” Ryne reassured her, “She’s coming up with a few ideas, but so far nothing major that would make a noticeable difference. She is loathed to trust in Urianger and the Exarch…?”

“Well, I can’t say that I blame her for that,” Alisaie sighed with her arms folded. “I’m starting to agree with her line of thinking. So you haven’t talked to her yet?”

"I haven't seen her since after I gave that letter to her," Ryne admitted.

"What letter?" Alphinaud asked, barely interested at that point as worry turned in his stomach that made it feel like he was about to be sick.

"You know?" Ryne reminded, "That letter you wrote her?"

It took a few minutes for Alphinaud to fully register what he heard... and when he did, his eyes grew so wide they were in danger of popping out of his head.

"You still had that letter?" Alisaie demanded hotly as he quickly fished out his notebook and began to flip through it so fast that he tore a few pages. “I thought that you got rid of it by now!?”

“I was planning on it but… it never seemed a good time!” he retorted.

“Good time? Just take it and tear it up into pieces!” she yelled back, and Ryne was looking from one to the other with fear, suddenly horrified that she had done something wrong.

After a few minutes of hopeless searching, he seemed to realize that the letter was indeed missing.

"It's not here!" he gasped, his face full of terror and Alisaie smacked herself in her head for her brother’s stupidity.

"Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?” she demanded, pointing to the door, “Go and talk to her! And for your sake, I hope she didn't read that thing yet!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He actually tripped over his chair, almost falling flat on his face as he bolted straight to the doorway. But as he was halfway out the door, his sister grabbed his hand and almost pulled him down. He spun his head around to stare at her as she held up the little box and tucked it into his pocket.

"No need to tell me when," she told him, "I'll be able to tell if you don't give it to her!"

He groaned out as he pulled himself free and continued to run out the door and Alisaie was shaking her head incredulously.

“I… I don’t…?” Ryne croaked out, now completely at a loss as Alisaie just waved her hand down at her in a calm way before she began to clean up the mess that her brother left behind them—feeling a little bad for him.

"Ignore him," she said darkly, "He had a... shall we say a rather depressing... well, I wouldn't call it a love letter. But I read it before and I can promise you that it's not something that one should give to another."

Ryne gasped, her hands over her mouth.

"I didn't know," she said, "I just saw it fall out of his pocket and then when I saw Claire's name on it. I just thought...?"

"No, it's a simple mistake," Alisaie said with a shake of her head and folded her arms before glaring at the door as if her brother was still there. This was not up for debate and she was letting her know it.

"I'm sorry..." Ryne began, fearing she did something wrong, but Alisaie was shaking her head.

"Don't be," she told her, "This may be enough to finally wake him up. I warned him to just get rid of the damn thing but he's even more stubborn than I am at times."

***Claire***

It was two days after they returned to the Crystarium, but Claire was back to feeling mostly lousy. Whatever it was that seemed to cure her before had given her much needed relief from the constant sickness and pain was now wearing off. Still, she had not had any sudden flashes of pain since then and so she was grateful for that.

She was still feeling healthy enough to be leaving her bed and attempting to eat her breakfast… though she mostly picked at it in the end and merely supped on the cup of tea. Rather than dwell on it, she was spending the early morning talking with Ardbert, who was telling her more of his own adventures across the desert.

“So… Nyelbert was willing to use the crystal to save Taynor about even if it meant bringing down the mountain?” Claire asked as she drank some tea to try and soothe a sore throat.

“Pretty much. Even though he knew it could possibly be what he was searching for to save his friend from the rift like that. But in the end, when he learned what taking it would mean, he couldn’t do it,” Ardbert explained from his usual spot by the window. He gazed out at the slightly foggy morning and smirked slightly as he added, “He was stubborn… but I don’t know where we would have been without him there to bail us out of trouble.”

He was in a much more cheerful mood since they last spoke, but there was still a hint of sadness in his eyes and he promptly refused any topic that involved what was spoken between them.

"He sounds like he may have been the biggest trouble-maker," she pointed out and he laughed.

"He liked to play the strong silent type who knew everything, but more than once I've heard them whispering about me behind my back... and I found myself at the end of a few practical jokes that I know were from him, but could never prove it," he said before shaking his head. "Insufferable bastard he was... gods, I miss him."

"I wish I could have met them," she said, "I mean... got to know the real them. Before all that."

"Yeah," he shrugged, "I think that you would have fit right in with our merry band of misfits. So long as you weren’t plotting any tricks on me, that is."

She giggled at that before letting out a great yawn and feeling the urge to go back to bed. Something that Ardbert noticed as well.

“You haven’t been sleeping well lately,” he commented as she rubbed her eyes, absent-mindedly stirring her tea.

“Not really,” she confessed, feeling worn out.

“That dream again?”

She looked up and he shrugged apologetically as he answered her unspoken question, “You mutter in your sleep sometimes. It sounds like a bad dream.”

“What do you do when I’m sleeping? Just watch me all night?” she demanded and he shrugged playfully at that.

“Just keeping an eye out should something happen,” he countered, “I know I won’t be much use in a fight as I am now… but I could yell loud enough to wake you up.”

She raised her eyebrows at him and he added, “Well, it’s not like I have much else to do here.”

Well, she couldn’t argue with that and decided to let it go. She just thought more of the night before and wondered if she would ever get a good night’s sleep again. It was happening more and more often, almost every night now.

That sin eater dream was haunting her every step. She just ended up tossing and turning, unable to really get any rest. She was exhausted, but she had already wasted enough time. The sooner they got this over with, the better. And then they can focus on how to help her recover from this damn sickness and maybe stop that dream once in for all.

She shivered at the thought of that sin eater reaching out to grab her… whispering those same words over and over:_ “Look at me.”_

But why? Why was it so determined to get her to look at it?

It’s just so damn hard to keep getting back up. But she had to keep going because people were relying up on her and she couldn’t afford to try and work through her own mental issues. She didn’t have a choice anymore.

“Hey.”

She looked over at him as his observed her.

“If you need to—ah—talk, I mean…?” he stuttered nervously, “I… well, I’m not for much else right now, right?”

She knew what he was trying to say and so she gave him a smile, showing that she understood. He was cute when he was so shy. She laughed at that before she heard a loud knock at her door, causing her to look up. 

"Claire!?" called Alphinaud's voice and she was up immediately, worry gripping her heart when she heard how desperate he sounded.

She went to the door but no sooner did it open did he come barging inside. She barely had time to catch him before he fell to the floor and pull him upright again as he began ranting, "Look, whatever I said there, please let me explain how I felt. I don't know why I ever wrote that..."

"Alphinaud..."

"...but I wasn't myself when I did! I was so focused on trying to find a way to prevent the next Calamity that I didn’t..."

"Alphinaud...!"

"...give much more thought! But know that how I felt is really...!"

"ALPHY!"

Claire had to force herself to all but yell at him to get his attention after she shut the door. He turned to look at her with his eyes wide as she asked in her usual quiet tone, "Alphy, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You—you don't...? B-B-But the letter! I was sure that...?" he stuttered, his face now turning bright red before Claire blinked in confusion.

"Letter?" she asked before she went to the table.

He stared at her as she reached over to pick up the envelope… with only a corner torn open.

He just gapped at her like a fish as she held it out for him and he quickly snatched so that he could stare at the ripped corner, as if making sure that nothing else had been opened.

“I was going to open it right away, but I was feeling sick again when I got back and just went to bed,” she explained as he continued to stare at it. “I was just about to open it right now when you came in.”

He took a long look at it before he let out a sigh of relief.

“What is it?” she asked, now confused as she watched him head straight over to the stove where the few embers were glowing warm and hot. It looked like he was about to throw it there and be done with it… but…?

She watched as he just stood there with his hand over the embers and his hand actually trembled as if fighting the urge to let go or not. Finally, he lowered his hand with the letter still in one piece.

“I can’t…” he whispered bitterly, “I just can’t.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, approaching him; carefully touching his shoulder as he sighed.

“I… I wrote this a while ago,” he confessed, “Several moons ago, in fact.

She watched as he set it down on the table in front of them before he took a seat and rested his head upon his folded arms again and she couldn’t recall ever seeing him look so conflicted.

“I-I wrote this for you,” he confessed as she rubbed his back in a soothing way. “But I didn’t have the heart to give it to you.”

“Is this the letter you and Alisaie fought about?” she asked and his head jerked up in shock as she confessed to what she overheard with Alisaie and Tesleen.

“I don’t know the full story of it,” she explained, “Nor what the reason was that you both were so angry with each other. Only that you had an argument about a letter. I’m guessing that this is it?”

He nodded again as he looked at it, which laid almost innocently upon the table in front of them. She also noticed that he seemed to be playing around with something in his pocket but she just continued to run her fingers through his long hair—which hadn’t been done up in its usual braid yet.

“Did you not want me to read it?” she asked as he closed his eyes at her touch.

“No… and yes,” he confessed, leaning into her hand as if enjoying it. “But… I’m afraid of what would happen if you do.”

He opened his eyes again and looked to her as he admitted, “Please understand, I wasn’t… I wasn’t myself when I wrote it. Or rather, I was thinking too much when I did.”

She didn’t understand as he slid the envelope towards her across the table.

“I want you to read it… but not now,” he said, “When this is over. I want you to read it… as well as to accept a gift from me. Listen…” he added quickly when he saw her open her mouth, “I know that I didn’t have to. But I wanted to. Just promise me… that you won’t read it without me here. I would need to explain.”

“I promise,” she said, though still confused, and she set it down. “But… I’m not sure why we can’t do it now?”

He just smiled as he took her hand and kissed her palm as he said, “You’ll understand why. I’m just working through some things right now and this is the rest way that I know how to do it.”

She was still confused but she nodded, promising him again that she would wait until later to have this talk. Finally, he stood and told her that they would all be at the tower when she was ready. He left after that and it took all the willpower she had to look at the letter, a powerful ache of longing to know taking root.

“He really loves you,” Ardbert said, who up till now didn’t say a word, and she looked back to find him watching it with mild interest.

“Is that a surprise?” she asked him, almost daring him to try and joke about it.

“No,” he shrugged. “I just wonder why it would be so hard to say how you felt.”

She looked to the closed door and smirked to herself. “That’s a good question,” she said, “Maybe we can stop dancing around each other when this whole thing is over. Do you mind leaving real quick? I need to change.”

***Later***

She finally dragged herself out of her room after she finished tying up her hair in a ponytail—at this point she couldn’t stand looking at those white locks any longer. She paused for long enough to swallow the rest of her tea, which had gone cold by now, and just headed out the door.

As soon as he saw her, the manager waved her over and informed her that while she was resting a message arrived for her from the Exarch and that she was to come to the Ocular at her earliest convenience.

She nodded, about to go on ahead, but then he stopped her by saying, “And, madam?”

She turned back and she could see an unfamiliar glint in his eyes as he finished respectfully, “Wherever your duties make take you next, I shall pray for your safe return. May the night keep you.”

Claire blinked at him in confusion but he just smiled back and gave her a friendly wave, signaling that it was time to go. Claire left without another word but—mayhaps she imagined it—she could have sworn that she was getting that same look from passerby’s all her way to the tower.

When she entered the Ocular several minutes later, she found that everyone—including one slightly smug Ascian—was waiting for her. His eyes smoldered when he saw her but his expression was oddly soft as the others all grew excited at her presence.

“Ah, there you are,” the Exarch said, offering his own smile when he saw her. “May I assume you’ve had your fill of rest?”

She nodded, having grown tired of locking herself up in her rooms anyway and they all perked up.

“That is well,” he continued. “Now that we are all present, let us speak of our plan. Thus far, we have vanquished four Lightwardens, restoring night to much of Norvrandt. Only one remains - that of Kholusia.” The Exarch turned his attention to Ryne. “And with Ryne to guide us, I am certain we will find it.”

Ryne was trying hard not to look too pleased with herself, but there was no mistaking the sudden pride that hung about her as she stood up straight.

“We’re so close now,” Alisaie said wondrously, “If we can just take care of this one last Warden, we’ll rob the sin eaters of their final foothold, and drive them out of Norvrandt once and for all. It will be a new beginning for the First - a chance for the people to rebuild their world.”

Alphinaud nodded in full agreement as he added, “In short, a prize worth fighting for.”

“And in thus delivering the First from destruction,” Urianger finished for them, “So too shall we unsown the seeds of the Eighth Umbral Calamity.”

So all that was left was one last fight. One last battle and this whole thing can be over. Light shall rule over this world no longer and a future would be given back to it. The people would be free to rebuild and thrive. Oh, she was looking forward to seeing that.

Y’shtola suddenly turned to Emet-Selch and taunted, “Do you hear? Your dreamed-of Rejoining is in jeopardy. Are you sure you’re not tempted to intervene?”

Emet-Selch didn’t look to be worried or annoyed with her. He just sighed and gave his head a shake with a bemused expression on his face as if he was humoring some unruly children, though Claire could see that his eyes had suddenly become hardened again.

“You labor under the misapprehension that vanquishing the sin eaters is tantamount to saving the world,” he told them, “It is not. In truth, you only delay the inevitable, lengthening your fleeting lives by the smallest of margins.”

Sad thing was, she knew that he was right. Compared to him, they were just flies whose lives will be cut down soon enough from his perspective. His golden eyed drifted across them all before finally settling upon her.

Once again, she felt uncomfortable whenever he gazed at her but not at her directly. She truly was puzzled upon the best way to put it, but whenever he looked at her it was like he was looking past her. As if there was someone else standing behind her and he was waiting for her to move so that he could see them.

“‘Twould be churlish of me to deny you this small concession, close as we’ve become,” he sighed, “Foolish and misguided though you are, you are not without charm.” Her eyes narrowed slightly as he continued speaking to her directly, barely paying attention to the others though he was addressing them all.

“Each and every one of you is possessed of a noble heart. When the weak want for succor, you do not hesitate to provide it,” he admitted. “Alas, your nobility is shortsighted. You think only of the problem in front of your nose. A limitation of your ephemeral existence.”

Alphinaud, who seemed to be growing sick of his pacific-aggressive insults, stepped forward and informed him, “Our lives may seem short and insignificant to the likes of you, but one does not need to be an eternal being to achieve lasting change.”

“Ah, if I may stop you there?” Emet-Selch interrupted at once, “I do not claim that the Ascians are special. That is another misconception. In the beginning, everyone - everyone lived nigh for eternity. Such was the natural order of things. But like so much else this was taken from you.”

Taken from them? What was he going on about now? She looked around at the others, and they all shared similar looks of confusion. Emet-Selch saw this and seemed to ponder something before he looked to the Exarch.

“You won’t object if I borrow your plaything,” he said, though it was more of a statement than a question for he didn’t even bother waiting for an answer as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. At once, the room shimmered, and much like how the Exarch was able to get it to work when she first arrived in this world, so once more, she found herself standing upon a glowing platform as the room around them was replaced amongst a world of stars. Though she knew well enough by now to know that this was just an illusion, it never ceased to take her breath away as she stared around them.

But Emet-Selch was speaking again and she gazed at him as he caused a bright sphere of light to appear above their heads.

“In the distant past, when the world was one and whole, a great calamity threatened all life,” he explained and while his tone was calm, there was an undertone of sadness at he watched how the blue orb began to glow red as if metal in a forge. “It began without warning. The very laws of the star were warped and broken, and chaos swiftly spread throughout the land. Faced with annihilation, we sought to imbue the star with its own will. Thus was Zodiark born, and by His power, was order restored.”

She watched with amazed silence as the dark red then slowly faded back to the original shade of blue.

“Ere long, however, thankless fools began to fear that Zodiark’s might was too great,” Emet-Selch continued with a tightness in his voice now. “And so they conjured another to keep Him in check - your own dear Hydaelyn.”

Y’shtola gave a bored sigh before she finished for him rather irritably, “And the two beings waged war until, with a single, devastating blow, Hydaelyn unmade Zodiark, scattering his being across space and time. So you told us in the Qitana Ravel.”

“Yes, yes…” he said, now annoyed that she interrupted him this time, “And there began our woes - with Hydaelyn’s blow, and all that it wrought.” He looked up to the sphere once more as he finished, “As a counterbalance to Zodiark, Hydaelyn was created with the power to enervate Her foe. This singular ability strikes not at such banal things as flesh, but everything that defines the target, diluting its existence.”

Enervate Her foe? What did that mean?

But as if sensing her question, Emet-Selch turned to Ryne.

“For example,” he continued, pointing right at her, “Were she to strike you…”

At this, Thancred moved forward, planning to put himself between them, but Emet-Selch had already snapped his fingers and there stood a copy of Ryne right next to her. Identical in appearance even more so than the twins on either side of her. Ryne took a step backwards as she stared at her mirror image while Emet-Selch explained, “Two individuals, identical in appearance, yet reduced in all respects. Strength, intelligence, the soul itself - all is halved.”

The copied Ryne suddenly vanished and he drew their attention back to the orb above their heads and asked, “Do you see? This selfsame fate befell not only Zodiark, but the very star.”

Now it all made sense how one world could suddenly separate as they did. That was the one thing that she had struggled with the most to understand. And so she watched as slashes appeared upon the orb as if an invisible sword cut through them and then slowly spread out into a ring of fourteen orbs… with the Source a little larger and surrounded by the thirteen perfect reflections.

“Only three were fortunate enough to escape the sundering,” Emet-Selch sighed at last, “Me being one of them.”

He then looked back to her and this time Claire could see that he did not hide the pain in his face.

“When I beheld the shattered remnants of our home, I knew deepest despair,” he said honestly, “The inhabitants of these fourteen fragments were feeble, frail, and foolish. Oblivious to their imperfections, ignorant of their past. Malformed creatures thrashing blindly about. Pitiful. Disturbing. Depressing.”

She could only imagine what that must be like. To have watched all you once knew and loved being torn away from you… but what good would rejoining the worlds now do though? That world was gone. Even if they rejoined everything and all the people, it wasn’t like those same people and the city would return, would it?

“So, we took it upon ourselves to rejoin the worlds. But in our eagerness - and, I confess, our ignorance - we erred, and made a useless void of the Thirteenth,” he muttered, “It was only afterwards that we discovered a connection ‘twixt Source and shard - a flow of energy that maintains elemental balance. And thus did we arrive at our time-honored modus operandi.”

There was silence around them as the images faded and they were back inside the tower.

“From a purely Ascian standpoint it could be said that what you seek to do is only logical,” Y’shtola conceded, but still refusing to admit that the Ascians were right in what they had done. She had her arms crossed as she scolded, “But that would be to ignore the immeasurable destruction wrought with each Rejoining. You have murdered millions. And this we cannot condone.”

That was true. She thought of those other worlds out there who had all been wiped out because of them. Countless lives, countless cities filled history and lore, countless stories that had been forgotten and will never be told…? It was a tragedy on a grand scale.

Anger boiled inside her as she glared at him and thought of all that had been loss because of him and his fellows.

But Emet-Selch seemed undeterred by Y’shtola indictment as he shrugged.

“By your fragmented existence, you continue to give rise to tragedies far crueler than any calamity,” he said and she knew that he had them there. But suddenly he conceded on one thing as he admitted, “But yes moral relativism and all that. Case in point - I do not consider you to be truly alive. Ergo, I will not be guilty of murder if I kill you.”

So they weren’t living beings just because they were divided? Did they truly look down on them that much?

He suddenly noticed her frown and his voice returned to a much lighter tone as he said, “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You for whom I have only the highest expectations. A vaunted hero of the Source! Seven times rejoined.”

He then looked away as he muttered, “Long have I awaited one who might brave a path of lesser tragedy. A resilient soul able to endure the necessary pain. I dare to hope that my wait is over?”

Pain for what? What did he want? What was he expecting out of her? The sole reason he seemed so keen on following them was because she had potential, but potential for what?

She didn’t understand.

He looked up again and said to her, “So, finish your task and slay the Lightwarden. Make proof of your usefulness. And then we may speak again.”

Usefulness. She was getting sick of all these secrets and lies being kept from her and she had made to open her mouth and demand answers when the doors opened again and it was Lyna who appeared. Claire hadn’t seen her since the aftermath of the attack on Lakeland, but she was heartened to see her looking well and recovered since then.

“Forgive me, my lord, but this could not wait,” the Captain of the guard said, and Claire was actually glad for the distraction.

“Speak freely, Captain,” the Exarch replied, also looking relieved that their conversation had been interrupted.

Lyna saluted and warned, “Our informant in Kholusia sends word of unusual activity in Eulmore. It appears their forces are entrenching themselves at key points throughout the city. Making ready for an attack, by all indications.”

Vauthry had made the first move then. He must know by now that the other four Lightwardens are dead and that it would only be a matter of time before they come for the fifth.

“An intriguing use of resources,” the Exarch said, lifting his hand to his chin. “I rather doubt Lord Vauthry is concerned for the safety of his citizens…”

Alisaie turned her attention to him and asked, “You think he’s harboring the Lightwarden inside the city walls? Even if he does have some means of controlling the sin eaters, wouldn’t that be a little risky?”

“Risky or not,” Thancred interjected urgently, “if there is even a chance the Warden is hiding there, we will need to act fast. The longer we wait, the better prepared the Eulmorans will be.”

“Agreed,” the Exarch declared. “See to your preparations then, and make for Kholusia.” He turned to Alisaie. “Gods willing, this hunt will be the last. Let us see it through to the end.”

There was no point in waiting. The others were already out the door as they prepared themselves for a fight. But Claire didn’t immediately follow. She remained behind so that only she, Lyna, Emet-Selch, and the Exarch remained in the room. The Exarch was giving Lyna some orders, but she was focused upon Emet-Selch, still dying for some answers for once.

“Yes?” Emet-Selch asked her when he noticed her looking at him, “Did my lessons provoke thought, giving rise to further questions?”

Oh, many more. But there was one that stood out from her mind first.

“Three of you escaped the sundering,” she said, already guessing that the other two were Lahabrea and Elidibus. “But what of those who didn’t…?”

“Why, their very beings were divided into fourteen, of course,” he answered before she could finish, “Yet by our power, we unsundered Ascians may raise up one of their fragments to their original office. Ah, but I suppose this in itself bears explaining. So… the names by which you know us are not, in fact, our names. Be it Elidibus or Lahabrea or Igeyorhm, all are titles of office. And when an office is vacated, it may be filled by another. Over the eons, I have overseen several changing of the guard among our sundered brethren. And in such instances, the vacant title ordinarily goes to another fragment of the selfsame soul. While it is by no means impossible to raise up wholly unrelated individuals, ‘tis we whose fervent entreaties brought forth Lord Zodiark—whose souls He claimed in the beginning—who make the truest servants.”

Just a title? So Emet-Selch wasn’t his true name then. Just one that he used when he wasn’t interested in blending in with everyone else.

“And what is your real name?” she asked, suddenly burning with curiosity.

“Hm!” he huffed playfully, “there may come a day when I reveal my true name to you—but this is not it. Of course, you may well die none the wiser, but life is full of such disappointments.”

But then he bent in close and whispered into her ear, “Though, if truth be told, I may ask that same question of you.”

The Exarch suddenly interrupted, still shooting Emet-Selch a dark look, before leading Claire away as if he was afraid that the Ascian would attack her if she stayed near him any longer. Lyna had already left so now it was just the three of them together.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her in concern, "Your condition is unchanged?"

She found herself looking long and hard at him, wishing more than ever to pull that hood down so that she could see his face. It felt like everyone around her was hiding something and it driving her crazy not knowing any longer.

But she forced a smile instead and nodded. While still feeling far from her usual self, she was up for another fight.

“Good," he said confidently, "If you can but hold out until the end of the coming battle, I am confident that we will find a remedy for your affliction.”

The absolute certainty that was in his voice made her chuckle. She wasn't entirely sure what will happen when this is over, but the idea that a 'cure' could be found for her was something she whole-heartedly agreed with.

She merely thanked him for his words as she steadied herself and headed off. She later met up with the others at the gates and spoke with them the best way to go about this. In the end, they decided that, for their safety, they will leave in pairs and arrive at different times for they were certain to have guards and soldiers waiting for them. 

After some discussion, they were to be going in groups of two. Thancred went on ahead with Urianger, sure to arrive first and keep their eyes out upon the city and see if they could discover a way into the city if the main gate was out of the question. 

Meanwhile, Y’shtola would be accompany Alisaie soon afterwards to survey the area around them. And finally, Alphinaud and Ryne would be following them since they stood the most likely chance of being recognized by the people—though in Ryne's case maybe not as much as she had been with her new appearance. They would arrive an hour after the others and wait for Claire in Wright. With luck, the time spent would give Ryne time to discover where the last Lightwarden was hiding.

They all agreed and Claire watched them all leave before she fell back against the gate and waited for her turn. She was to arrive half a bell after the others—and would be prepared to make a hasty retreat should the entire isle be covered with soldiers.

"You ready?"

She looked to her side to find Ardbert waiting there with her.

"You coming as well?" she asked, finding herself oddly cheered up by the thought.

"Like I would miss this," he said with a shrug and spirited smile. The two of them stood there silently for a little longer before the awaited time had arrived and she went to the amaro launch and asked to borrow their swiftest amaro, which they agreed.

As she climbed up on his back, Ardbert gave her some surprising advice—telling her how amaro had a spot between their wings that they enjoy when scratched. Surprised, she tried it and immediately her steed let out a warble of contentment.

"Seto was like that," he sighed fondly. "Believe it or not he was quite a trouble-maker when I first met him. The number of times he would buck me off when he thought that I was on his back too long...?"

He laughed at the memory before finishing, "That trick saved me from being flung off more than once."

"That's a good trick to know," she said, wondering if her own trouble-making birds at home would like that as well.

"Hey... do you remember when we first met in this world?" he asked her and she looked at him, watching how his eyes became glazed over.

"I said to you that this world was beyond saving,” he said softly.

"I remember," she said.

"Well, at the time I truly believed it," he said before he looked her directly in her eyes and something seemed to pass between them.

She found herself staring deep into those pale blue eyes and felt... well, she wasn't sure what it was that she felt at that moment nor if she even liked it. But it felt strangely... reassuring. She didn't know how else to describe that feeling.

He just smiled suddenly and she was also struck by how different he seemed to be whenever he did smile when she was so used to the gloomy pessimistic mood he was always in. But she found herself smiling as he told her, "I don’t think that I would be disappointed if you proved me wrong."

"I'll try not to let you down," she told him as he faded from view, still smiling.

"Let's go," she said as she shook out her amaro's reins, and he took off at once, flying over the ocean as they made their way to Kholusia.

***Later***

Claire arrived upon the isle with no problems other than a few unexpected bursts of wind when her amaro dipped down to enjoy the feel of salty water upon his scaled feet.

The normal sky of blue was quickly left behind as the constant, unnatural light that she had grown to hate returned and she winced in pain at the sight of it. 

Thankfully she did make sure to take another one of those potions Urianger made for her before setting off so she could bear with the headache she could feel coming on. But gods, it was worse than before. And as she approached the dead-looking island in the distance when it appeared upon the horizon, she couldn't help but shiver at how creepy and empty it looked underneath that sky.

She came to a gentle land from her amaro and gave him another grateful scratch behind his wings before watching him take off before setting off. Claire looked around the gravel beach, but so far didn't see anything that would be a cause for worry... though there was this uneasy feeling that seemed the weigh upon her mind in a way that she didn't like. Almost as if she were being watched from a distance.

Hoping against hope that it was just her paranoia kicking in, she set off along the road that would take her to Wright—fairly certain she could remember the way there.

She arrived at the small settlement only a little bit late, and was greeted by Alphinaud, who waved happily when he saw her.

“There you are, Claire,” he called, “The others have gone on ahead to reconnoiter Gatetown. We are to follow shortly.” 

She nodded in agreement, glad to see that everything was going so smoothly so far. She was highly suspicious of that. Things are never that easy for them.

After all that Vauthry went through before to stop them, she doubted that he would give up now when there was only one Warden left.

Alphinaud suddenly heaved a sigh as he looked away from her with a smile that did not reach his eyes. 

“It has been a while, has it not?" he asked, "Since the two of us infiltrated Eulmore. Since we faced Lord Vauthry, and I felt such fury as I have never felt before. His actions are unconscionable, of course, and any abhorrence I felt for him entirely justified."

Yes... she could not recall ever seeing Alphinaud as furious as he did that day. The only other time that it even came close was when the confronted Ilberd as he willingly allowed his own people to die before using them to summon Shinryu. But even then that was mild compared to the anger he showed here in Eulmore.

Not that she blamed him... for that same outrage blazed inside her along with the desire to make that fat blob of a man pay for his crimes. Hopefully when the last Warden is slain he would be singing a different tune.

Still, she kept that to herself as she watched him. Alphinaud seemed to be struggling within himself for a moment and was trying to find a way to voice what was weighing so heavily upon his mind.

"Yet mingled with my rage, there was… something else," he finally said, "At first I was unsure what it was, but in the course of our struggles, I found the answer.”

He looked down, suddenly looking miserable.

“In Vauthry’s self-righteousness—in his absolute belief that he, and he alone, is the cure to the world’s ills—I saw a reflection of myself,” he confessed to her softly, “And it brought the memories of all my past follies flooding back.”

Ahhhh, now she could see what was troubling him. She reached out, her fingers brushing against his chin as she gently forced his head up to look her in the eyes. 

Mayhap there was a time she would have agreed with that. She could still remember how he used to be and she had to admit that she did not missing that version of him. But then again, without that version she never would have gotten this one in exchange. So for that, she was grateful.

Besides...?

“You are nothing like him," she reassured him him, "Not as you are now... you couldn't be more different."

His eyes softened in a way that melted her heart. He then stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him as she rested her forehead against his. Anyone looking upon them would surely think the two were the sweetest of lovers.

“He is the vainglorious, ignorant fool I once was,” he whispered softly to her, “And having shared in his affliction, I feel duty-bound to open his eyes to the truth. Whether he will accept it with the good grace I did is another question…”

She smiled sadly at him. In truth, she didn't know how well that would work. It seemed to her that Vauthry had his way for far too long for him to ever be able to change. It did not seem that he had ever even heard the word ‘no’ before and therefore how could they trust someone who was about as mature as a child?

Still, she understood how important it was for Alphinaud to at least try. She nodded in agreement as he smiled back. 

Very reluctantly, they pulled away as they turned back to the matter at hand. Ryne had also been stand close by... but she hadn't been paying any attention to the lovebirds at all. In fact, it looked like she didn't even realize Claire was here until they approached her.

“What is it, Ryne?" Alphinaud asked, "Do you sense the Lightwarden?”

Ryne finally looked around at them, her eyes widen slightly and answered, “I-I’m not sure. The aura is… different. Perhaps if we were a little closer…”

Alphinaud didn't question her as he nodded.

“Tis time we were on our way in any case,” he said, “Let us join our comrades in Gatetown. Claire, as a precaution, may I ask that you go first, to ensure that the path is clear? The closer we are to Eulmore, the more I worry that Ryne may be recognized. If you see any prying eyes along the way, pray encourage their owners to look elsewhere.”

She agreed, their hands brushing against the others' very briefly before she set off down the road on her own.

But all the while she could not help but find Ryne's struggling to find the Warden passing strange.

After all, Ryne could clearly sense the warden deep underground before. So why was she having so much trouble here? Could it be that Vauthry had found some way of concealing the monster's presence? From the way that Ryne was looking at the city, it seemed a safe bet that it was imprisoned there somewhere...? But where?

She hurried along the road for a short distance before finding a young man sitting along the path. He seemed to be delirious, muttering to himself and didn't even glance up as she approached. She tried to speak to him but he didn’t respond to her and continued his incoherent rambling.

Finding herself creeped out by this, she decided to continue and that was when she found two well-dressed people cowering at the crossroad.

From their clothes, they looked to be free citizens of Eulmore... but why would they be all the way out here?

“Lord Vauthry… we hear… we obey…” she heard the man stutter before he then let out a scream and the two of them lumbered towards her. She didn’t know what was going on, but after seeing their wildly blank eyes, she realized that they seemed to be under another's control. She had seen this plenty of times before and could recognize when a being wasn't acting of their own free will. Because of that, she didn’t want to hurt them—and so she chose the less deadly method of knocking them out.

She watched as they continued to breathe in deeply as they slept in the road—knowing that they weren't going to be waking up anytime soon.

"Sorry," she muttered as she moved them over to a shaded corner of trees where they would be out of harm’s way of sin eaters and the local wildlife.

What was going on here? Was this Vauthry's doing?

She turned her head when she set both of them aside and could see the shabby huts waiting along the cliff side and she made her way there.

She began to run along the dirt pathway now, her anxiety growing with every step and that unsettling feeling of some kind of shadow watching over her continued to grow ever stronger with every step she took.

There was only one other person on the road as she passed, but much like the first, he seemed to be too dazed to be paying attention to anyone else. All she heard were faint being muttered under his breath over and over again; confirming for her who was responsible for this.

“Long live… Lord Vauthry…” the man croaked through dry and cracked lips and immediately she felt her anger beginning to grow.

And it didn't stop growing when she made it to Gatetown where she found the crowd of the starving, rejected citizens who were still waiting for their chance to enter Eulmore's gates.

She ran into Urianger and Thancred at the very end of the last row of tents and shacks when she arrived.

“Our mission hath begun on a strange not…” she heard Urianger mutter under his breath.

That was putting it mildly. She took one look around and knew that something was very wrong. Most of the residents stood, enraptured, staring towards the city as if entranced—more than usual anyway.

“Ah,” Thancred said when he saw her arrive, “Good of you to join us. I was debating whether to warn you, but it’s too late now."

He looked back to the city with a dark look and added, not needing to bother keeping his voice down since no one else was bothering to look back at them, "I take it you noticed the people behaving strangely along the path? It’s more of the same here. Y’shtola and Alisaie are investigating as we speak. Let’s wait and see what they have to say.”

They waited for a few minutes as Urianger continued to observe the residents of Gatetown from a safe distance.

“Strange,” she heard him murmur to himself, lifting a hand to his chin as he became deep in thought. “Passing strange.”

She also watched as how only a few of the people seem to be awake enough to be running around to everyone trying to get their friends or neighbors to snap out of it. 

“By their behavior, we may safely assume they are under Vauthry’s mind control," he mentioned and she felt a sickening feeling in her heart at the words 'mind control' and knew that this was not going to be simple or straight forward.

Urianger looked back over his shoulder towards the crowd, noting the few who still had their senses, and added, “Yet the extent of the effect seemeth to vary dramatically between subjects. ‘Tis far too pronounced to be attributed simply to the vagaries of innate magical resistance.”

Well, what else could it be that's causing this?

“Curiouser and curiouser."

She looked up to see that Alphinaud and Ryne had arrived.

“We met with no trouble en route. My thanks for securing the way," he said to her before turning his full attention to the people around them. "But, given the state of the townsfolk, I see we were never in any danger of being recognized.”

Not in this state... the people here were so lost or concerned for their fellows that they honestly didn't care about some outsiders arriving all at once.

Thancred turned to Ryne and asked, “What can you tell us from here?”

Ryne closed her eyes and seemed too concentrated on her target. After about a minute she frowned heavily and confessed, “I sense a powerful eater… in the uppermost reaches of the city…” She then opened her eyes and looked at the city in the distance with a rather frustrated expression and admitted, “But there’s something different about it. It’s Light is impure. We need to get closer.”

Again, that was so odd. The Warden was certainly in the city, but with them so close how could Ryne be having so much trouble finding it?

“Ohhh!” a voice said from behind them. “So that one’s Alphinaud! …Unless you’re triplets?” They all turned to see Alisaie approaching with a Mystel man with bright blue hair.

Alphinaud spoke first before she could.

“Kai-Shirr!" he said, also recognizing the man they met when last they were here together, "What are you doing here?”

“While I was scouting the area,” Alisaie said, irritation evident in her voice. “I noticed a suspicious figure skulking about. So, I accosted him - only to have him call me ‘Alphinaud.’ I thought it best to bring him along.”

“You see,” Kai-Shirr said, rather shyly. “That informant who’s been feeding secrets to the Crystarium… It’s me.”

That was not something that she expected, and was actually rather impressed by that as he stumbled over his words.

“See, after you saved my life in Eulmore, I thought about going somewhere far away. But I couldn’t just leave, not without paying you back," he confessed, "So I decided to stay here - keep an eye on things. And whenever I spotted something strange, I shared it with your friends.”

Alphinaud smiled proudly at him and complimented, “That took no small amount of courage. Well done.”

“I assume you saw what happened here,” Thancred asked, getting down to business, which Kai-Shirr nodded.

“Right,” he confirmed and so went on to explain, “So, an airship flew in a bit ago, and not long after, Vauthry starts ranting and raving. You could hear him from all the way out here! Geezer was doing his nut! Shouting and screaming like someone had nicked his pie!”

That really did not surprise her. Giving how childish he acted before, she was not expecting a mature response.

“‘Tis like the airship bore the soldiers sent to thwart our efforts in Amh Araeng,” Urianger offered before Kai-Shirr continued.

“So,” he went on, “Eventually the yelling dies down… and then this hot, sticky wind comes blowing through. Now that’s when everyone went funny. Everyone but me. Well, me and a couple of newcomers, though even they started mumbling about Vauthry after a while. Not as bad as the rest, mind you.”

Well, Vauthry didn’t waste time did he?

“Newcomers…” Urianger muttered softly and looked completely lost in thought. Footsteps from behind them drew him from whatever theory ensnared him they turned around to find Y'shtola coming out of the crowd with a hardened expression.

Claire immediately knew something was wrong when she saw that expression.

“There’s something I need Ryne to see,” Y'shtola said seriously before reaching into her satchel. Claire wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it was with mild surprise when she pull out...?

“This was among the townsfolk’s food stores," showing them the foodstuff that she recalled when they were last here.

Ryne’s face twisted in revulsion, and she actually took a step back as if it was some deadly creature while Kai-Shirr shrugged, explaining that it was just meol. But Ryne was shaking as she stared at it, her hands up near her face as if she was ready to stop herself from being sick and this had everyone concerned.

“No!” Ryne nearly shouted, “It… It couldn’t be…”

They all looked ready to ask what the problem was as she seemed to swallow some bile that rose up in her throat.

“I-I know what it is. It’s sin eater," she finally croaked out in a shaky tone, still looking a bit green in the face, "Meol is made out of sin eater.” 

They stared at her before turning their gaze to the 'food' in Y'sthola's hands—all of them stricken dumb at this bombshell. Indeed, Kai-Shirr covered his mouth as if he were close to being sick.

Claire could only feel a cold running across her skin—remembering just what sin eaters were--or rather what they used to be.

“So it is,” Y’shtola agreed with a sad and quiet voice, probably already guessing so. She let the piece fall back into her bag, perhaps to examine it later. “In limited quantities, it may have little effect on an average individual. Yet if one were to consume it regularly, over a period of several years, I suspect it would do far, far more than merely nourish the body," she explained.

They all looked at each other, wondering just what to make of this news, when Urianger spoke up.

“That Vauthry wieldeth power over sin eaters is known. Could it be that those who partake of their flesh do thereby render themselves susceptible to his influence?” he questioned thoughtfully, “‘Twould serve to explain why the town’s newer arrivals succumbed less quickly than those raised on a diet of Meol.”

So those who still had a semblance of sense were clearly those who never got as much Meol as the others. 

“He’s been rounding up sin eaters and feeding them to people?” Alisaie yelled, her shock finally wearing off only to be replaced with justified fury. “Altering them mouthful by mouthful - all to stop them answering back?!” 

Claire didn't bother trying to ask her to remain calm. She could feel the flames of anger also blazing hot and fierce in her own chest as she watched how Alisaie clenched her hands into fists and looked down with tears threatening to come.

“There are desperate souls out there killing themselves to escape turning!" she screamed, "This is unforgivable! An atrocity!”

But Alphinaud was now turning white and when she looked to him, he gulped down and she could see the horror that was shimmering beneath his otherwise determined features.

“These sin eaters…" he asked, "What if they are not simply ‘rounded up’?” He looked to her as she realized what he was trying to say and she felt her eyes widen as she remembered that poor girl who could no longer sing and was getting ready to 'ascend'. 

“Do you remember what we were told when first we came to the city?” he asked her, “‘Many enter, but none leave’?”

So those who enter the city, never to be seen again, are either thrown from the highest balcony or...?

This... barbarism... it was almost too much. She wanted to scream out like Alisaie was doing or to smash every single break wall of that disgusting city until nothing remained but rubble. As her outrage took over the light inside her seemed to raise its head and took a hopeful sniff of the air as if it was sensing its possible escape. Claire noticed this and quickly regained control before it could fight out. She steadied herself and used all the self-control she had to keep it locked up.

But the revulsion of what she learned did not fade. She clenched her hand painfully, actually denting the metal gauntlets as she restrained her feelings. 

The thoughts of all those poor people, who had been hoping that they had found sanctuary at long last... only to find a worse horror waiting for them inside... how they must have felt when they realized what was going on made her heart break apart.

Someone was going to pay for this.

Alphinaud closed his eyes a moment and inhaled a few deep breaths as he also seemed to be mustering all his control for his emotions. She knew that he had said he wanted to try and help Vauthry see reason but she wondered if those thoughts had changed after this revelation? Either way, she wasn't going to be letting that—creature—go without some punishment. If nothing else, she would enjoy seeing him knocked from his high pedestal before he came crashing down to earth.

“Let us put an end to it,” Alphinaud declared, his eyes ablaze in a way that she instantly approved of as he glared up at the city, “To this ‘paradise’ built on the bones of the poor. Vauthry’s deeds are beyond justification. Beyond forgiveness. Evil.”

"So what do we do?" Ryne asked.

"I think it obvious," Thancred said as he looked to the city, "We go in through the front doors. I don't think that we need to overly concern ourselves with knocking. I get the feeling that they'll know when we arrive."

They all agreed, knowing that a straight head-on confrontation was really the best way to go from here. 

Meanwhile, Kai-Shirr was dry-heaving a few fulms next to her.

“Meol… is sin eater?” he gulped, “Wicked white, we all scoffed the stuff without a second thought… I never got near as much as the others, but… ugh… the bitter green sand bony fish I got by on don’t seem so bad no more…”

She gave him a sympathetic look before Thancred clapped a hand on her shoulder and said, “It’s highly probable that the Lightwarden is waiting for us somewhere in there, and I’m all for going after it.” He surveyed the rest of the group as well, before returning his eyes to her. “But our enemies know our faces. They know that we are coming. And they will not let us through without a fight. Like it or not, the time for stealth is passed.”

She nodded and he grinned.

“Now, my friend. If you would be so good as to lead the charge?” he asked.

"Oh, it would be my pleasure," she said as a surge of energy suddenly rushed through her. The idea of fighting, of carnage... suddenly thrilled her... though she did have to remind herself that wasn't the point. She shook the cobwebs off her mind as she was shaken by her own thoughts.

Meanwhile the others were questioning Thancred on his past experience in breaking in. That was when he had some bad news to share.

“We are like to encounter Ran’jit again,” Thancred warned, “One can only hope he’s still licking his wounds. Yet even without him, Eulmore is an eminently defensible city—as you doubtless gleaned during your visit. When last I set foot inside its walls, I almost mistook it for dear old Limsa—but it is full of unpleasant surprises. All of which is a long way of saying: be on your guard.”

“The uppermost level of the city houses Vauthry’s chambers,” Ryne said, “He must keep the Warden close.”

She approached Alphinaud, who gazed at her with determined fury that set her heart aflutter.

“When we step through the gates, we shall find not the place of hedonistic pleasure we remember, but a battlefield,” Alphinaud told her. “If you are prepared for this, then let us sally forth!”

They were ready... they were just waiting for her to lead the charge this time.

She took a deep breath and took the first step forward before breaking into a run. She had to move aside many of the crowd but they did break through, no one bothering to stop them or even look twice. They made it across the rickety wooden bridge until they were directly beneath the city's shadow with no trouble. But as soon as she reached the stone walkway though that seemed to be enough to get Vauthry's attention.

“Ugh… I can feel it… a dark presence in my domain!” screamed a terrified voice from overhead, ringing out with such force that it caused the entire city to tremble. 

“Ah! It’s them!" Vauthry's voice bellowed out, "The villains who would sow chaos in my perfect paradise! Keep them away from me! I command you, keep them awaaaaaaaay!”

She then felt aether falling from the sky as the people who lived in the leftovers of Eulmore’s shadow appeared. The people began to limp, hobble, and lumber their way towards them, practically dragging themselves as their eyes became all glassy and vacant.

“Long live… Lord Vauthry…”

They were just mumbling those same words over and over as she and the others behind her all moved into a tight group as the crowd around them grew bigger. They drew their weapons as they quickly became surrounded.

“He would use his own people as shields,” Thancred growled in disgust.

“This area is older than Gatetown,” Alphinaud explained, “There are bound to be far more civilians under Vauthry’s control. But they do not act of their own free will, and we must not harm them.”

“As if we ever would,” Alisaie smirked, though her anger was still in her voice. “Press on with Alphinaud. We’ll hold off the civilians and join you as soon as we can.”

With this in mind, they charged ahead. It was so hard to fight since there were so many of them and she had to be careful where she swung her great sword around and not risk hitting them. For the moment, she was forced to use mostly punches, using the blade only to block any wild swings they threw out.

It was a mess of limbs and drooling faces as they scratched and clawed at them, though it was obvious that none of them were clearly awake enough to do enough damage as to actually kill them. Still, it was taking a while since more and more were continuing to drag themselves out of the woodworks.

“We’re wasting time,” Thancred called, “Ryne… we hold them here while the others press on!”

“A-All right!” she yelled back as Thancred cleared the way for the rest of them to go on.

“Have care, you two!” Alphinaud yelled, “The rest of you, with me!”

Claire decked one last guy before running with the others to the door. But they didn’t get far. Again, another wave was upon them almost immediately when they reached the next level of stairs. Only now they had armored soldiers marching with them and so punching them wasn’t as easy as before and Claire actually had to use force this time. They were doing their best to avoid harming them but gods, it was taking forever to make a dent.

“There is no end to them…” Y’shtola cried in frustration, “Urianger—would you care to make a stand?”

“Gladly, Claire—pray press on with the others when the opportunity doth arise,” Urianger said as he held up his starglobe and cast a healing spell upon them all before they broke away from them. Claire ran on ahead with a twin on either side of her and the front doors were right in sight.

Sadly, that was where the good news ended for them.

“Confound it!” Alphinaud cried as yet another wave of people began to swarm at them, these people practically dragging themselves across the ground to reach them. “More of them! And we were almost through!”

After several minutes of this never ending hoard of living shields, Alisaie let out a groan of annoyance and shouted out, “Right, my turn to make a heroic stand! As soon as there’s a lull, push on!”

“You sure?” Claire called before they managed to struggle their way to the door and start to force it open as Alisaie drew the crowd onto her.

“Hey, if I can’t handle this much then I don’t deserve to be here!” she yelled back. “Just you take care of our precious gem here!”

“I intend to!” Alphinaud yelled out after getting the door open.

“I was talking to Claire!” Alisaie taunted back, earning an annoyed look from her brother as Claire had to repress a snort of laughter.

“Now, Claire—into the tower! Just you take care, Alisaie!” he yelled as they ducked inside. But it seemed that their struggles weren’t over yet completely. For inside the front doors were free of citizens and soldiers, which she was glad for, but there were still two others waiting for them.

“The jesters from before!” Alphinaud cried obviously. And he was right. The two women from their last visit, still dressed in red and blue jester outfits, were now blocking their way. They waved happily when they saw them with big smiles upon their faces, like they were watching a grand show, before they pulled out a pair of long knives each.

Claire supposed she should have seen that coming.

“Apologies, friends… but you’ve reached a dead end,” the rest jongleur called as they ran at them, “And on this sorry track, there’s no turning back.”

“We’ve a good life here, see, and we’re not about to lose it,” the Blue Jongleur added as her knives glinted from the flickering lights around them, “But fair’s fair—we’ll give you a good death.”

She did not come all this way to lose to a pair of clowns like them. But unlike the people outside, these two seemed perfectly in control of themselves and thus were not fighting under their lord’s command by force.

“If you would fight us of your own volition, then we will not hold back!” Alphinaud declared, also noticing this.

The red jongleur laughed as it became a two on two fight. She then gave him a playful wink before informing him, “This one’s a real side-splitter! But at least you’ll die laughing!”

Alphinaud was knocked back from a sudden burst of energy and Claire could sense aether gathering as an attack was about to strike. Alphinaud was struggling to stand and so she ran forward and used her own body to cover his. She gritted her teeth in pain as a blast of lightning came down upon them. He stared up at her before they both got to their feet.

The fight was mostly one sided though these two were far from pushovers like the people outside. But through sheer force they managed to overpower them and they watched how the jesters fell to the floor. Whether they live or die was anyone’s guess, but she didn’t stop to find out as they moved to the stairs.

“Let us climb to the Canopy,” Alphinaud panted as they began the long run to the top, “From there we will take the Crown Lift.”

Alphinaud took this time to heal their injuries as his beautiful carbuncle came running up from behind them, chirping happily as it cast it’s comforting light off the darkened walls. Her heart was beating hard in her chest as they neared the next floor where she could hear more moans and groans. It seemed that they weren’t alone anymore. Though, she supposed that it wasn’t a surprise since they were right outside the headquarters for the army.

“Still more soldiers…” Alphinaud panted, holding out his hand to stop her as they listened carefully. It sounded like a fair amount and she was already preparing herself for another struggle when he grabbed her wrist and spun her around to look at him.

“Leave them to me and press on!” he told her firmly as she stared back.

“You sure?” she asked softly. He nodded once before he grabbed her by the front of her armor and pulled her in for a hard kiss.

It was too short as they pulled back and fierce resolve blazed.

“Go,” he told her before vowing, “I’ll stop anymore from following.”

Gods, what was with him? If he kept acting like this then she never would be able to keep her own emotions in check. She didn’t know where this burst of confidence rose from but she liked it immensely.

“Stay safe,” she said as she turned and ran up the stairs just as a hoard of controlled citizens and soldiers came out of the room next to her and Alphinaud ordered his carbuncle to defend him. They didn’t even notice Claire as she raced passed.

So it was just her again.

But she would finish this alone if she had to. She raced up a seemingly endless flight of stairs before she came out near the top in the Canopy—which was completely empty—thought she could smell the roses before arriving on the scene. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, not showing any signs of anyone else here.

She made her way to the lift, knowing that it would take her up even higher, and at first it looked like she might make it.

But there was someone else waiting for her.

She slowed down to a stop as she saw Ran’jit standing there in the hallway.

He was no longer dressed in his robes but instead he was in a dark crimson armor with spikes and a red scythe in his hands. She remembered what Thancred said about how Ran’jit seemed to merge together with that serpent dragon creature of his to create armor when he fought him and she knew that he was no longer playing around.

Ran’jit stepped out, which led to a face off—with both of them sizing the other up, wondering just who would be the first to break this stalemate.

Finally, he broke the silence.

“You will find my master in his chamber…” he informed her calmly, as she looked at him. There was something different, other than his armor, about him—but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. The way he carried himself, his eerily calm tone, even his stance was carrying some hidden truth to it though she couldn’t see what it was. He took a few steps closer, his blade held up and her eyes narrowed as he finished, “But only should you kill me this day-o-and you will not.”

Why? Could he not see that there was no point? Nothing would change this way. This world could still be pulled back from the very brink and yet he was still resisting that to the bitter end. She looked to his eyes and saw how they held no signs of control.

No, he was far too in control of himself to be a mere puppet of Vauthry. Much like the two jesters he was aware of what he was doing and he just didn’t care.

“Why do you go so far?” she asked him, demanding an answer to everything that he had done to them up till now. Just what could he possibly have to gain from all this?

“You may think me under his spell, but I uphold Lord Vauthry’s ideals of my own volition,” he informed her with a bitterness that spoke of one who truly did not care any longer. “Man is an inherently flawed creature. In his vain pursuit of righteousness, he but sows the seeds of future conflict. Thus have I chosen to place my hopes upon he who has transcended men. Upon he who is unbound by the vagaries of conscience.”

No, he couldn’t do that much, could he? She would be the first to admit that mankind was not perfect but to believe that Vauthry’s way was the only choice left? Surely he must know of what this city did to those who didn’t wish to remain here? This was a horrible, twisted nightmare and she was willing to do whatever it took to wake these people from it.

He seemed to sense that she was in no more mood to listen for he told her, “But enough talk. I am a soldier, and you are my enemy.”

Her hand was already at her blade and she swung it around as the cold steel began to sing almost joyfully at the promise of another battle. She only wished she felt the same way.

Ran’jit swung his scythe around and cried, “Come! Let us settle this once and for all!”

But though she was the first to charge at him, her mind could not help but wonder… was there truly no other way?

“What is the point in this madness?” she asked him as they rushed at each other and their blades clanged violently as their owners pushed fiercely against them.

“Ever since I submitted to my master’s authority, I have been naught but a weapon,” Ran’jit told her.

“I used to think that to,” she said, kicking him off as she swung for his head, “But it doesn’t have to be.”

She moved around as his curved blade cut through the air. She could feel him giving his all, and that was when she realized, with a stab of horror, that he wasn’t planning to make it out of here. His movements were much slower and sluggish compared to when she first saw him fight that day in Lakeland. He must still be injured after his fight with Thancred—which would explain why he was meeting her head-on like this.

Did he… wish to die here?

She may have not have been able to deal with him before but she wasn’t going to let him go this time. But was there no other choice than putting him out of his misery?

“I exist only to destroy,” he said, as if he could sense her conflicted emotions every time their weapons clashed, “And destroy you I will.”

But what of all the other Minfilias that he fought and trained with? What would they say if they saw him like this? It was as if he was disrespecting their memory and their sacrifices by allowing himself to be used as nothing more than a thoughtless weapon.

She understood why he would feel this way, she truly did, for who could fight against a seemingly endless battle their entire lives only to watch the world continue to slip away with every passing day? But she also knew that if those other Minfilias were here, they would lament what became of Ran’jit. Those poor girls who never had a chance to live their own lives would be dismayed at what became of their beloved mentor.

Balls of fire appeared and she could feel the heat blazing from them as he called down thunder spheres next. She managed to dispel one of them in time to give herself a place to stand and avoid the worst of the attack. But he was far from beaten.

“It is time we settle this, villain,” he warned.

“You think you’re the only one here to know loss?” she yelled back, “To have lost your faith in mankind? I’ve done so many times!”

She clashed with him again, hard, her anger rising. But still, Ran’jit’s will would not bend.

***Ran’jit***

Could she understand? Nay, what did it matter?

Ever since he was a child all he knew was that constant, hateful light above him. He didn’t understand how the sky could be anything other than this painful brightness. He had heard the stories of what the night sky had looked like before, but he had long since given up that hope of ever seeing it.

But that day when he arrived in Lakeland and could see the relief of that light and those scattering of stars… he felt no joy to it. He felt an emptiness inside as he thought of those he had lost that should have been here to see it.

His girls.

This woman called herself the Warrior of Darkness? Well, where the bloody hells has she been all these long decades? Why appear now when the world was so close to the end? Was there even a point? Even if the last of the Lightwardens was slain and the night sky returned he could not see how this world could ever recover from it. Was it not better to face the end in comfort and safety instead of carrying on this fruitless struggle and watch all that you once knew and love being ripped away from you?

Not that he always thought that way.

He could still remember the first time he ever met the Oracle of Light… he had been a young child when his family had been killed by sin eaters. He feared he would be next before a girl with hair of spun gold and the brightest of sapphires appeared and slew the eater. He had never seen anything as beautiful or as strong as she. From that moment on he dreamt of becoming a warrior as strong as she as.

Sadly, she was cut down not long after that day. He didn’t understand how the others around him did not weep when she was laid to rest. That was when he learned of how the Oracle is born, fights, and dies before the cycle would start again. She would return.

And return she did.

It would be years later when he first began his training in the Eulmoran army did he meet her again. She was a young girl… but he knew who she was right away. Her hair was much shorter but it was that same shining gold and those eyes gazed at him shyly. She was much more timid than her previous incarnation but she had the sweetest voice that reminded him of a songbird. They studied and trained together… an unstoppable team… but then… she too died. This time it was when she threw herself between him and a sin eater when his back was turned and she died defending her friend.

As he held her in his arms as she died, he promised her that he would not fail her again when she came back.

But she just smiled sadly at him as a dribble of blood dripped from her mouth.

“You silly boy,” she said softly, “The Oracle will return… but she will not be me.”

And so it was true. When next the Oracle had been brought to them, he was an adult and she was a young child once more. But when she looked up at him, her face showing no recognition of him he knew that it was true. This wasn’t his Minfilia… not his best friend.

Still, he took it upon himself to train her. He was one of the strongest fighters that Eulmore had and often oversaw her training. This Minfilia was much more impulsive and short-tempered than the last one as well. It took no small amount of effort to keep her from rushing off and getting into fights with others. She was mischievous at heart and he found himself laughing along with her during one of her many pranks to keep them all entertained.

They grew close… not like the connection he had before with the previous Minfilia, but he grew to care deeply about her like family.

He sighed as he remembered how they had been called out to protect a village that was being overrun by even more sin eaters and…?

When the next Oracle was found, he was very hard on her as she began her training once again. He was determined to do whatever it took to keep her safe and so would drill her over and over until she quickly rose through the ranks to match her skills with all the other soldiers despite her young years. He was certain she would be safe this time…?

He fought the tears that threaten to come.

It didn’t matter. No matter what he did he could never keep her safe. Just another innocent girl was lost to the aftermath of the Flood. Again and again and again. By the time that this latest Oracle had been brought to him, little more than an infant, he no longer bothered to show her how to fight. That wasn’t the way the world was anymore.

Lord Vauthry didn’t like the idea of the Oracle being left out there though—believed that she was a threat to him if allowed to live. Ran’jit had convinced him that she was still just a young babe and that they could keep her locked up and safe… away from the world.

In the end, he managed to succeed in convincing his lord in allowing her to remain in the city. But he did not wish to see the girl and instead ordered that she be locked deep below ground. Ran’jit didn’t question it for he believed that was for the best as well. He did not wish to grow close to her—not again. He couldn’t allow his heart to become that venerable again but it looked like he would finally succeed in his duty.

_‘Finally,’ _he had thought,_ ‘Finally, she will be safe.’_

And she was until she was spirited away by that damnable rogue. Why could Minfilia not see that all he did, he did to prevent her from dying? Why would she side with them?

His eyes narrows as he glared at the woman in front of him as she swung her blade around with the grace of some goddess of death.

Though each girl was different, they all had one thing in common apart from their hair and their eyes. They all believed that the Warrior of Darkness would appear one day. Each one held onto this faith despite everyone knew that it was just a story. Whenever he asked them why they would think that, they just shrugged and confessed that this was a feeling that the original Minfilia held in her heart. This they all believed and so they believed that this special person would appear in time.

But now that she was here, he felt only anger whenever he looked at her face. Why not arrive sooner and save them from this madness? What would she do when this was over? Men were weak and without someone there to guide them then they would only continue down this road of death and hopelessness.

No… no more.

He had enough of this.

If she was, indeed, the Warrior of Darkness then she should have no trouble finishing him off and putting an end to his otherwise meaningless existence. Not that he would be going quietly. She first had to prove she had what it took to continue on.

In truth, he didn’t know if it was right anymore. He had seen the night sky and the only thing he could think of was how much his dear girls would have rejoiced at the sight of it.

But what did that matter now?

He was tired of fighting.

“If you would pass me, you must endure all that I have learned on the battlefield…” he yelled, “For I am a weapon forged in the fires of war!”

He knew no other way to live now. Fighting was all that he could do and he didn’t know how to go on without it. Though his wounds from that rouge have been devastating on him, he still mustered his remaining strength and prepared to finish it all. But she easily defeated him as he gathered up his strength. His power was cut short and was left open.

His eyes were fixed upon her as she drew close and he saw her mouth two words: “I’m sorry.”

He did not know what was going through her mind for her to say that. After all that he had done to her and her friends, she felt sorry about this? How could any Warrior of Darkness be so weak as to show pity for their foe?

He didn’t even feel the pain as the blade was brought down upon him and his vision darkened around him. That was when he saw faces appear before his mind’s eye and his heart leapt at the sight of it.

“Ah… there you are… my precious girls…” he whispered and fell.

He collapsed to his knees, feeling his life leaving him. But he welcomed it with open arms feeling something that he could never recall ever feeling before: relief.

“Was there truly no other way?” he heard her whisper as he felt himself bleeding out onto the floor.

He let out a grunt of annoyance as he croaked, glad that the last thing he would see was darkness instead of light.

“Spend your pity elsewhere,” he growled at her, though no longer sure if she could even hear him as he fell with a crash to the floor. “If you are so set on tearing what is left of this decaying world apart, then be gone.”

And so he faded there.

He became what he always knew he was. Just an old man who never again desired to see another girl sacrifice her life.

And it was for that that he pitied this warrior as well.

***Claire***

Just what was it that made him like this? What went through his mind in those last few moments? Did he regret anything? Or did he hold truth to those misguided beliefs until the end?

She just stared down at the no longer breathing form of Ran’jit and sheathed her sword once more as she shook her head. She held up her hands and offered a small and humble prayer that he find the peace that had eluded him so much in life. In truth, she wasn’t sure what to think of him. In one way she despised everything about him and what he stood for… but on the other hand, she could not help but feel her heart going out to him.

Such a waste.

“Claire!”

She turned around and sighed in relief when she saw that her friends had all caught up to her.

“Are you all right, Claire?!” Alphinaud asked and she forced a nod. Yes, she was alive and breathing; but her heart was feeling heavy. And it seemed she wasn’t the only one feeling that way, for she saw how Thancred and Ryne were staring at Ran’jit’s still form.

Thancred’s expression was hard as he lowered his head sadly while Ryne stared completely frozen—her expression a mixture of relief and dismay. She felt that she could understand. Whatever else he may have been, Ran’jit was the one who cared for her before Thancred came into her life.

She hoped that Ryne would forgive her for this—but it had to be done. At least, that was what she was trying to remind herself anyway.

After a moment of respectful silence, Thancred looked up to her as he explained that the citizens had seemed to calm down enough to allow them to catch up to her. He assumed that something must be keeping Vauthry’s attention at the moment and so he wasn’t too focused on them anymore.

Something keeping his attention? The Lightwarden must be with him for she could think of no other being that could be distracting him so perfectly.

She led the way to the elevator and they got it working as they rode it up to the uppermost floor of the city. Claire was expecting to see at least a few guards up here… but then she reminded herself that he would surely have had the strongest soldier protecting him and that had been Ran’jit. There was no one as they ran along the plush carpeted way and came bursting through the doors into Vauthry’s chambers.

They were much like how she last saw them only there was no one else here. His many items of gold were scattered about them and even a chandler seemed to have fallen and crashed to the ground as little pearls laid scattered across the floor. Silken pillows laid thrown about them as the furniture was smashed and tossed aside as if someone had thrown it all aside as if in a fit of rage.

Claire stepped upon a single white feather as she faced down the only other being there with them. Lord Vauthry had his back to them, hunched over something on his dais as she heard the sounds of slathering mouthfuls echoing off the otherwise pristine marble walls.

They waited for a moment, but he didn’t even look back at them as he continued swallowing something. Well, if he wanted his last meal, who was she to judge? She shook her head again, once more shocked at her own dark thoughts.

Alphinaud then stepped forward, his voice already steeled with suppressed anger as he yelled, “Lord Vauthry! Your reign of tyranny is at an end! For too long you have preyed upon the desperation of the poor! Now you will answer for the suffering you have caused.” But again, the tank of lard didn’t acknowledge their presence. He didn’t even stop shoving food into his mouth to look at them at this point and she felt irritation rise inside her.

Alphinaud still bravely went on, sure that Vauthry was at least listening to them, and he was determined to at least speak his mind he called out, “And if you harbor even a shred of remorse, I beseech you to use your powers to redress the balance. For the future of all in Norvrandt.”

Again, nothing. Surely Vauthry couldn’t be that disinterested in them being here? Not after all he went through to lock himself up here and set his own people upon them. How could he just be acting like nothing was wrong? Either he had ice in his blood…?

…or he had one last trick up his sleeve.

That was when Ryne shuddered and gave a sharp intake of breath that drew their attention onto her.

“No… It can’t be. This is wrong. It’s wrong!” she whispered and the fear in her voice took them all aback as they turned to her as she trembled. “The Warden - it’s not just a sin eater. It’s a man!”

Those words echoed around inside her mind as she struggled to gasp what that meant. No… then that meant…? She turned back to the dais as Vauthry’s eating finally slowed. And then, disgustingly, his entire head turned around to look at them so that it had completely staring back at them. She had seen many disturbing things since her journey began but this had to rank right up there with one of the worst she had seen. Just looking at it was enough to make her make her want to let out a scream.

But Vauthry didn’t seem to think of this as wrong as he swallowed a mouthful of whatever food he was so intent on finishing up.

“Remorse?” he finally asked, “For the future of all? What nonsense is this? There is no justice but mine. No future but mine. No will but mine.”

It seemed the sight of a man with his head on backwards shocked the others as much as it did her for no one could say anything as they stared on. But Vauthry continued in that same hushed tone, “It is preordained. I was born to deliver this wretched world.”

Finally, with a wretched squishing sound, his head turned its way back around the right way as he began to mutter to himself.

“Me? Unseated? No, no, no, no, no…” he asked as whatever calm melted away and he dropped his fork to reveal that what he had been eater was Meol—plenty of them scattered at his feet. But Vauthry then began to speak louder and louder, his anger growing.

“It’s impossible. Inconceivable! Absurd! I am a great and wise king. Greatest and wisest! I reign from on high!”

This was no matter of a man believing himself equal to the gods—he truly believed that he was one. Understanding suddenly rushed over her as if she had just been hit in the head with a club even as Vauthry began to shriek.

“I will not be brought low by maggots like you!” he screamed out as he began slamming his fists into the floor and threw a tantrum much like how a truly spoiled and entitled child would.

Claire watched on, taking half a step back, not sure how to react to this. Vauthry’s movements suddenly stopped and became so silent around them that one could hear a pin drop.

“Oh yes, of course,” Vauthry said, his hushed tone returning as he raised his head, his tantrum completely forgotten. “I can begin again. Rebuild my paradise. Once I finish my dinner…”

He didn’t really think that they would leave him alone after all that he did, did he? But apparently, he did for he reached out for the dropped fork that held an entire piece of Meol at the end, and shoved it into his mouth as he swallowed the Meol—fork and all.

But that seemed to frighten Ryne even more than first realizing that Vauthry was a sin eater. For she suddenly grew pale and terror filled her face as she cried, screaming at the end, “Oh gods, no - Stop him. Thancred. Stop him!”

Though none of them understood what the problem was, Thancred didn’t question her. He moved at her words and his gunblade was already in his hands as he charged ahead. But everything that happened next was so fast that she didn’t realize what was going on right away. All that Claire knew was that something came bursting out from Vauthry’s back before a dreaded maddening roar that was more beast than man burst from his mouth. The noise was so great that she almost ended up passing up as she grabbed her head in agony. It was as if a pair of giant hands had now grabbed hold of her head and was now squeezing it so tightly that it was about to break open as her vision swam before her.

Through the haze of pain, she could see that the two somethings that came out from Vauthry’s back were a pair of tiny, baby wings. Though they were almost ridiculously small compared to the rest of his massive bulk, they were flapping furiously as they were able to lift him off the ground. She tried to say something, to move forward to prevent him from escaping, but the noise was still piercing her very brain and was so disorientated that she temporarily mistook up from down.

All she could remember was how that enormously fat body fluttered over the dais and out the window as her eyes closed.

She really did black out right there, but just for a moment. It took a few minutes for her mind to clear and she blinked a few times as she came back to her senses. After doing a quick headcount and relaxing when she saw that all her friends were here; but also realizing Vauthry was nowhere to be seen. The others slowly seemed to come back to it as they shook their heads and got back to their feet, cautiously staring around them.

“Where did he go?” Alphinaud cried, urgently back in his voice. No one could answer that, especially when came a great rumbling that shook the room. They had to brace themselves from falling over as the remaining chandeliers shook overhead and anything left that wasn’t tided down fell over. An earthquake?

But the answer came from outside and they ran to the balcony and their jaws dropped at what was waiting for them. The sight of an entire mountain had broken away from the land and was now floating directly above the Bright cliffs. She had seen plenty of floating islands before but she knew that was most certainly not there before and she watched as a great golden ring appeared around its peak and shone brightly as if made of sunlight.

They all stared at it in a mixture of awe and bewilderment—not sure what else to say or do.

“What in the heavens?” Alphinaud finally choked out.

“Did Vauthry do that?” Alisaie whispered.

Well, she couldn’t think of anyone else it could possibly be. It seemed that Vauthry had finally given up on Eulmore and had retreated to a place where he felt that he was now untouchable by them. Sadly, she feared that he may be right.

She looked to the others and asked, “How are we going to get up there?”

She knew that they had to give chase now while he was on the run. She didn’t know how much stronger he was going to grow, but she really rather not find out. And if he could lift up an entire mountain, who knew what else he was capable of? They had to finish him off before he showed them anymore of his ‘godly’ powers.

“Wait,” Alphinaud interrupted, his head low getting their attention.

She looked to him as he took a deep breath and explained, “That is Mt. Gulg, the highest peak in Kholusia. It lies on the other side of a sheer cliff, and much as I wish it were otherwise, it is beyond our reach for now. But even if it weren’t - there are people here who need our help.”

Alisaie sighed at that, but she was smiling at her brother as she said, “Oh, Alphinaud...”

But he wasn’t looking at anyone else but at Claire.

“Please,” he begged as he took a step forward, as if it was only her opinion that mattered right now, “Even if it’s only to tend to their wounds.”

She suspected that he was feeling responsible for letting Vauthry escape for he was the one who insisted on trying to speak with Vauthry first. But he held true to his convictions and she didn’t want him any other way.

Gods… she loved this wonderfully stubborn boy sometimes.

Not that she said that out loud. Instead, she said with a smile, “I’ll help too.”

His face melted into relief as he whispered, “Thank you.”

“Oh, just kiss already would you? It’s driving me nuts,” she heard Thancred muttered somewhere off to the side and she almost obliged just to shut him up. Thankfully no one else seemed to hear him as Ryne had also chosen that moment to speak up as well.

“I don’t know if it will work, but if Vauthry’s hold over the people is rooted in Light, I might be able to reverse its effects,” she asked, “Will you let me try?”

“Of course,” Alphinaud said, taking her up on her offer. “We’d be grateful for any help you can provide.”

Well, it was decided. They were to help the people out here and then move on to hunting down Vauthry. Everyone was getting to work. But Claire could not help but look back to the mountain as that ever growing feeling of dread was finally making sense to her.

Not that it stopped her instincts from screaming at her that something bad was waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Finally! I don’t know why but this chapter was very painful to put out. But we finally made it back to Eulmore and the last Lightwarden is waiting for us! I am planning to at least get to the final battle with Vauthry before 5.3! Look forward to it and the next chapter where the Warrior of Darkness had a heart to heart with the Crystal Exarch.)


	27. A Breath of Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Vauthry having fled Eulmore and taken refuge upon a now floating mountain, the Warrior of Darkness must now become creative if they wish to make it up that far. They have a plan though, and if it works it will be the first step in bringing back the night with the death of the final Lightwarden. But to do it they must draw upon the strength of all the people in Norvrandt. And while catching their breath, the Exarch opens up a little more of his dreams and what he wishes for when this is over.

A number of people were able to escape Vauthry's mind control but ended up being caught up in the chaos and were injured; so they needed medical treatment as quickly as possible. Some of people were still a danger to themselves and to others though, Vauthry’s influence still strong in them, at least until Thancred came up with the elegant solution of simply using some dream powder to keep them calm until Ryne could get to them.

Ryne was now working overtime to try and treat those who were the worst affected by Vauthry’s mind control—so naturally those who had mostly Meol in their diets for prolonged periods of time were the first to be treated. The only problem was that clearing the light from them was time consuming and so began another long and exhausting day.

They had been worried about the soldiers attacking them once they were back to their senses, but Urianger reassured them that they were of no threat this time. Now that they were bereft of leadership, they lost the will to fight. Though, truth be told, most of them were in no shape to be fighting right now anyway giving all that happened.

When Claire needed to rest her magicks after helping with the wounded, she was tasked with using the remaining dream powder in their possession and went to many others around the city, from the Derelicts to the Canopy, and help them sleep while they awaited their turns.

To her surprise, she ended up coming across a few people she recognized, such as the servant that she pulled from the ledge when she was last here, and his mistress. He seemed to be in good health, but his mistress was on the ground, moaning slightly and muttering Vauthry's name on her lips.

He recognized her at once and begged for help, wringing his hands in desperation and not knowing what to do. After explaining what they were doing, she put the woman to sleep and told him to bring her up to the Canopy where she would be given the medical attention that she needed. She also ended up coming across the elderly gentleman who was the master of that young girl who could no longer sing. After seeing him safely off to dreamland, she could hear him muttering in his sleep about that same girl, wondering where she was. She did not wish to know the fate of that poor girl; especially after learning what this ‘ascension’ truly was about.

Once she had exhausted her supply of dream powder and saw to everyone she could, she returned to Ryne, who was already flustered with how much work there was to be done. But with this new power of hers, she was making good progress. They worked through the rest of the day and probably well into the night—though it was nearly impossible to tell time at the moment. But this was no small task for it looked like just about everyone in the city had been effected one way or another. 

But finally, bells after this madness began, everyone was either recovered or well on their way to recovering—though many of them were baffled to where they were and how they got there—with their memories hazy at best.

When, at last, Claire met up with the rest of her friends, ready to discuss where to go from here, the Canopy was already full of people who were asking for answers.

“I think that’s the last of them,” Alisaie said in exhaustion.

“We’ve done all we can for the wounded,” Alphinaud added before they looked to the ever growing crowd where she saw a few more she recognized—including the Chais—and all of them looking scared and confused.

As soon as she saw them, Dulia-Chai asked, “U-Um… a-aren’t you Alphinaud? The painter boy? What in the world is going on? Did something happen to us?”

What were they to say to that? How do they explain that all they thought they knew for so long now as just a lie and that the truth was that underneath the so-called beautiful dream of paradise was a nightmare?

They looked at each other, wondering what to do, when she spotted Alphinaud’s sad but determined gaze.

“Let me handle this,” he told her, and he step out to address the crowd.

“Citizens of Eulmore,” he called, getting their attention, “What I’m about to tell you will come as a shock. Indeed, you may be loathed to believe it. But if you trust the evidence of your sense, it is my hope that you will listen and accept the truth, unpalatable though it may be.”

He looked to the rest of them, as if drawing in strength, before taking a deep breath and continued on bravely, “Vauthry is a sin eater. Everything he offered, everything he promised, was a lie…”

And so he told them… everything. What Meol really was, where so many of their own people disappeared to… everything that Vauthry had been doing right under their noses for years. Needless to say, the people weren’t happy. Many broke down crying and others fell to their knees in shock—more than a couple were sick when they learned what they had been eating till now.

They must be bursting with questions… it seemed to her that they were all too stunned with shock to be able to speak though.

“They’re not taking it well,” Alisaie sighed, watching the tears that were falling from some, “And who could blame them?”

“Are you saying we were Vauthry’s puppets all this time?” one of the dazed citizens asked.

Alphinaud looked conflicted on how best to answer that.

“When you attacked us, you were not yourselves. That much is true,” he decided upon, speaking truthfully. “But your conduct prior to that moment was your own. Vauthry’s unnatural charisma does not absolve you of all responsibility.”

While his tone had been sympathetic before as he broke the truth to them, it was now cold and scolding like how a parent would tell off misbehaving children for doing something that they all knew was wrong.

“Of your own free will, you came to this city and gave yourselves over to its pleasures,” he reminded them, and many of them lowered their heads in shame at his words. “And in the course of this, if you mistreated those less fortunate than you… then that too was of your own free will. It is not for me to judge you, but for your victims. For history. For your conscience.”

It was bitter… but truthful. Everyone else seemed to realize this and so no one said a word of denial. For they all knew that it was a hard, unpleasant fact that they weren’t completely innocent.

Alphinaud looked around at them all before finishing up with, “You have dreamed a twisted dream, but now you are awake. You may yet share this world of ours. Join with us and each other that we might begin anew. We’ve lost so many already. We dare not lose any more.”

She had a feeling that last part was for himself, but she could not remember ever feeling so proud of him and so gave him a loving smile when he came back to their group.

“I have said my piece,” he said, “My thanks for giving me the chance.” He then forced a smile as he added, “There is nothing more to be done here. Let us go after Vauthry.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

The question had come from one of the citizens, who was looking nervous for speaking out but there was a new blaze in his eyes. When they turned to look at him, he stuttered only slightly as he explained, “You risked your lives to bring us to our senses, a-and I for one hope to repay that debt. Begin anew, as you said.”

They were all surprised at that, but it was Y’shtola who found her tongue first and spoke up; explaining that Vauthry had fled to Mt. Gulg and they needed to pursue him but knew not how. When she asked if any knew the way, they all looked at each other.

“The only way to Mt. Gulg is over the Bright Cliff,” another citizen spoke up, “Have you an airship?”

“We will contemplate flight only as a last resort,” Y’shtola answered. “Were we to come under attack whilst airborne, we would have little hope of defending ourselves. If at all possible, we would prefer to travel by land. Is there a way?”

Aside from flying, it looked like the only other way was through mountain climbing. Now Claire was a pretty decent climber, but that looked like a complete sheer rockface to climb up and she didn’t know they would be able to do so without any tools or equipment.

“The Ladder is the only way up and down the cliff, but it hasn’t moved in a long time,” an elderly citizen spoke up and when they looked to her, she seemed to come to life and explained, “In the old days, it was operated by the mining folk who lived at the top. But after the Flood it saw less and less use, and when Lord Vauthry took control, it was abandoned altogether.”

“So we somehow need to get the Ladder working again?” Alisaie asked her; knowing that this sounded like their only promising lead, though Claire wasn’t entirely sure what the ladder was.

“It moves by means of a Talos, if that’s any help,” the same citizen from before admitted. “But good luck repairing that…”

Great, so they were back to square one again. Was there truly no other way but by airship? She knew that Eulmore had some…?

But the answer came from an unexpected source.

“Talos? Did someone say Talos?!” Dulia-Chai gasped before looking to her husband and said happily, “You know all about them, don’t you, dearest! If anyone can get this lift moving it’s you!”

“Um…well… perhaps,” Chai-Nuzz stuttered, as if thinking she was joking, “B-But see here…”

But she wasn’t listening. Dulia-Chai turned to them and announced proudly to all, “Oh, yes! If you want the golem restored, you may leave it to my husband! For he happens to be the heir to Daedalus Stoneworks, foremast makers of Talos, whose contracts include the renowned mining venture of Amh Araeng!”

Truly?

They all looked at him in a mixture of shock and awe as he glanced about anxiously. When it was clear that no one was saying anything he finally stammered out, “It’s… well, i-i-it’s been years and years since I had anything to do with it! I-I can’t just pick up a hammer and set to work!”

At that, Dulia-Chai’s ears drooped and she asked him in a kind of sweet sadness, “You… you can’t?”

It seemed those big sad eyes were too much for him as he tried to explain himself but he seemed to realize that he was fighting a losing battle and heaved a great sigh.

“All right, I will take a look at the Talos, but beyond that, I make no promises!” he told them before calling to those around him, “Those with strong backs, come with me. I’ll need help dragging the damned thing out of the storehouse…”

And to their astonishment, around half of the crowd left with him to the lift just like that. They stared as Alphinaud watched with his mouth wide open and Alisaie smirked, giving him a playful poke as she complimented, “Well done, Brother.”

As it turned out the Ladder was just in sights of Eulmore. She had seen it before but was never able to get a good look of the strange metal that was attached to the wall. Alphinaud was more than happy to explain to her what he knew of it before he took her hand and pulled her happily along behind him as they joined part of the crowd as they left the city behind. The people of Gatetown were shocked at seeing so many citizens flooding out of the gates, but once word got out of where everyone was going, many others joined in and they all set off towards the Ladder with a good portion of Eulmore and Gatetown with them.

"Bottom Rung, they call this place. How very apt," Y'shtola said when they pointed out the large machines attached and built into the solid cliff face of steel and wood. "Apparently, it used to be the control center for the Ladder and a bustling hub of transport. Its glory days are far behind it."

It was truly an impressive feat of engineering… as well as being massive. It stretched from the very bottom of the cliff and reached up straight to the top and certainly looked solid enough to be ridden. She knew that someone like Cid would have had a field day looking over it and seeing what he could learn from it and even make improvements on future designs.

Claire saw to the roads, making sure to keep any threatening beasts away so that the path would be safe for the people. By the time the last person went on ahead of her and she finally arrive, she found the people scattered all over as they worked on cleaning up, making repairs, or just doing any heavy lifting. With not having been used in about twenty years there was a lot that needed to be done. Still, the people around them didn’t seem to complain—in fact, many of them seemed thrilled at the chance of being able to do something useful instead of lying about in luxury all day. At the base of the platform though, she spotted a giant pair of Talos, larger than even the ones from Amh Araeng, already out and waiting for them as Chai-Nuzz looked over them.

As for his wife, Dulia-Chai couldn't have looked more proud and Claire heard her sigh, "To see my darling Chai so engrossed in his work... I think I'm falling in love again."

But Chai-Nuzz was so focused upon his work he didn’t seem to be noticing anything around him as he began examining the Talos with a critical eye.

"First things first ─ a fifty-point inspection. Wouldn't do to have them falling to pieces, now!" he called out to no one before noticing she was there, "...Wh-Why are you standing there gawping? There's lots to be done, so go and make yourself useful!"

It seemed he was more frustrated with her breaking his concentration than actually ordering her to get to work. Though and she backed off before asking finding Urianger and asking how the Ladder worked. He took the time to point out the pair of Talos on either side of the Ladder.

"For a blessing, they were found to be in good repair. Master Chai prepareth to activate them as we speak," he finished in a tone of optimism. "With our arcane knowledge, Y'shtola and I will serve as his assistants. At the appointed hour, we shall imbue the golems with aether. Others, meanwhile, attend to the Ladder itself, which hath too long lain neglected. Extensive maintenance will be needed ere it can move again, as well as myriad materials with which to perform it."

Ah, now she could see it. It was really much like the Talos in Amh Araeng in that these Talos were the heavy muscle. She could see the large handles on either side of the lift and how the Talos were to manually crack the giant wheels that would lift it up and down.

"If thou art willing, we would prevail upon thee to procure lumber," Urianger offered, which she agreed to, glad to be given some work and not told to rest for a change. He smiled at her, though she could feel that he was examining her for any signs of pain or unease as he said, "My thanks, Claire. Directly to the south thou wilt find a dry dock ─ Venmont Yards. Pray see if thou canst persuade the folk there to part with some lumber for our cause."

So, with that helpful tip, she went down to the logging grounds that were at the very shoreline. This was very similar to the Moraby Drydocks in Limsa… only much smaller. She could see how it had once been a grand ship building yard, but its glory days were far behind it. However, there were still workers scattered about and she was soon led to a man named Irvithe, the head of the docks, though truth be told it didn’t look like there was much happening there.

He greeted her excitedly when he saw her appear. Though if she had to be completely honest, she was a little surprised that they were still here since it didn’t look like they had much of a business left.

"Ho there, sinner. Haven't seen you around before. New to Gatetown, I take it. If you need lumber for a shack, you've come to the right place. We can do the building for you too, though that'll cost extra," he offered before she even opened her mouth. She politely declined and instead explained what they were doing. But it was clear that he didn’t believe a word she said.

"...You want lumber to restore the Ladder? Why in the world would anyone want to do that!?" he asked with a roll of his eyes, "If you don't have the coin, least you could do is come up with a believable excuse!"

This didn't look like he was going to listen since she didn’t have the money with her to pay for the lumber, but instead he offered to give it to her if she did inventory for him. She agreed, glad to see that it was something simple even if someone was just trying to get out of work.

Once she confirmed the right number for him, he thanked her for the help and once more asked what the lumber was for… before his jaw dropped as she repeated what she said before.

"You were serious about the Ladder!? I'll be damned..." Irvithe asked in nothing short of astonishment, finally realizing that she wasn’t joking around. "If that's the case, please let us help with the work!"

She tilted her head as he explained, "We're shipwrights with no ships to build, only shacks. While it's a living, we all itch to do something greater. This fellow you say is in charge ─ you reckon he'd mind the likes of us barging in on his project?"

Why not? The more the merrier and they could use all the help they could get. She confirmed this for him and he all but jumped for joy. After promising to bring his workers over with the lumber, she returned to the Ladder where work was proceeding apace. She could see her friends scattered all over as they helped to oversee the work, if not getting right in there and helping along with the others.

It looked like the routinely repairs were done on the Talos—or at least she thought so since Chai-Nuzz was now grunting about the design and that they could have easily had one from the company that could do just as much work with half the size. Y’shtola was looking deeply amused by this and wondering out loud if his reluctance was just an act before he spluttered at her suggestion.

Urianger was also looking amused before noticing that she returned.

"Ah, thou art returned. Wert thou able to procure the lumber?" he asked before she explained what happened. He shook his head with a fond look in his eye as he reassured her, "Well, well, to secure not only the material, but the eager cooperation of the shipwrights besides. Their expertise shall greatly avail our efforts.”

“How are things here?” she asked, truthfully not entirely sure what was happening here, but judging from everyone’s attitude it looked like they were doing well.

“Master Chai's own efforts have not been without struggle, but he hath proven himself to be a determined soul,” Urianger admitted before reassuring her, “I doubt not but that the work shall be complete ere long, and we may continue on our way once more. Though it hath been years in the making, at long last do the people stand united in defiance of the world's fate, their hopes spurring us ever onward towards journey's end.”

So, from him, that meant that they would soon be getting the Ladder working again.

“And what do you need me to do now?” she asked and he instead told her that they had everything well in hand and that she needed to focus on resting. He noticed the look she was giving him and gave a chuckle, promising that she would be sure to have her hands full later on once they get her up that mountain but that it wouldn’t do to push herself more than necessary.

Rather than push her luck, she agreed, promising not to do anything strenuous until they got the Ladder working again. He noticeably sighed in relief and seemed seemed grateful that she wasn’t fighting him on this and nodded.

“Whatsoever may await us, when thou takest those final steps, I pray that it shall be with a smile upon thy face,” he said.

She stared at him, not able to remember the last time she ever heard him say anything so… sweet to her. Perhaps he noticed this and she saw him blush before clearing his throat and told her that they would get back to work and he turned away.

She let the matter go, yet she could not hide the sense of foreboding that came from him. It made her feel slightly uneasy. Still, she did what she promised and moved off to the side so that she could still watch, but out of everyone else’s way. In truth, this was a smart move because she was starting to feel sick again and didn’t think she would be much more help right now. She could feel her own breaths becoming painful in her chest from time to time and she reached up to her forehead where she could feel a fever going. It seemed that she used up a lot more strength than she would have liked back in Eulmore…?

She would have to be more careful from now on and maybe not be so resistant if someone tells her to rest—at least for a while. So as she waited for her breaths to ease up, she watched everyone hard at work to get the Ladder up and running as soon as possible.

“Would you look at that? The citizens of Eulmore engaging in what can only be described as ‘manual labor’. Who would have thought it possible?”

She turned at once when she heard that bored drawl and, sure enough, she spotted Emet-Selch arriving and watching the work with civil curiosity. When he saw her looking, he slowly strolled over to stand with her as he watched, but he was addressing her as well.

“Do you know the most reliable way to deal with those who stubbornly refuse to see reason?” he asked her lightly, and her expression hardened, sure that she wasn’t going to like the answer but was too tired to tell him to go away.

“You conquer them—crush them under heel,” he answered even though she didn’t ask, “Such was the trusted method of Allag, and one still favored by Garlemald. But conquest is the easy part. The true challenge begins once the dust has settled—quenching the glowing embers of animosity and maintaining a semblance of peace.”

Yes, and then rule over them for decades while robbing them of their homes, resources, their freedom, dignity, and hopes…? His trusted methods certainly didn’t sit well with Ala Mhigo and Doma, now did it?

“This requires the conqueror to treat the conquered with dignity, and the conquered to let bygones be bygones. A difficult feat to achieve,” he finished as he stood right beside her and continued to watch as he folded his arms and admitted, “But you have achieved just that… to my considerable surprise.”

She scrutinized his every step, wondering if there was a point to this, and for the first time this seemed to annoy him and snapped, “It’s a compliment. Take it.”

She didn’t take it but she didn’t say anything against it either; instead she stayed silent as they watched the repairs continue. It was a short time later, just as Y’shtola and Urianger both stepped up to the Talos to fill it with aether, did he speak again.

“Ahh, the vibrant energy that fills the air when like-minded souls gather,” Emet-Selch sighed, “To think back on that time before time fair brings a tear to the eye.”

What was he talking about? She looked at him in surprise as he rolled his eyes at her expression.

“What?” he asked, misunderstanding her look, “You thought ancient beings like us incapable of crying?”

In truth, that crossed her mind more than once when she thought of all the destruction brought with them. But now she was inquisitive to what he had to say and wondered just what could make an Ascian’s heart break. For some reason, the thought made her unbearably sad.

“Well, rest assured that if your heart can be broken, then so can mine!” he retorted back with a cold snap in his voice. “Back when the world was whole, we had family, friends, loves…”

Eventually, he just turned to look at the sky, as if thinking of a distant dream he had long ago.

“Men knew peace and contentment, and with our adamant souls, we could live for an age,” he sighed, “There was no conflict born of want or disparity. Our differences paled into insignificance next to all we have in common.”

His voice trailed off at that as continued to look skywards and she saw a rather dreamy look came upon his features. In that brief moment, all the pain seemed to fade and she wondered what it was that he was envisioning to achieve that look? For the first time since meeting him he looked… happy.

“And then there was Amaurot…” he whispered in reverence, “Never was a city more magnificent. From the humblest streets to the highest spires, she fairly gleamed…”

“Amaurot…” she repeated softly as the name seemed to stir something inside her, as if she had heard of it somewhere before but could not recall from where.

But as soon as she spoke, that happiness faded from Emet-Selch’s features to one of painful grief and then disinterested sadness.

“Not that you would remember any of this,” he finished. He was doing it again… she noticed how he looked at her but wasn’t seeing her. He was still gazing hard as if trying to see whatever was past her eyes and it felt creepy to her. What did he see that she didn’t know about? She wanted to ask, but knew better than to think he would give her an answer.

“Remember?” she repeated slowly in confusion of his choice of wording but he was already movign on.

“Never mind,” he countered suddenly with a shrug, as if not wishing to discuss it any further despite how he was the one who brought it up. “The point is: the world of old was a far better place than what we have now. I believe you would like it, having witnessed the things you have.”

She thought that over, still facing the direction of the Talos but no longer seeing them. A city like how he described sounded beautiful… a place where there was no need to have to fight…? That the people were living in peace with each other…? Oh, her heart swelled at the mere thought of it.

“Remember, you are of the Source,” Emet-Selch said to her, which brought her painfully back down to reality. “Unlike the halfmen here, you stand only to gain. Should you survive the remaining calamities, you will become our equal. A complete existence in a complete world.”

Halfmen? Was that how he saw these people here? They weren’t halfmen… whatever else that he may believe. Even if what he said was true about them being sundered souls that did not mean that they weren’t living, breathing people.

As nice as this perfect city sounded it seemed too good to be true to have ever been real. And no matter how bad things got here, she was not willing to sacrifice the remaining worlds for a dream that will never be. Regardless of how good life was back then, that life was gone forever and they can’t bring it back.

So then why did her heart ache so suddenly at those thoughts?

She closed her eyes, finding the thought suddenly painful. Just what was it that happened so long ago that events led them here? She wanted to know, but perhaps she was afraid to hear the truth in case it shattered whatever beliefs she had left.

“But such talk is a pleasure for later,” Emet-Selch said, “Back to work, hero.”

She was not sad to see him go so she made sure to watch him but didn’t speak a word as he turned his back to her. He turned and took a few steps before pausing as if he almost forgotten something.

“Ah,” he said as he turned halfway back to her, “There was one thing I had meant to ask. How well do you know the Exarch? Has he ever deigned to show you want hides beneath the cowl?”

Honestly, she shook her head, finding no reason to deny something like that. But immediately she saw how his eyes rose up so high that they were threatening to disappear into his hairline.

“What, never?” he repeated in surprise, “Even to you? How very interesting… I shall enjoy working out what it means. Until next time.”

She wasn’t sure that she liked the way he said that but he did leave just after that, giving his hand the usual bored wave as he stepped away. She watched as he stepped out of her sights, her thoughts still heading down a spiral of confusion before Dulia-Chai’s voice broke through it with a thrilled trill, “Ohhh, I knew you could do it, dearest! I never doubted you for a moment!”

She turned back around in time to see the two Talos were slowly beginning to rise to their feet and the crowd cheered as Chai-Nuzz panted on the ground. It looked like his body was not use to all the hard work he put into it, but she could see the proud smile in his face as he realized that he did do it.

“It’s alive…”

Unlike Emet-Selch’s condescending tone, this next voice was a welcomed change and she looked to her side to find Ardbert had reappeared and she smiled at him as he stared up at the Talos with an expression that could only be described as gratification.

She watched him as he seemed to be drinking in the sight as if excited to see where this journey will lead to next, but he knew that she was looking at him.

“I don’t know if you remember, but when we first met in this world, I was all but spent,” he said suddenly, changing the subject so much that she temporarily forgot about Emet-Selch’s words.

But oh, she remembered all right. She could recall the dark shade that clung to him as he first came into her room and how she froze in horror at the sight before the haze cleared as he emerged.

“I never thought to wonder why until now,” he admitted before he looked down at his hand, which now fairly glowed “I think it all just got to be too much.”

“Too much?” she repeated, not caring if anyone else was watching and wondering why she was talking to empty air.

He lowered his hand.

“The guilt of causing the Flood… knowing everyone hated me…” he sighed, “But the worst thing was the solitude. Time wears you down, aye… but solitude eats away at you. It was this close to finishing me off. But as bad as it got, and as empty as I felt… I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for Emet-Selch.”

“Feeling bad for him now?” she asked.

He just smiled and she found herself unable to stop herself from returning it.

“All of which is a long way of saying: don’t make a choice that leaves you alone,” he advised, “Nothing is worth that—especially not eternity.”

No, it wasn’t, was it?

“I understand,” she said softly and she felt better for some reason, not that she knew why, of course.

That was when the pounding footsteps of the Talos began to sound off and she looked up to see them moving to either sides of the Ladder and the twins rushing at her, happily explaining that the three of them were the first to get to ride it. She laughed as she allowed the twins to all but drag her off towards the Ladder as Ardbert watched contentedly behind her.

***Ardbert***

_‘We rode the Ladder too, my comrades and I,’_ he thought to himself as the Ladder was coming back to life, _‘Once upon a time.’_

Of course, that was a lifetime ago… back before the Flood… before he was a Warrior of Light… and the only thing on his and his friends’ minds were how far could their road take them. They rode it up and down many times over the years… and then… there was that one last time.

He watched as Claire and the twins stepped onto the platform and were getting ready, the first to ride the Ladder for the first time in so long, and he could feel the excitement from everyone around him. He watched from the crowd, completely unseen, but this time he didn’t mind it as he thought more of the past.

He always did enjoy riding the Ladder and he knew she would like it too.

But that was when she realized that he had been left behind and her eyes found his own from the crowd and she smiled before beckoning him to join them. Sure, the others around him were looking on in confusion, but she just grinned at him—and only at him—which made him feel torn between exasperation and laughter.

He just shrugged and chuckled back at her before he caught up and stepped on board with them. She just looked at him from the corner of her eyes, not saying a word least the twins start asking questions, but she certainly looked happy to see him there.

A pleasant warmth appeared to blossom inside his chest at that thought as he heard the gates close and the familiar cranking of the gears that brought back so many happier days. He looked up as they slowly rose into the air and he could see the horizon and for the first time in a century was struck by the urge to see more.

He glanced at Claire noticing how how, despite her weakened state, her eyes were aglow with this new experience. How long had it been since he was like that?

For some reason he was struck with the urge to reach out and take her hand, as if he could feel what she was feeling at that moment of riding the lift for the first time.

“We rode the Ladder too, my comrades and I,” he said to her once they stepped off the platform after reaching the top. The twins ran on ahead of them, eager to explore as he and Claire stepped off together, moving a little more slowly than before. She looked to him as he spoke but his eyes were focused upon the ocean in the distance.

“Watched the horizon grow and the town shrink below us…” he explained in a hushed tone. “Awed and terrified in equal measure, we ascended without a word, the silence broken only by the rhythm of the gears.”

He could feel her now turning her entire body to him and he finally looked back at her.

“No one but me remembers that day…” he informed her, “Remembers our journey… and our end…”

He just looked on with a fondness sweeping through him as he finishing up, “Retread the path—seek and you may yet find…”

It was too late for him… this was a hard truth that he had to accept but he had already long since been aware of this feat. But… perhaps not for her. And not for this world.

***Claire***

No one else remembers that day do they?

Well, she won’t forget. That much was certain.

Not that she could tell him that for no sooner did they arrive at Top Rung did Ardbert disappear again, and she stepped off feeling as if there was a heavy stone in her chest.

Her thoughts drifted about as Alisaie wasted no time running up the stairs of the platforms around them so that she could get a good look around of their surroundings. But no sooner did she and Alphinaud begin looking around, they heard her call down to them that there was something they needed to see.

Immediately worried about what she had seen, she and Alphinaud climbed the metal stairs and found her gazing out to the far western part of the platform and she pointed out a village. Claire looked up and squinted to see that she was right. There were buildings of worn-looking wood a short distance from here as Alphinaud nodded behind them; merely mentioning that there were sure to be one but after two decades it wouldn’t surprise him if it was abandoned.

"Nor I," Alisaie agreed, "But that was before I spied someone leave it and proceed to head in our direction, all the while trying to remain unseen...” When Alphinaud looked doubtful of this, Alisaie sighed and looked to Claire before saying, “Whoever this mysterious person is, they should still be out there. Go on and take a look, Claire."

It seemed unlikely that anyone would be up here, but she did what she was told and began to squint around the area for anything that moved. She could see the village but it didn’t look like…? Wait…!

She finally spotted someone watching them from some large boulders just a stones-throw from the village. But as soon as he realized that he had been spotted, the figure bolted for the tired-looking buildings.

She told her friends this, who were now on high-alert.

"There's someone, right? And they were spying on us," Alisaie said, shooting Alphinaud a smug look, "Personally, I don't feel comfortable not knowing who they are. What do you say we investigate?"

"I'm curious too," Alphinaud said thoughtfully as they quickly headed to the stairs, "I must admit. And I daresay we have a bit of time ere the others ascend."

"It's settled, then," Alisaie decided for them all, "Let's head to the village and see if it's indeed inhabited."

They set off from Top Rung, and though it wasn’t a far walk, it was long enough for her to get a general idea of the surrounding area. It was not unlike the lower half of Kholusia, however she could see faint traces scattered about them that showed that this place was not as empty as one would think. She could see footprints of various sizes, both old and new, as well as scratches upon some stones around here as if someone was mining.

There was no doubt that there were people living up here.

They arrived at the village, definitely one of the smallest villages she had seen yet, but it most certainly wasn’t empty. She could hear faint sounds coming from inside the buildings and when she tried to open one of the doors, she could feel that it wouldn’t budge—as if someone was leaning up against it.

Not wishing to scare anyone unnecessarily, she moved away and continued to look around.

While this place was old, she could see that there were signs of recent repairs here and there as well as spotted what looked like game being hung out to dry in the sun—and quite recently from the looks of it.

When she looked around the tavern, there were cups that were half drunk and even a kettle bubbling on the stove behind the counter. It looked like people were here until a short while ago… though she supposed as soon as they realized that they had ‘guests’ they dropped whatever they were doing and bolted for cover.

She returned to Alphinaud and Alisaie, who had come to the same conclusion.

"And I could have sworn I heard a noise..." Alisaie said with a sideways glance at one of the houses where Claire noticed a shadow move behind the darkened glass.

"People are definitely still living here," Claire said when they then asked her what she found.

"Indeed," Alphinaud nodded slowly in agreement, "While there's no one to be seen, 'tis plain that this village is anything but abandoned."

"If the villagers are trying to conceal themselves, they are doing a rather poor job of it. But if they don't wish to be seen, what are we to do?" Alisaie asked thoughtfully.

Having someone who lived here could do much to help them out, but she didn’t wish to frighten the people here. She could only imagine how they must be feeling after seeing a group of people arriving.

"I say, aren't you the ones who saved my life?"

That voice was oddly familiar and she looked up to see a young man coming out from the shadows of a nearby building and was staring at them in shock. Wait, could it be…?

In either case, it seemed that he recognized them as well for he gave them a beaming, and relieved, look and welcomed them with a wave as they ran to him.

"You're Tristol, the artist from Eulmore!" Alphinaud gasped, sprinting over to him.

"You remembered!" Tristol cried happily, "Ever since we parted ways, I've worried for you, bound for the city as you were. Never did I imagine that we would meet again, and here of all places!"

"We could say the very same thing to you, my friend. I'm glad to see you hale and whole," Alphinaud said, still as stunned as she felt of finding a friendly face all the way up here, "But tell me, what is this village?"

"This is Amity, a settlement made up of those who survived being exiled from Eulmore," Tristol explained, shocking them all. He then told them about how he after he left them after they helped him, he wandered about in the wilds, wondering about where to go from here… that was when he happened to run into someone who lived in these parts and he led him through a tunnel that led them to the top of Bright Cliff and he settled here with the other inhabitants. He had been living here ever since and while life is hard they were left mostly in peace.

He then looked up to the floating mountain and added, "Well, we did at any rate ─ until Mt. Gulg broke away from the earth. Then just as suddenly, the Ladder started moving again..."

"And you feared whoever was coming up would threaten your lives," Alisaie finished for him which he nodded to.

"Aye... But I see now there's no cause for concern. Will you tell me what has brought you here?" Tristol asked.

Claire then gave him a quick summary of all that they learned and about Vauthry and Eulmore. All the while, she could now see eyes watching them from inside the houses around them and she knew that others were listening in. When she finished, Tristol was staring at her with his jaw having fallen open.

"So Vauthry is a sin eater, and he's fled to Mt. Gulg..." he said slowly, "'Tis a strange tale, but I have no reason to doubt your words. I owe you my life. If there is anything I can do to help, you need but say the word."

"Your help would be most welcome, Tristol," Alphinaud said gratefully, "To begin with, we request your people's permission to reconnoiter the area. If we are to confront Vauthry, we must find a way to reach Mt. Gulg."

"Of course, you hardly need our permission to be here. I will tell the others about you and yours," he said reasonably, "Now, we haven't much to offer in the way of hospitality, but our village is at your disposal. Please use it as you see fit in your quest."

And so he went to knock on the doors and convince the villagers to come out because it was safe to do so. And so a fair number of people of various ages slowly began to emerge and looked around curiously at their guests. It was a relief to see them no longer afraid of them, and so Alphinaud took this chance to start asking more about Mt. Gulg and what they know of the land around here.

"Yet another hapless soul that Alphinaud saved from mortal danger, I see. Some things never change," Alisaie sighed as she watched her brother fondly, "At any rate, it seems that Brother has a mind to linger. Meanwhile, I have a mind for us to explore."

Claire agreed to this as Alisaie got her brother’s attention and explained that while he asked around then she was going to take Claire and scout out the area.

"O-Oh? Very well, then. Just take care out there," he said in surprise and in worry, "If you sense even the slightest danger, pray turn back at once."

His hand brushed against the back of hers ever so slightly but she reassured him that if they couldn’t come back from a simple scouting mission then they would make poor excuses for heroes wouldn’t they?

She set off with Alisaie, who was taking the lead down a very old path that looked like was almost completely given way by weather and time before they came to a fork in the road. They decided to split up and see what they could find on these separate paths—but no sooner did they part did Claire run into sin eaters—who lunged at her as soon as they noticed her there.

They weren’t that strong, but there were a fair number of them scattered here and there and could easily prove to be a threat to Amity; and she made a mental note to inform the people there that it would probably be safest for them if they remain inside their homes for the time being.

She soon met up with Alisaie at the foot of the mountain, or rather directly under the base, as it was now directly overhead, and Claire noticed how winded she was looking.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Alisaie said with her hand resting upon her rapier, “I don’t know about you, but I bumped into quite a few sin eaters out there.”

“Then that makes two of us,” she answered as Alisaie looked down.

“You too, then,” she mumbled, “It seems the closer we get to Mt. Gulg, the more of them there are.”

They looked up to the mountain and it really confirmed for them that there truly was nothing connecting the two halves and that blinding light was painful to watch.

“Looks a lot bigger from here, doesn’t it?” Alisaie asked her. “If I were Vauthry, the first thing I’d do is surround myself with as many sin eaters as I could lay my hands on. And judging by their number we’ve already faced, his lordship is of the same mind. This is going to be a tough climb.”

A climb would be possible if they could reach it… but even just getting to the lowest possible point would be no small feat.

“But first things first: we need to determine if climbing is even an option,” Alisaie said, “The more I look, the less likely it seems… Y’shtola is right to be worried, but flying may be our only choice after all.”

That was when Claire’s hearing picked up on a strange buzzing noise and she looked up behind them to see three objects were directly flying towards them. She squinted her eyes before widening them in shock when she realized that they were machina drones—not unlike the many she had seen in Allagan ruins or even versions used by Garlemald. How in the world…?

They then flew directly over them and up towards the mountain without ever stopping and their eyes followed, now at a loss to where they came from.

“There you are,” Urianger’s voice said, “Master Alphinaud was afeared you had met with some misfortune.”

From the same direction that the drones flew in from was Urianger and, of all people, the Crystal Exarch!

“Urianger!” Alisaie gasped in surprise, looking from one to the other, “And you too, Exarch! What brings you here?”

“I wish to observe the final struggle with my own eyes,” the Exarch answered graciously as usual. “I arrived at the Bottom Rung too late to accompany you, but I was in time to join Urianger and the others.” He then looked to the drones and added, “Come, let us see how this unfolds.”

Ah, suddenly the idea of where those machina came from suddenly became clear as she turned back to watch the three buzzing machines fly up in unison together towards the mountain. But as soon as they were beginning to near the lowest part of the peak, that was when a wave of white rained down upon them. Sin eaters, a full army of at least a hundred or so sin eaters appeared and descended upon the drones.

“Well, it seems flying is off the table,” Alisaie said obviously as the three drones were destroyed in midflight and fell crashing to the earth below all in the span of a minute.

“If we have learned that much, then the machina have served their purpose,” the Exarch said reasonably.

“Ah, so that’s what they were for,” Alisaie said, looking back at him, “Wasteful, but effective.”

At least they now knew that flying wasn’t the smartest way to go about it. But now they were no closer than when they started… only now they had one less option here than before.

“Twould seem our foe will not be reached by land or air,” Urianger said with a frown, also pointing this out. “We must needs withdraw to consider another course. Master Alphinaud waiteth for us at Top Rung. Thither should we make our way.”

This seemed the best move here and she agreed, but she could not help but notice how Alisaie was giving them both a hesitant look—not unlike the way that Y’shtola gave them oftentimes. But no one said anything as they followed the two back to Top Rung, where she spotted the others already there and waiting for them as well as—to her surprise—the Chais, who were looking around curiously.

She greeted the others, though it seemed that Ryne didn’t enjoy the ascent for she was trembling all over and stuttered nervously as Thancred watched with a shake of his head in exasperation.

"I'm told you went ahead to scout out the volcano,” Thancred said as he rubbed Ryne’s back absent-mindedly as she slowly got her trembling under control. “I don't suppose some grappling hooks will suffice?"

Claire shook her head, but was smiling knowingly at him, which confused him, before he realized the rare display of affection he was showing to Ryne and immediately stopped and looked away with pink in his cheeks. But Ryne seemed to have calmed down as she looked up at him adoringly.

Claire chuckled at that before Alisaie turned to the group and briefly told them what they found on the road and just what they could be expecting when they did reach the top of that mountain. Claire could see the hope slowly fade from their faces as their options were quickly being reduced to practically nothing.

“In short, there’s no path, and the sky is thick with Vauthry’s winged devils,” Thancred summed up for them with only the slightest of grumbles.

“We might consider amaro, but without extensive training, we cannot hope to contend with the eaters,” Alphinaud added slowly. “Elumore’s airship fleet, meanwhile, consists solely of transport vessels ill-suited for battle. And without the expertise of one such a Cid, we are in no position to attempt a refit.”

She had a feeling that unless they had one of those massive battleships from Garlemald on their side, there was no way that they were going to be getting through a veritable army of eaters.

“Oh, it’s so frustrating!” she heard Dulia-Chai cry out from behind them, “That wretched mountain should jolly well come back down to earth!”

“Now, now, dearest,” Chai-Nuzz said soothingly, “We mustn’t disturb these good people at their work. We’ve ridden the Ladder and seen the sights. It’s past time we took our leave.”

But then Y’shtola gasped.

“The Lady may well have the right of it,” she said and they looked to her as some kind of inspiration seemed to hit her. “Mt. Gulg will not soon come down to earth, nor can we compel it to do so. But if the mountain will not come to the land, mayhap the land may be made to come to the mountain. In the form of a Talos. A Talos large enough to reach out and take the volcano in its grasp.”

Truly? Sure, they were helpful but would another Talos really be able to do that? She looked around at the others, and she could see some confusion and bewilderment at the suggestion. But Urianger was now thinking over that suggestion thoughtfully.

“To build such a golem would be an onerous undertaking indeed… yet the principle seemeth sound in itself,” he said slowly but confirming her thoughts.

“Balderdash!” Chai-Nuzz interrupted, seemingly unable to help himself, and they all looked to him as he explained, “No one has ever made one even half that size! Leaving aside the small matter of logistics—which, by the way, would be no small matter—the design would need to be unimaginably complex!”

But once he calmed down, he began to think it all over.

“Though, I suppose… hmmm… if it’s only function is to cling to the ruddy mountain, perhaps it needn’t be…” she heard him mutter to himself and he seemed to be going over the design in his mind as he continued, “A solid base, firmly rooted to the ground—sacrifice mobility to simplify the construction, reducing materials required…”

Well, that seemed to confirm it for them. It sounds like it could actually work. Though, once he noticed that they were all listening in, he took a step back.

“Wait, wait, wait! What am I thinking?!” he gasped quickly, “We would still need a veritable army of people to do the work! Left to the crew that helped down below, it would take decades, if not a nice round century!”

“So we need more hands,” Alisaie said bluntly, “And what sort of things would these hands be required to do?”

Ah, dear Alisaie. Cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Something that Chai-Nuzz wasn’t expecting.

“Oh?” he asked before stuttering out an answer, “Er… well… er… well, let’s see… first, we’d need people to procure the stone for the chassis. The rock found near the mountain would suit our purposes well enough. It’d be a simple task to quarry the stuff, but given the stupendous quantity required, we’d need all the help we can get.”

He seemed to think that would be enough of a deterrent for them but they already had that part covered.

“We have friends amongst the miners of Amh Araeng,” Thancred spoke up and Ryne nodded eagerly next to him, “I will go and petition their aid.”

“While you do that, I’ll make for Mord Souq,” Alisaie added at once, “I’m sure I’ll be able to drum up some support.”

“Then I shall return to Kholusia,” Alphinaud offered. “From fishers to carpenters, Eulmore is home to all manner of talented folk. I daresay their skills will avail us.”

They looked expectantly at Chai-Nuzz and Ryne asked them if there was anything else they needed. He was not looking happy where this was all going but he answered, telling them they needed magic and lots of it to awaken a Talos of this size would need mages. This time it was Y’shtola who answered.

“Many among the Night’s Blessed are gifted in the arcane arts,” she declared, “I will recruit them to our cause.”

“The fae folk too, possess surpassing aptitude in magicks,” Urianger added, but his expression was much more uncertain as he added regretfully, “Yet they are not wont to cooperate in the endeavors of men. Leastwise, not without making all manner of mischief.” Instead, he looked to the Exarch and asked, “That being the case, I would instead call upon the people of the Crystarium—with thy permission, Exarch.”

“We are at your disposal as are our amaro and chocobos,” the Exarch reassured him.

“I’m sorry—you mean to tell me you can call on not only the people of Eulmore and the Crystarium, but the Night’s Blessed, and the Mord, and even those miners?!” Chai-Nuzz gasped, staring at them when he realized that they were all being deadly serious about this plan. “But that’s just about everyone in bally Norvrandt! Who are you people?! And how did you come to have so many friends?!”

They all just smiled at him, taking their time as he looked from one to another, all but dying for an answer. Claire was the one who broke the silence for once with, at least, the partial truth.

“Adventurers of no import.”

This seemed to amuse everyone… well, everyone but Master Chai.

“No import?!” he demanded, and she enjoyed watching how he was spluttering now as Dulia’s eyes lit up, “you expect me to believe that after you just promised me the help of the better part of the world?!”

Pretty much.

“So, as you can see, you will not want for bodies,” Y’shtola said, getting to business, “I trust you will have your design ready in good time for their arrival.” He stared at her as she reminded him, “Norvrandt is counting on you… heir to Daedalus Stoneworks.”

He just fell to his knees as they all began to leave, promising that they would be back soon. Ryne turned to Claire and said that she can leave this work to them and that she should be here on hand should anything happen.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can—and we’ll bring the whole world with us,” she promised her, the pride in her voice only added to the promise as she turned and raced after the others, forgetting her fear of the lift for right now.

So she and the Exarch shared a look, knowing that it was going to take some time to get everyone gathered and to work but they would have to be ready when they did.

“I take it we will be assisting Master Chai,” the Exarch said to her. “Though I am quite sure he has everything under control…”

Sure… underneath all that despair, he had what it took. But after taking a good of Master Chai now on his knees, she could not help but laugh good-naturedly at it. Hard to believe that this was the man they were pinning all their hopes on.

The Exarch also seemed to be amused by this for when he spoke, she could hear the slight chuckle in his words as he suggested that they ask how they may be of service.

They approached the Chais, with Master Chai eventually able to rally to his feet but was still looking as if he was just told he had a day left to live. His wife however was swooning slightly and when Claire approached she told her happily, "When he asked for my hand, my husband promised that he would one day build a Talos that could take us to the very heavens. And now he'll do it!”

Well, in that case, he really didn’t have a choice but to do it now.

Not that he was listening.

"Have the design ready, she says! In good time, she says! Does she even understand what's involved!?" he demanded to himself before looking to her and complained, "Before I can even attempt to design anything, I need intimate knowledge of the land ─ the knowledge of locals. Last I heard, no one lives here!"

Ah, lucky for them they had a way around it and so she told them of Amity… and as well as having run into Tristol there. That certainly got his attention… as well as Dulia—whose eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" he gasped, "A village of Eulmoran exiles!? B-But...those people have every reason to loathe a free citizen like me! They couldn't possibly be willing to cooperate!"

He looked ready to start crying at this seemingly hopeless endeavor.

"This will never work. Never. I never should've fixed that ruddy lift. Never should've ridden it up here…" and he went into a long rant of, "Never should've...never should've... I can't do it... It's impossible..."

"Oh dear. Darling appears to have lost the plot..." Dulia-Chai sighed, though she didn’t seem surprised as she promised, “But he has it in him, Claire. He's the cleverest man I know ─ he just wants for confidence sometimes. If you were to give him some words of encouragement, I'm sure he can give you your Talos."

She then leaned in and whispered in Claire’s ear, "A bit of advice I learned from his mother: he responds poorly to obvious praise. You'll need to find another way to stoke the fires of his motivation ─ awaken his sense of daring!"

Well, may as well try as she stepped up and patiently waited for him to run out of breath of his rant.

"I can't do it. No one can. A Talos of that size...no one's even dreamed of it," he said before he rested there to catch his breath.

True, but they all must start somewhere and she beamed at the memory as she told him, "Alphinaud once struggled to collect firewood.”

And look at how far he had come? Now whenever they are forced to camp out, he is the one who insists on starting the fire and can now get it going in only a few minutes.

"He did? But...he's such a capable lad, brimming with confidence," Chai-Nuzz said in astonishment. He seemed a little less hesitant at that before admitting, "Hmmm... I suppose even the most capable among us have struggles to overcome... But regardless of my own feelings, I can't do a damn thing without help from those villagers...and they're not bally likely to give it! Tristol's among them, you said so yourself! Lest you've forgotten, we essentially sent him to his death! Even if the others don't bear a personal grudge, he would never forgive us!"

Perhaps. But that is up to those that they hurt to decide if they are worthy of forgiveness. They won't find out by staying here and if they never even step up to apologize, how will they ever earn their forgiveness?

"Things won't improve by themselves. You have to take the first step," she told him patiently and her words seemed to strike a cord within him.

"I know, I know... Unless we take the first step, there can never be reconciliation," he sighed in agreement, "This is a chance for everyone to come together. Even if they hurled stones at me, perhaps it's worth trying to apologize... But what then? In the end it's not even a question of forgiveness. Building such an enormous Talos is impossible, and no amount of contrition will change that. And even if by some miracle the people of Amity were willing to let bygones be bygones, they'd think that the plan is absurd! I think it's absurd!"

"It's less absurd than the change that's come to Eulmore," she pointed out, reminding him until a few days ago the idea of Eulmore changing seemed impossible since everyone was certain that the end was coming anyway. But now everyone was gathering together, both the bonded and the free to try and change their fate and save this world. How hard could building a giant Talos be in comparison?

"Well, I can't argue with that logic..." he admitted grudgingly, "Enormous as the task is, it's simply a matter of finding a solution to a practical problem. From that perspective, it's not entirely unrealistic. But realistic or no, there's no guarantee of success. There are risks to consider should the venture fail. Aye, imagine for a moment that we fail to reach Vauthry and only succeed in provoking him. In his fury, he may well unleash his hordes of eaters and we'll meet a horrible end!"

Well, at least they would all go together. Not that she told him that, though it was tempting. She just smiled and said, "I'll protect you. I'll protect everyone.”

Or at least, she would try her best. But with Vauthry know aware of her being the ‘Warrior of Darkness’ he seemed more focused upon her. So long as she stayed alive then there was a chance that all behind her would survive as well. And she was determined to see this through to the end regardless of how sick to the stomach she was feeling.

But Master Chai just gasped and stared at her before wringing his hands together.

"I-I see what you did there. That's how you win over the masses ─ with that irrepressible aura of dependability," he whispered and she blinked in polite confusion to that. "But very well, you've made your conviction clear...and I'm assured in spite of myself. I won't let my fears get the better of me. It's unseemly if nothing else. Still, I find it astounding that you can have such certainty given the circumstances. It makes me wonder, what is it that drives you? Tell me, why did you throw yourself into the midst of such a grueling struggle?"

She just shut her eyes as she thought of all of that. In truth, she wasn’t sure how best to answer that but with the images of those she cared about the most as well as the friends she met while here, she opened her eyes and answered honestly, "To protect those I love.”

"Indeed..." he whispered in understanding and it seemed that she got through to him. “What else could compel us to face such dangers? I too have someone I wish to protect, with whom I want to live out my days in peace..."

Ah there's that spark in him that she was looking for.

"Yes... Yes! By the gods, I can do this! I just need to have a little faith in myself!" he cried out, now burning with determination, "Right, let's head to Amity and speak with the villagers ─ with Tristol."

He took a deep breath and turned to his wife and said to her, "My love, things are liable to become more dangerous. I want you to wait for me back in Eulmore.”

But Dulia wasn’t having any of that as she said firmly, “No. Wherever you go, I'm going too. Besides...you're not the only one who has to apologize."

And at that, it was like the blaze of confidence that had been in him flickered and died right there.

"B-But there's no telling what may happen out here! I don't know if I can keep you safe!" he stuttered. "P-Perhaps this is a bad idea after all... I-I don't think I have what it takes..."

Oh no. She made to reassure him that the people of Amity weren’t like that and that she would be on hand should anything happen.

"Master Chai…”

The Exarch chose that moment to speak up as he moved in closer. His voice was light but very kind as he spoke up and she could feel something… achingly familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on it. But he went on, "That you are beset with doubt is proof that you can envision the task ahead. And that which man can envision, he can make reality. Thus did some old friends of mine once say. Even should it be a feat fit for the divine, if something has been done before, then it most assuredly can be done again by our own hands."

"That's a little idealistic, don't you think!?" Master Chai asked, wringing his hands in worry.

The Exarch burst out laughing, the first time that she had ever heard it and again that seemed to ring some kind of an echo in her memory.

"Perhaps, Master Chai, perhaps," the Exarch chuckled, "But what is man if not an idealistic creature? 'Tis not an easy thing to achieve one's dreams ─ my friends can attest to that. Countless times did they meet with frustration in the course of their endeavors. None would have found fault with them had they given up, yet they never did. One step after the next, they forged on towards their goals. And for their determination, they accomplished numerous feats that many believed lay beyond the reach of mankind. Like them, you are a man of science. Amidst your doubts, surely there is a spark of desire. The desire to make the impossible possible."

The impossible possible…?

She just looked at him long and hard… though she wasn’t sure why… but that did sound like something that Cid would say.

Dulia was now gazing at her husband as she told him kindly, “Come darling. Like the old days, I would be the first to see your Talos."

He still looked nervous, but their words seemed to have stirred him and he nodded in agreement, finally committing himself to the cause.

"And you shall be, my dear. I would have none other at my side when my greatest masterpiece awakens," he promised her and she beamed back like a little girl who was promised the trip of a lifetime. He took a deep breath and said, "Right, then. To Amity."

They said that they would wait at the exit for them and would follow them across the landscape to the village with them and she watched as the couple set off together, with Dulia holding onto her husband’s hand in comfort—or perhaps making sure that he didn’t make a break for it—either way, it wouldn’t surprise her.

But she had her attention back to the Exarch who was now gazing at her with a satisfied look.

"I am glad my words struck a chord. Shall we?" he asked her as he turned on his heel a followed after the Chais. She did not say a word as she watched him as more old memories started to rise to the surface—memories that she hadn’t thought of in so long.

It was just that everything he said and did… it was all so… familiar.

Could it truly be…?

She suddenly blinked and realized that they were far ahead of her and she hurried on to catch up to them. She was courteous as she spoke with the Exarch on their way—but at this point the urge to pull down that hood of his and see his face was now so strong that she had to squeeze her hands to prevent herself from acting on impulse.

Dulia-Chai was fascinated by everything around them, This being the first time she left the city in years, and she was looking around much like how a child would seeing the world for the first time. Master Chai, however, was walking as if he were heading to his own execution. 

As for the Exarch, though not as noticeable, he was looking around with great interest much like how Dulia was. She knew that it was hard on his body to leave the city for long periods of time, but the fresh air seemed to do his spirit a world of good. 

Whenever he noticed her looking though, he seemed to find the perfect thing to point out to get Dulia's attention and she would coo over it. Whether it be a patch of wildflowers or just a strange-looking rock, Dulia seemed to be having the time of her life.

They arrived at Amity in no time at all, and she could see the citizens looking on cautiously when they noticed that even more new people had arrived—two of them quite obviously Eulmorians.

But their surprise was nothing compared to Tristol, whose jaw dropped in horror when he saw his former masters appear before him.

"Y-You!" he gasped, looking torn between running away and punching Chai-Nuzz as he stood directly in front of him. 

Chai-Nuzz seized this opportunity of Tristol's speechlessness to start speaking.

"You have every right to be angry with us. But please listen to what I have to say," he asked him humbly, "I am tasked with delivering these people to Mt. Gulg ─ by means of a Talos of heretofore unseen proportions. However, I cannot do this without the cooperation of those with intimate knowledge of this land. That is, you and your fellow villagers."

"...Cooperation?" Tristol demanded, his voice rising as anger was now replacing the stunned shock, "After you ignored my desperate pleas and cast me out, you have the gall to come here and ask for my cooperation?"

Neither of the Chais denied this as they looked to the ground with shame in their faces.

"You've every right to be upset. Vauthry's not the one to blame for your suffering ─ we are," Chai-Nuzz confessed quietly, "We were free citizens without a care in the world, indifferent to the hardship of others. We didn't know what would become of you, and frankly, we didn't care.” 

His words were ringing with sincerity and she could truly see that this was not an act. They truly felt remorse for their behavior from before and were trying to reach out to seek forgiveness.

She only hoped that Tristol could see that.

“But we know now that what we did to you ─ to full many ─ was wrong. Terribly wrong. No words will suffice to make amends, but I want you to know that we are deeply sorry," Chai-Nuzz told him, the guilt ringing out clearly.

Tristol looked away, and it was impossible to know how he felt of this whole thing. He had nearly died before because of Vauthry, but that wouldn't have happened if the Chais didn't throw him out like how they may have done... so she could not blame him for his resentment, his hesitation. They gave him a moment to think it all over as he seemed to be trying to decide what he wished to do.

"I'm not sure how I feel," he finally confessed, "Should I forgive you? Hate you? Perhaps it's not even my place to judge. After all, I sought a place in your city. I wanted to be you, once..."

They all seemed to be holding their breath as they waited and he finally heaved a great sigh.

"But one thing is clear to me," he admitted at last, "All of that is in the past. And we mustn't let past wrongs stand in the way of a brighter future. And so...I will cooperate with you. Please see our friends to Mt. Gulg."

Wonderful relief swept through her at those words.

While it was still unsure if he could ever truly forgive the Chais for their actions, he would not bear a grudge—not when their future is resting on the outcome of this next battle.

Both Chais were looking overjoyed to hear that he would not try to seek revenge or anything like that.

"You have my word!" Chai-Nuzz said in relief. Indeed, this act to be enough to set that flickering flame of determination into a blazing wildfire. "I'll set to work on the design at once. Wouldn't do to have nothing to show the others when they return with help. Make no mistake, this venture is unprecedented in the history of Talos building ─ nay, the history of all mankind! But rest assured this genius of Daedalus Stoneworks will deliver!”

It certainly looked like they were heading in the right direction... at least...?

“Ah, wicked white!" 

Master Chai was suddenly looking horrified as if he had just remembered something important and his face melted into one of urgency.

"Is there a problem?" the Exarch asked politely.

"Well...er, you see... I've been promised people to procure the stone as well as imbue magic," Chai-Nuzz reminded them, "When I was put on the spot earlier, I thought that was all we required. But I forgot about one rather important item needed to bring a Talos to life..."

Ah, she had a very good idea to what he was talking about here thanks to their experience from Amh Araeng.

"The heart?" she asked him and he was surprised to hear that she guessed it right away.

"That's right, the heart! I'm pleased to see you have some familiarity with Talos!" he said to her. "So, while I work on the design, I'd be much obliged if you could see to procuring the ore with which to fashion a heart. A heart suitable of bringing to life a Talos that shall embrace the very firmament!"

She could see to that. It gladdened her to have something to do to keep herself busy while they prepare—all that waiting around was sure to drive her mad. She asked Chai-Nuzz just what they would need to construct the heart, knowing that finding the stone was sure to be difficult.

"Ideally, a Talos heart should be made from ore found in the selfsame region as the stone for the chassis. Let's see what Tristol can tell us," Chai-Nuzz said.

They looked to Tristol, who thought it all over.

"If you seek material for the Talos's heart, I know people who may be able to assist," he muttered after a moment of quiet reflecting, "They are the Tholls, a dwarven family that have long mined this land. No one knows its bounty as well as they. If you explain your situation, I'm sure they would be willing to cooperate."

"Dwarves?" she repeated before remembering that was the term for Lalafells here. Now that she thought of it, she really haven't seen too many Lalafells out and about.

But Tristol was already nodding and answered her questioning look, "Indeed, 'twas one of them that showed me the secret tunnel to the top of the cliff."

He then pointed out over their heads to where the far west and finished, "You will find the Tholls at their village to the northwest, a place called Tomra. When you arrive, seek an audience with Chief Xamott...and do not forget to greet him with a hearty lali-ho!"

Lali-ho?

Seemed a strange thing to mention, but she nodded in understanding. She thanked him and made to leave when the Exarch spoke up again.

"Permit me to join you, Claire," he said and she turned her gaze to him in surprise as he reasoned, "I would keep my joints limber, and mayhap I can provide some manner of assistance."

Well, regardless of how she felt, truth was she did enjoy his company and agreed.

"I'll leave the heart to the two of you, then. The variety of ore doesn't matter so long as it's rich with aether," Chai-Nuzz reassured them, "I'll aim to have my design complete by your return. If aether-rich ore proves elusive, we can make up for it with quantity. The Stoneworks had techniques for such situations."

With how much energy he suddenly had, one would think that all the reluctance he had before was just for show. Indeed, he seemed to be quickly coming to life with this new project at the forefront of his mind. 

They promised to be back as soon as possible and set off together.

It was only slightly awkward between them—though she felt that was perhaps due to her own thoughts and confusing feelings at the moment. She looked at the Exarch out of the corner of her eye and tried to see if she could see any similarities between her and her old friend. They were about the same height… and his built was a very much like his was… though it was hard to tell with his robes covering him up. Nor did she see his tail and wondered how he could have kept something like that hidden.

All in all, she really had nothing else to go on to confirm if he was who she thought he was. And once more, she could not help but wonder that if it was him, how could he have come to this world… and why he did not tell her who he was? Was it possible that he did not remember that they were friends? But that wouldn’t explain how he seemed to know her so well…? She wanted to ask but didn’t know how to do so.

“Is there something the matter?” he asked her politely when he noticed her quieter than usual mood. Too late, she realized that she was staring at him now.

"Have you ever been here before?" she asked the Exarch, trying to change the subject before it ended in a conversation that maybe neither of them was ready to have.

"To Kholusia, many times over the years," he answered, "But above the cliffs? No, I can't say that I have. Then again, my ventures away from the tower have always been relatively short. "

"Oh, are you feeling well?" she asked, almost forgetting that leaving the tower seemed to be harsh on his body.

"A little tired, but you need not fear," he reassured her kindly, "Some fresh air is doing me some good. Now then, how about we pass the time by trading tells? I would be most interested to hear what other stories you may have about your adventures?"

Ah, and there it was. She could not help but find herself amused by his eagerness to learn more about her 'adventures'. He was sometimes like a child waiting to hear a bedtime story about his favorite heroes whenever he got like this but she found she did not mind at all. 

So as they crossed over together, she decided to tell him a few harmless stories including her first battle with Ifrit and how she first joined the Scions.

"And so you faced your first primal after being taken hostage?" he asked enthusiastically.

"More or less," she chuckled, "I really thought I was going to die there but I guess I survived through sheer force of habit."

"Well, legends all begin small," he offered and soon he was asking about Titan next, which she did talk about—as well as the misery that came from the Company of Heroes. He was laughing at the idea of being forced to run all across Eorzea for a feast—something that she couldn’t help but grin to as well.

By the time they reached the other side of the cliffs, she was starting to feel like the Exarch knew more about her life than she did. But there was no time to ask him about it because they found the village.

It was small alright. Not like with Amity and the lack of buildings though—more like everything and everyone in it had been shrunk down to tiny sizes. The homes looked to be carved right into the rock while being supported by metal structures with lanterns strung up here and there; giving the entire place a feeling that the people who lived here were no strangers to mining. And boy, was it tiny. She had never seen a village that was built only for lalafells—or rather for dwarves.

Though if they were all that were living here, she supposed that there was no need for any other sizes than what was big enough for a Dwarf, even the houses. She had a feeling that only someone small enough would be able to step inside those tiny abodes. As for the Dwarves themselves, she could see a good number of them scattered all across the village as they tended to everyday tasks. While they were of the same size as Lalafells from the Source, all of them were wearing helms that covered their entire heads with matching beards so that she could only see their eyes looking at them through the blackness. Well, thanks to a certain dwarf that she met back in the Crystarium, she came to realize that all dwarves both male and female wore them. Though, why they did that was something that she didn’t understand for how could you tell them apart?

"So this is Tomra," the Exarch said interestingly, also looking around at the settlement, "Seldom do we see the dwarven folk at the Crystarium. To now be in the presence of so many... I shall enjoy not having to crane my neck for a change."

She wasn't sure if that was meant to be a joke but she laughed, and he seemed to be grinning back. Their laughter seemed to have caught the attention of a nearby dwarf who was passing by.

He/she came right up to them and with a boisterous wave gave a cheery, "Lali-ho!"

She and the Exarch both looked at each other, not really sure what to do.

"Lali...ho?" she repeated slowly as more of a question. That certainly did not impress him.

"What sorry excuse for a greeting was that? Where’s your heart, lass? Your stones?!" he demanded indigently, "Come, let's try it again!"

It was hard to keep a straight face at that so despite her pounding head, seriously she felt like she just got clobbered by one of Titan's fists, she put as much energy into the wave and forced her usually soft voice to say loudly, "Lali-hoooooo!"

She looked to the Exarch, who also looked ready to burst out laughing again and he also repeated it in a way that was respectful… though he was smirking the whole time.

"Hmmm, not bad, not bad. But there's room for improvement," the boisterous dwarf said, reasonably satisfied. "Anyroad, now that we've observed common courtesy ─ who are you and what're you doin' here?"

"At the recommendation of the denizens of Amity, we have come to seek the aid of the Tholl family," the Exarch asked, now forcing his more diplomatic way of speaking again. "May we speak with Chief Xamott?"

"Why, yes you may!" the dwarf said, "I am Xamott, and I bid you welcome to Tomra! If it's the folk of Amity what sent you here, you must have quite a tale to tell. Come, let's hear it!"

Well, that was quick.

So once again they gave him a quick explanation of everything that was happening and why they were here. Once they finished, he, she was going to assume it was a he, folded his arms and thought it all over.

"Well, well! And there I thought those below had no fight left in 'em!" he said finally, "Havin' said that, it's not like we know how to deal with that floatin' volcano and all them sin eaters neither. If you're serious about restorin' peace to these parts, though, we'll gladly lend you a hand.”

This was wonderful news! Now she was suspicious...?

“However!” he added.

_‘Damnit,’_ she thought, of course there would be a snag.

“The kind of ore you seek's precious to us too,” the Chief went on, “If I let you have it only for you to bungle things up and squander it, like, no amount of ale will wash away my chagrin. First, I need to make sure you're worthy ─ by means of a trial! Aye, a trial most tricksy, passed down through the line of Tholl!"

Well, she had been asked worse things, she supposed. But a trial for what? She was grateful that the Exarch asked for them both but Xamott just laughed.

"Come with me and I'll tell you all," he said and one of the bright yellow eyes that was looking at them through the helm disappeared for a moment and she realized that it was supposed to be a wink, and they followed after him.

The dwarves around them quickly spotted them—though it would be hard not to notice two giant people walking about their village, but thankfully they seemed much more curious about them than wary like at Amity. 

Indeed, many of them were now whispering to each other and she could hear snippets of their conversations as they wondered what was going on and who these 'giants' were.

She remembered how she felt when she stepped into Ishgard for the first time and practically everyone else towered over her. While she was by no means small, she was barely taller than a Mistrel; even with the Exarch she was only about an ilm taller than him. It was nice to be the tallest one in the area for a change.

Xamott, who led them closer to the cliff, finally turned back to face them about their ‘trial’.

"Heh heh heh... Listen well," he said, and she got the impression that he was secretly enjoying whatever was coming. "As you know, we're a minin' folk. And in the minin' life, danger's a constant companion. So, when we come of age, each of us must prove our readiness to take to the mines. This we do by undertakin' a trial what tests the three traits all good miners can't do without: discernment, diligence, and dexterity. We call it...3-D MineRunner!"

3-D MineRunner...? Well, it was a creative name... though she wasn't sure what the 3-D part stood for. 

"Now, look on my helm," he added, giving his own helm a knock, "Mark its features well. You'll be given a slingshot, which you must use to shoot dwarves as wear helms what are different. I've already made the necessary arrangements. When you're ready to take the trial, report to the observer nearby. Best of luck to you!"

Apparently, only one of them needed to undertake the trial; but since this part actually sounded like fun she volunteered. She looked to the Exarch, who was shrugging back and answered, merely glad that the course wasn't unnecessary dangerous, and said that she was the best suited of the two of them to pass this test.

So she was shown to the observer, who was kind enough to give her a few practice runs so that she got the feel of the challenge before undertaking it for real.

She practiced it twice just because she could and when she was ready, the real test came. Thankfully, thanks to all her time practiced with bows, pistols, and flinging spells at her opponents, this was almost laughably easy.

The observer was very impressed and said that he had not a single complaint to make of it and sent her back to Chief Xamott—where it turned out that both he and the Exarch had been watching, and even applauded when she appeared. 

"That was some impressive shooting, lass!" Xamott said, "Consider me satisfied! Aye, 'tis plain you didn't come this far with luck alone. So I'll place my faith in you, and help you find the ore you seek."

Considering how hard most of their 'trials' were, she was actually strangely grateful for this change of pace. Still, she blushed at that, and was feeling a little bit lighter for some reason before Xamott clapped his hands together.

"Did you know that Kholusia's rich in sulphur? Well, it is. We've been minin' the stuff since ancient times," he said proudly. "And every so often, the selfsame veins yield what's called earthseed, a rare ore steeped in magick. Time was, we used to refine earthseed for this and that, but the technique's been lost. The stuff's still out there to be had, though, provided you know where to look. And no place is surer'n the Duergar's Tewel."

Well, this sounded like she was going off mining now. Thankfully for her, mining was something of a hobby back in the Source. Yet while she was sure she could learn the lay of the land, she wasn’t confident that she would be able to find what they needed in time. She really hoped that he had a quicker way to be able to dig up the ore they needed since, if left to her, they could end up coming up short.

"Thing is, the site's occupied by our age-old rivals ─ the Goggs. Greedy sods claim the place is theirs, and refuse to let any other bugger near!" Xamott said, and his tone took on a much more angry note as he grumbled, "Oh, there never was a more odious lot than them Goggs. I could go on forever about those hornless whoresons... But then we'd be here forever, and that won't get us nowhere."

Well, mayhaps if they were to explain the situation to them perhaps they would be willing to overlook them mining here just this once? She didn’t get a chance to suggest this though for Xamott went on, "What it boils down to is this: if you want the earthseed, you've got to deal with the Goggs. Reckon you're up to the challenge?"

"We have dealt with far worse. I am sure we can find a way to obtain what we need," the Exarch said confidently.

She just shrugged in amusement, figuring that she may as well go along with it. 

"That's the spirit! Now, to help you find your way, I'll have one of ours go with you," Xamott said and she sighed in relief.

"I'll do it! I'll go with them!"

The offer had come from another dwarf—though it was anyone's guess who this one was. Xamott, however, seemed to have no problem telling his fellow apart and Claire could only assume that it was the slightly muffled voice that appeared to be male.

"You, Korutt!?" Xamott asked in surprise as this second dwarf, perhaps just an ilm shorter, gave them a thumbs up.

"I couldn't help overhearing," Korutt answered unabashed, "I knew the eaters had flocked to Mt. Gulg, but I didn't know why. To think the last Lightwarden's hiding up there... The fate of Kholusia ─ no, the world ─ hangs in the balance. If I can be of some help, then I want to do my part!"

Another thing she was struggling with as not being able to see their faces and see if she can determine their emotions. However as Xamott thought that over, and while he seemed to understand how he felt, there was no small amount of worry that was radiating off him. 

"Your zeal is commendable, lad, but it isn't so simple..." he said before the turned to her and the Exarch to explain. "This here's Korutt. Young as he is, he's one of the village's finest miners. The lad's got an uncanny sense of where to dig, and his aim with a pickaxe is as true as any dwarf's. But put him in the thick of battle, and he couldn't hit the side of a mine cart if he was sitting in it. If all he needed to do was dig, he'd be your dwarf, but he's liable to become a sin eater's breakfast before he can even manage a swing."

"It’s true..." Korutt sighed as he ran up to them, "I'm hopeless in a fight... But I still want to try! Please! Please let me go with you!”

She and the Exarch looked at each other. In truth, she was worried for if just a short stroll earlier had eaters on the road, who knows how many would be waiting for them by the time that they crossed over into the mountain's shadow.

But...?

"I take care of you, you take care of the ore," she reassured him. It was the best she could do. And if there was one talent she could be proud of it was that she was a pretty good bodyguard.

"Oh, thank you so much! I'll try my best not to be a burden!" Korutt said happily.

"If you want to take Korutt, far be it from me to stop you. Keep him safe, though, will you?" Xamott asked her and he still sounded rather nervous.

To be fair, she didn't blame him for that. After all, they were all but strangers and he was entrusting one of his own with them without knowing how strong they were.

"We will most assuredly encounter sin eaters along the way," the Crystal Exarch said to her with a smile, "Though, with you in our company, they will be more a spectacle than a concern. See to your preparations, my friend. We will depart as soon as you are ready."

She didn't expect him to want to come along here, but she would be glad to have another set of eyes on the road should sin eaters attack.

"Seriously, though, take care of Korutt. Lad's weaker'n a pint of pisswater," Xamott said, not doing much for Korutt's confidence; who was now sulking.

After a few words of confidence for him to make up for that, Korutt cleared his throat and said, trying to hide some of the worry he was clearly feeling, "The Duerger's Tewel lies in a cave to the east. I'm ready when you are!"

So the three of them headed out together and at first the road was surprisingly quiet. At least, to most. She could feel her senses on high alert—even more sensitive than ever before. She felt as if every fiber of her being was suddenly pulled tightly as if they were bowstrings. Her entire body was feeling as if it was extra sensitive and so she was feeling usually venerable at this state.

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to pay attention, promising to get to that cave one way or another. 

They headed out as Korutt pointed the way and chirped up, "We'll keep to the road and head east. I'm in your hands!"

"It seems we have a fair distance to cover. Be on your guard for sin eaters," the Exarch said before, as if on que, a pair of eaters appeared from out of nowhere, causing Korutt to scream and tremble. 

"Speak of the devils..." the Exarch said as he pulled out his staff and held it aloft. “Claire, the one on the left is yours. See that Korutt comes to no harm."

They ran ahead together but split apart as they each drew the attention of a sin eater away from the other. She had fought so many of these things now that it was like second nature to get its attention. But all the while, she could not help but find her gaze drawn by the Exarch and watching how he fought. The spells that she had seen... the way that he was standing... they looked so similar to...? She blinked at that, realizing that his stance was just like her own. The spells that he was firing upon the sin eater weren't unlike the kind that were used in the Source. While she knew that magicks in this world looked very alike, there were subtle differences if one knew where to look. 

She brought down her eater before leaping over to help him with his and he moved exactly where he needed to be to make room for her blade—as if he knew just what she was about to do. 

She was impressed... if not a little baffled by how he knew that.

Once both eaters were dead, Korutt poked his head out from behind some nearby rocks and gasped at the sight of the two white creatures on the ground.

"Amazing! You two are really strong!" Korutt gasped.

Claire stepped ahead of them, just to make sure that there weren't any waiting in a possible ambush. But with her senses now extra sharp right now, she could hear what they were both saying directly behind her despite being a fair distance ahead of them.

"Ah heh... It may interest you to know that Claire is a great hero in the land whence she hails. Some would say the greatest," the Exarch was telling Korutt.

"Really?" Korutt gasped before he called out to her, "Oh, you must have some stories to tell, Claire!"

Claire just smiled and waved back, pretending that she didn't hear what they just said while the Exarch chuckled.

"That she does," she heard the Exarch went on, neither of them aware she could pick up every word, "Tales to impress and inspire you in turn. By all means, have her regale you with a few once our work is done."

He instantly fell silent when they drew up alongside her and they continued on together.

"Heh heh, I can't wait!" Korutt said. 

Well, she would be sure to tell Korutt a few when this was over as her way of thanking him for his help. But the Exarch...? How had he come to know so many more stories than what she had already told him about? How did he come to know about her anyway? How did he know how to summon her from the Source? Could it be that he discovered her through the tower...? It seemed too simple to be true, but there was this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her that it could be possible.

She doubted she would have survived this long if she didn't learn to listen to her instincts and right now they were telling her two things. 

First was that the tower somehow was involved in all of this…? 

While the second was...?

"Aaah! More of them!"

A few more sin eaters appeared, interrupting her thoughts, and the Exarch warned Korutt to stay behind them.

"B-But they're behind us too!" Korutt pointed out and Claire looked over her shoulder to see that he was right. There had to be at least half a dozen sin eaters surrounding them at this point.

"Claire, focus on the enemy. I will protect our charge," the Exarch reassured her and she felt herself relax softly in the knowledge that she would be able to focus more on the fight.

She had her hands full drawing their attention onto her as the Exarch connected himself to Korutt with an aether rope to protect him.

"Phew..." Korutt sighed in relief as the last of the eaters dropped dead after she pierced its scaly hide. "I don't know much about fighting, but you two make a great team!"

"Claire is a team onto herself," the Exarch explained politely, and she was starting to think that her face would forever remain pink from all the praise, "I merely follow her lead."

"Well, it looks like you've been doing this for years to me!" Korutt pointed out.

It did, didn't it? That was a very good point and she found herself wondering how much was he watching her before she came here?

But at the statement, the Exarch seemed suddenly nervous and cleared his throat shakily, when he stammered slightly, "...Is that so? I...I shall take that as a compliment."

"Um...did I say the wrong thing?" Korutt asked in worry.

"Not at all," the Exarch reassured him with a wave of his hand, "Your words are most heartening. Indeed, I feel like a young man again."

"You talk as if you're old! How long have you two known each other, anyway?" Korutt asked.

"Yes," Claire asked him, also politely curious, "Remind me, how long has it been?"

It seemed that he was regretting speaking, but Claire's insides were burning to learn. It just felt that while he knew so much about her and she was frustrated by not knowing anymore about him than when she first arrived.

"Well..." he began, clearly straining to think of some kind of excuse, but that was quickly forgotten when two larger sin eaters that resembled warriors with magnificent wings and glowing blades lunged at them with a small army of eaters behind them.

The eaters were far too close to Amity for comfort and they decided to slay them all as quickly as possible before their attention was focused elsewhere.

Korutt seemed torn between looking on in awe and trembling with terror so he compromised by leading the way again by stuttering horribly. They crossed over the small hill and in the distance underneath the shade of Mt. Gulg, she could see the entrance to a cave.

“Ah, I believe I see it," the Exarch said before eaters appeared right in front of them, causing poor Korutt to cry out in terror.

"It appears we are surrounded..." the Exarch sighed as they looked around, knowing that this may take awhile. “Fortunately, I have a little trick for such occasions. Claire, draw them in!"

Claire gazed at him and she saw the playful smirk on his lips as she suddenly realized what he was planning. So she smirked as she ran out ahead and they flocked right to her. Once she drew them all together in one group, she could sense the power of the aether that was gathering behind her. The Exarch was preparing for a one hit so all she had to do was keep them in one place as he finished charging his spell. 

She then heard him cry out her name and she instinctively leapt back just as meteors fell upon the eaters and the blast was enough to finish off the weakened eaters all at once. Now that was impressive. But the sin eaters weren’t done with them yet… they were still coming, wave after wave.

“One last push, then,” the Exarch said to her, “Shall we, Claire?”

She smirked as her hands gripped the sword, causing her to wince slightly at the aching in her fingers. With Korutt cheering behind them they ran in and she felt it again—a sense of déjà vu. Oh, she just wanted to beat her head in for not being able to figure this all out on her own. She managed to keep the eaters all focused upon her for the most part but it was hard since they seemed like they weren’t sure to go for at first and she had trouble figuring out who’s feathered limbs she was cutting off. Nor did it help when another wave came out when she took care of the first one. Their attacks were unpredictable but the Exarch seemed to be on top of things since her own skills felt dull at the moment.

Once this lot was taken care of though, the largest sin eater yet came lumbering out of nowhere. It charged at the Exarch, who was flung backwards. But as the eater went for Korutt, the Exarch used the aether rope to pull the boy to him and out of harm’s way as she made sure to draw the beast away from them. It seems that the commotion they caused drew this one out of hiding.

She was panting hard at this point, the pain in her chest growing with every eater until the light suddenly felt like it slammed into her chest just as the eater roared out and she fell to knees. She fought to keep the scream inside; trying to get up but she couldn’t not with that violent burst of pain that wracked her insides making it feel like her very organs were being burned.

Not again… pain wracked her body and she could not move. Not now.

"Your tale will not end here!" the Exarch cried and she felt him heal her so that she could stand as the sin eater charged straight at her. She was gritting her teeth so hard that she was sure she cracked a few. But she was grateful that he made it in time and helped her to withstand that until she could find her footing again. She made sure that sin eater would never get the chance to try that move again before they were finally able to move on to the cave’s entrance.

“Are you alright?” the Exarch asked her in worry as they ran alongside each other.

“I’ll… I’ll live,” she reassured him, her hand over her chest. “I don’t know what came over me back there.”

Oh, she knew what it was... it was the Light again. Why it chose that moment to rise up, she did not know. But she beat it down as best she could, feeling drained and knew that she would be bruised for this. Still, she reassured him as best as she could that she could keep going. She must may have to move a little more carefully from now on.

He hesitated for a moment, but nodded in understanding as they moved on to the front entrance of the cave.

"'Twas a near thing in the end, but what matters is that we pulled through. Well fought, my friend," was all he could say, and she was glad he let the matter drop.

"Thanks to you," she said and she grinned and this time it was his cheeks and nose that were stained red—the parts she could see anyway—and he cleared his throat as Korutt came out of hiding.

“We’re alive! We’re allllive!” Korutt sang. “Let’s hurry inside before any more sin eaters come!”

Sounded like a welcomed relief to her and so he began to lead them through the darkened tunnels. Though she remembered what they said about how the Goggs didn't allow anyone else through, she thought that Korutt didn't seem to worry about finding his way... causing her to suspect that this wasn't the first time he visited here.

She liked a good trouble-maker.

They followed it through until they came out into a wide opening and she suddenly couldn’t breathe. She covered her mouth and nose as a truly ghastly odor attacked her already tense senses.

"If the terrain and─<cough>─stench are any indication, we are at the tewel," the Exarch wheezed.

But Korutt didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by this as he moved to the front and gazed around. Ok, maybe now she could see why the dwarves were always wearing helms as he seemed to be on the lookout.

"Ah! There!" Korutt cried in a loud whisper to a short distance away and she looked passed the wall to see a group of dwarves all sitting around campfires, "The Goggs! With their ugly, unkempt beards!"

They looked like dwarves to her. Perhaps with a little more dirt on their clothes from the mines and their heads were covered with turbans rather than helms—though the effect of their faces being kept hidden was the same—they didn't look too different from the Throlls.

"If they realize we're here, they'll come after us. Best to take them down first!" Korutt said a little too eagerly.

"Be not so hasty, Korutt," the Exarch said quickly, "The animosity between your two clans notwithstanding, I would not resort to violence unless necessary. I will use an enchantment to render you invisible. It will not fool sin eaters, but it will suffice to hide you from the eyes of men. While you are thus concealed, do you think you could find us the earthseed?"

"Aye," Korutt said confidently, giving them another thumbs up, "I'll dig up the choicest stuff there is!"

"We would be much obliged. Without further ado, then..." the Exarch said as he pulled his staff around and she watched as he used one of his vanishing spells and Korutt disappeared completely from sight.

"Hah," she heard Korutt's voice speak up impressed, "I can see straight through me! Right, a-digging we will go!"

She heard the patter of his footsteps as he left them and the Exarch turned back to her.

"Let us not be idle either," he said, before she could ask him how else they could help. "Though Korutt cannot be seen, he may still be heard. I would aid him by removing some few Goggs from the field. To that end..." He reached to his belt and she watched as he pulled out a small sack and held it out to her. 

She recognized it as soon as she opened the small drawstring pouch and spotted the twinkling violet-colored dust inside.

"Dream powder," he explained, "As you may recall, we used it for the rescue mission at Laxan Loft."

"We used it in Eulmore too," she explained.

"Truly?" he asked in surprise, "It seems our alchemists got a little carried away with the latest batch... But if it has been useful in our endeavors, then I have no cause to complain. Now then, I shall make you invisible as well, that you might steal close to the dwarves and give them a dose of dream powder. Even should it fail to put them to sleep outright, it should render them drowsy enough to seek their beds. Say the word, and I will cast the enchantment."

She nodded as she stood still and waited for him to finish his spell; once she vanished from sight she was off. It wasn't at all hard to sneak up on the dwarves... they were a pretty boisterous lot and so they didn't hear her footsteps as she approached them. She made sure only to use a little so that they didn't drop right then and there and be left open for any possible wild beasts or eaters... but just enough to make them sleepy and they left to return home and their beds. 

After going around to them all, she tucked the sack into her armor as returned to the Exarch just as the spell wore off.

"All the dwarves have taken their leave. Good work, my friend," he said, "We have done all that we can. Let us await Korutt's return."

At that, they stood off to the side and waited patiently for Korutt to return. She, meanwhile, took this time to rest and feel how her aching body was trying itself together from the parts that felt like were torn when the light threw itself against her to try and break out. She was sore all over and her fingers were especially painful so that just trying to grip a sword was making it feel like needles were digging in.

"Are you feeling alright, my friend?" he asked her, and she felt his concerned eyes upon her.

She forced a nod but she was gripping her front. It hurt. It hurt very much.

He looked like he wanted to help, but wasn't sure how best to do that. Instead, he decided to go about telling her what he knew of these lands and how the few times that he had seen in during his many years here. 

It was a distraction, but a welcomed one, and she was able to focus on listening as she was afforded the chance to rest.

After a good while, just as she was wondering how Korutt was fairing, she heard his heavy breath and there he appeared over the rise.

"I'm back!" he said happily and plopped down a sack full of glittering green ore that sparkled like pieces of gemstones were embedded here and there along the rough rock. The sack was almost as large as he was, but he heaved it over proudly before dusting off his hands as he said, "This is the purest stuff there is. Think it's enough, or shall I go and dig up some more?"

"I daresay it will suffice for our purposes. You have our gratitude, Korutt," the Exarch said gratefully, "Let us carry this back to...to..."

But before he could finish, he suddenly staggered and almost fell over. She immediately reacted, reaching out and he clung onto her for a moment as he caught his breath. It seemed that she wasn't the only one here who had been pushing herself lately.

He gave a shaky cough as she helped steady him until he could catch his breath.

"Are you all right!?" Korutt gasped fretfully.

After he finished a mild coughing fit, the Exarch took a deep breath and gave his head a shake before reassuring them both, "...Worry not, I shall be fine. Long as I have been away from the Crystarium, a little weakness is to be expected,"

He sounded winded, but there was also some frustration there as he added, "I may have also overexerted myself in the moment. Ah, to have this rare opportunity yet be unable to enjoy it to the full..."

Rare opportunity? She could only assume he meant leaving the tower and so she continued to help support him until he could regain his footing. 

He was just reassuring her this time that he was well when another voice spoke up.

"Who goes there?!"

They turned around to find another dwarf, one of the Goggs, standing there with his arms folded.

"Uwaaah! Th-That's Glagg, chief of the Goggs!" Korutt cried in fear.

Really? And she thought being able to tell moogles apart was hard. She simply must know how they were able to do it.

"You!" Glagg yelled back, "You're one of the Tholls! I see, I see... Word was our miners were comin' back drowsy, one after the next. I immediately suspected foul play... And what should I find here but Tholl scum skulkin' about! It's a spineless act befittin' your limp beards!"

"What!?" Korutt shouted back, anger quickly replacing fear, "I won't stand for that insult! Our beards are soft and luscious and smell like freshly tapped ale! Gogg beards are dry and crusty and smell like a knocker's arse!"

Well, at least their insults were creative. Though she couldn't see why they hated each other so much; one couldn't deny that this was incredibly funny to watch.

"Impudent whelp! Better a hobgoblin's nose hairs than the feeble, floppy things you Tholls have hangin' from your faces!" Glagg yelled back and it looked like it was about to break into a full fist fight at that moment.

"Like oil and water... This is not like to end of its own accord," the Exarch said in amusement, before asking her in a quieter voice, "Claire, do you perchance have some dream powder left?"

She sighed, understanding at once, and she had to admit that she did have a tiny amount left over.

"But this was beginning to get interesting..." she said in disappointment.

"Worry not, my friend," he reassured her as she handed the small pouch over to him, "Something tells me you'll have ample opportunity later to witness their bickering. For now, however, we should be on our way."

So, sadly, she watched as he threw what was left of the dream powder on Glagg's head and with one last swear, Glagg dropped head-first into the dirt and began snoring.

Korutt took a step back, startled at what just happened and then slowly looked up at him, as if he had forgotten that they were there.

"Forgive me, Korutt, but we need you to be calm as well," the Exarch said calmly with a shrug.

"I-I'm sorry... It's just, when it comes to the Goggs, I can't help but see red..." Korutt said, suddenly meek again.

"You needn't apologize, my friend. You are here on our account, and we have naught but gratitude for you," the Exarch reassured him, "Now that we have what we came for, however, it is time to take our leave. The Talos awaits its heart!"

"I'm glad I could be of help! If you need any more earthseed, just let me know!" Korutt said happily, sounding truly proud of himself for helping out with something so important.

The Exarch gave a contented humming sound before looking back to her.

"Well, my friend, much as I have enjoyed our time together, I think it best we split up, that we might accomplish our tasks more swiftly," he offered, "I shall see the earthseed safely into the hands of Chai-Nuzz. While I am thus employed, would you be so good as to deliver Korutt back to Tomra?"

She nodded, promising him to see him safely back.

"My thanks, Claire," he said, "Brief though it was, 'twas an honor to go adventuring with you. I shall see you back in Amity."

"You sure you'll be alright?" she asked him as he retreated the heavy-looking sack.

But he was insistent and promised that he would be careful on the way back. He just asked that she see Korutt back safely to Tomra and to thank Chief Xamott for him.

She nodded as the three of them stepped over the sleeping Glagg, after moving him off to the side so that he would be hidden, and let him continue to snore loudly. Korutt seemed irritated at this, but he didn’t say anything as the three of them made it to the cave’s entrance and headed their separate ways.

She was on high alert the whole way back to Tomra, with Korutt walking so close to her that more than once he ended up bumping into her legs. But they didn't need to worry. The way was remarkably clear of those white horrors and they made it back to Tomra without a scratch.

"Phew! Not a single brush with death! Thanks for coming back with me!" Korutt said happily to her as Xamott spotted them and immediately went over to greet them.

"Lali-ho! Glad you're back, and in one piece! How did you fare with the earthseed, then?" Xamott asked.

Korutt stood with his head held high as he declared, "I got them all they needed! The Exarch's on his way to Amity with it now!"

"Good to hear that young Korutt was of help. As it happens, a few others came forward while you were gone sayin' they wanted to do their bit as well," Chef Xamott said, giving Korutt a clap on the shoulder. He then looked up at her and added, "Given that you're buildin' a Talos, we reckoned you'd be needin' some minin' tools. So we went and modified our spare pickaxes for use by bigger folk."

And to her surprise, he showed her the way to some pickaxes that had looked like had been modified from much smaller axes into sizes that would be easier for other races to handle.

"Here, take these with you. Should be plenty to go 'round," he explained, "From what our scouts tell me, there's a crowd gathered at Top Rung already. Go and see that everyone has a pickaxe to swing, eh? We did the folk of Amity a kind turn in case we needed a kind turn ourselves one day. Can't say as I expected things to pan out like they have, but I don't regret makin' friends!"

"This is just the start!" Korutt added excitedly, "I'm going to go and see what else I can do!"

And they needed it for it turned out that there was so much more work that needed to be done than anyone first anticipated. This was clear when she took the tools back to Top Rung where people were already gathering.

Most she recognized as citizens of both Eulmore and the Crystarium, though she didn't know them by name. But all here were ready to start working and were being led off in different directions to get to work. Those who weren’t going to be doing the digging were to stand guard and watch out for any sin eaters and there was nary a complaint from anyone as they rolled up their sleeves and headed off with their pickaxes.

But there were still plenty of people she did recognize such as Magnus, Thaff, and Jeryk. It turned out that Guthjon and many other miners were already here but they couldn’t wait any longer to start digging and ran off to help while the rest of them waited for tools. And aside from Jeryk bemoaning the idea that they weren’t going to have a giant trolley to go with the Talos, they were thrilled with the tools she brought them as they set off immediately afterwards.

She also spotted Kai-Shirr,who was leading a group from Eulmore, including the servant she helped out before—and he proudly stated that he was willing to work twice as hard for both himself and his mistress back in the city. Irvithe was among this group as well and was now all but aching to get to work once she handed the tools over to them.

Meanwhile, Rhon Ron and many other Mord also showed up with a few carers from the Inn, who excitedly told her how after the night had been restored in Amh Araeng, the transformation had halted in each of the patients. The carer explained that Alisaie came to get them, stating that all who believed in the Warrior of Darkness were welcomed to come and help and so they spared as many as they could to come here and assist in any way that they could now that it was clear that the Warrior of Darkness was more than just a fairy tale.

"I too have great respect for the Warrior of Darkness! When we meet, I'll be sure to treat them to a nice, plump worm!" Rhon Ron said.

Hopefully he won't ever learn who that someone is because her stomach still ached at the memory of his... cuisine. 

By the time she handed out the tools to everyone here, Alisaie had spotted her and shook her head when she saw her passing out the pickaxes.

"Honestly, Claire, you can already slay gods. You could at least have left the uncanny sense of timing for one of us. It's greedy is what it is,” Alisaie laughed. But she was beaming at her as she ran off to join the soldiers to stand guard over the volunteers while Alphinaud suggested that she accompany him back to Amity to meet up with Y’shtola who was overseeing those who would imbue the Talos with magicks.

They arrived back in Amity, where no small amount of the Nights Blessed have made the journey here from the Greatwood, as well as a fraction of the Crystarium Guard who were gifted in magicks were already at work.

Runar was also there and he was standing off to the side, looking through a bowl of some stones when she approached. He greeted Claire warmly, telling her that they came when they learned of this, including a few mages from Fanow, who were given temporary permission to leave the woods so that they may also join in on this expedition.

At the sound of Claire’s name, Y'shtola gazed up to see her there.

"Ah, good of you to join us. I'm pleased to say we have gathered ample help for the imbuing," their own Master Matoya said, "With Master Chai in the process of finalizing his design, I have taken the liberty of dispatching all hands to their positions."

Indeed, just besides them at a makeshift worktable stood Master Chai as he went over papers of half drawn blueprints, plenty of the parts having been crossed out or torn up as well as hastily scribbled calculations littering across the strewn papers showed just how stressed he was trying to come up with the design. Still, the latest one that he was working on seemed to have meet with his approval—or at least it wasn't as hastily drawn as the rest of his designs and he was finishing rolling it up when he heard his name and glared over at Y'shtola.

"You hurtle along as though I have my house in order, but quite frankly this is the most disorganized mess of a project I've ever overseen!" he grumbled, "And I haven't spent nearly as much time as I would like on my calculations!"

"So thou hast proclaimed loudly and frequently, Master Chai," Urianger reminded him patiently, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere besides Alphinaud, "Yet from my perspective ─ a layman's though it may be ─ haste notwithstanding, thou hast gone to great lengths, abiding by proven methodology, to ensure the integrity of thy design."

Chai-Nuzz looked away, as if he was trying hard not to be too pleased with himself.

"Aye, well, that's just the bare minimum that's expected of us at the Stoneworks. Though our glory days are behind us, I've not forgotten our time-honored traditions," he grumbled. "Ah, but I should mention that the Exarch delivered the ore I asked for. Earthseed, I believe he called it. In that quantity, I believe we can fashion a suitable heart for the Talos. And then everything will be in readiness...or so I would like to say."

Oh no, not another problem. She braced herself for the worse as Alphinaud asked if there was a problem.

"In a Talos of, well, any reasonable size, a single heart will serve to circulate aether throughout the chassis," Chai-Nuzz explained, "But given the unprecedented proportions of that which we seek to build, I doubt that will be the case. By installing smaller peripheral hearts at intervals, I believe that we can maintain a stable aether flow, thereby solving the problem. However, we don't have enough ore for this purpose. Naught for it but to procure more, I suppose..."

But Y'shtola seemed ready for this as she called Runar over and showed them the full of different types of stones.

Claire already suspected what they were as Urianger looked over them with interest and asked, "I say, are these not heartstones?" 

"They are," Runar confirmed, "The most prized possession of we of the Night's Blessed. And these belonged to our kindred who have left us."

"Immersed in water imbued with fervent prayer, these stones harbor no small amount of magic," Y'shtola explained for the rest of them, "And we may imbue them with yet more prior to their installation on the Talos. What think you?"

Chai-Nuzz examined them before muttering thoughtfully, "Being from a different region, these cannot be used for the main heart. The peripheral ones, on the other hand..."

He thought it all over before looking up and confirming, "Aye, I believe they will serve."

"Excellent," Runar said eagerly, and while she was glad to see that they had a solution ready for this, she was a little worried, knowing how important these stones were to the Night's Blessed.

Runar looked at her, as if guessing what she was thinking, and reassured her, "When Master Matoya spoke to us of the role we are to play, the heartstones immediately came to mind. Of course, before bringing them with me, I made certain to consult my fellows first. After all, the stones bear the precious lives of those who have gone to the sunless sea. But we have now beheld the sunless sea with our very own eyes, and by the gentle lights that glimmer on high, we know that there is peace beyond. Thus are we also at peace. If our heartstones may serve to restore night to all the world, gladly do we give them."

Y'shtola then looked smugly at Chai-Nuzz and asked, "So, Master Chai. If you could instruct us how to distribute the heartstones?"

He looked taken aback but already he was making marks on his design where best to distribute the stones while Y'shtola surprised Claire by asking her to imbue one with aether as well—for luck.

Not sure why she would ask that, but she agreed, stepping towards the table to find a familiar-looking piece of jade sitting there.

"Rest assured it is not difficult. Simply raise your hand and focus as you would when attuning to an aetheryte," Y'shtola instructed and she did what she asked. As soon as she reached out and touched the stone though, it began to glow faintly and she could feel the slight pulse inside it, almost like a fragile heartbeat.

"That will do. Thank you, Claire," Y'shtola said kindly as she lowered her hand. "If this heartstone appears familiar, it is because it belonged to Toddia."

She stared at her, her eyes widening slightly. That same little girl who was such a strong believer in the Warrior of Darkness? She lowered her head, and that blush was back as Y'shtola smiled at it, and Claire wondered if she could sense her embarrassment.

"It bears the collective hope of the Night's Blessed ─ the hope that none shall ever again be sacrificed to sin eaters," she explained softly and Claire was wondering why this little stone was causing such a surge of emotions in her—perhaps just an aftereffect of the stress she was under.

Either way, she was... truly touched.

Thankfully, Y'shtola didn't press her as Chai-Nuzz already was figuring out the best spots where the stones would be needed and Y'shtola was set about to work once he was finished. Alphinaud, meanwhile decided that he would help oversee the stones and would be there to assist with adding the magic to the Talos.

He turned to her and she could see the eagerness in his eyes.

"When the Talos awakens and the way to Mt. Gulg is secured, we shall sally forth," Alphinaud said to her, "It promises to be a trying climb, so take what rest you can in the meantime. We will see you soon."

He hugged her very tightly before he headed off, leaving just her with Y'shtola and Urianger. Urianger excused himself, also planning to follow him—but that was when Y'shtola spoke up.

"A moment, Urianger," she said and Claire looked at her in surprise at her tone as Urianger seemed to freeze where he stood. Y'shtola's eyes narrowed as she glared at him and warned, "You said that you would have measures ready in the event that our friend fails to contain the Light. Do you?"

Claire looked between the two of them, suddenly feeling the air around them dip slightly to cold... perhaps this was just from the frigid expression that Y'shtola was giving Urianger.

Urianger seemed to need a second before he was able to turn back and face her. His face held no emotion as he insisted, "Be assured that I do. All which I require lieth in this land.”

"So... what's the plan exactly?" Claire asked softly and he turned back to her. She could see the regret in his eyes and he seemed to be struggling internally within himself. As if he was torn between telling her the plan or not.

"To my deepest regret, I cannot reveal the plan to thee," he finally said, "In order for it to succeed, 'tis vital that thou remainest ignorant of its nature until the time is right. Yet though I may thus keep my counsel, know that I have only thy safety at heart."

Why though? Why was it so important for her not to be aware of this? Why was he so determined to keep her in the dark? Could it be that he was afraid that she would ruin it if she did know? But...? Why? Sure she wasn't some learned scholar like he was but she couldn't be that ignorant as to mess it up... was she?

The look he was giving her... he truly seemed like he lamented his answer. His head was now lowered and his eyes were to the ground as if he suddenly couldn't bear looking at her. 

She wanted to ask, to demand answers...? But she remembered all the help he had given her and the others. How he willing fought alongside her to help her through these battles with the Lightwardens. She remembered too of how he went behind their back with the Warriors of Darkness but she could at least understood why he did it. 

Despite all that he had still been on their side. 

She thought it all over and found her answer.

She took a deep breath and said simply, "I trust you, Urianger.”

There was guilt there but when she saw the relieved smile in his face, she wondered if perhaps she was just mistaken. She hoped that was the case.

"And I swear to thee that thy trust is not misplaced," he vowed, "As ardently as I pray for the preservation of this world, so too do I pray for thy safety. So rest easy, my friend, and take such ease as thou mayest, the better to be ready for the trials to come."

He seemed to have found his second wind all of a sudden and gave her a deep bow before he left them. 

She and Y’shtola looked at each other and she shrugged. 

"What is this about?" Claire asked worriedly and she sighed.

"As I told you before, there is a Light inside you and if we don't do something then it could break out at any moment," Y'shtola reminded her. She looked down and finished, "Over these last couple weeks I have been searching for an alternate means to contain the light should it prove to be too much to handle for you. But sadly, I have yet to find any worthwhile answers. Urianger, however, claims that he has a plan in place... but what is frustrating is that he refuses to share it with any of us. And that is... worrying. After all, how are we to support him if we don't know what is happening?"

Claire looked after Urianger, whose back was to them, and worry was still in hear heart.

Perhaps Y'shtola sensed this as she stepped up next to him.

"I have known him for much longer than you," she said sadly, "Even so, there are days I struggle to understand him. But know that I do believe that he means well. I want to trust him, I do, but asking someone to trust you without giving any answers in return is much to ask someone. I just wish I understood why he feels the need to not involve us."

She had no answers. 

Claire meant what she said when she said she trusted him. But she also understood where Y'shtola was coming from completely. 

Hopefully this would all be over soon and she would be strong enough to contain the light... even though the idea of adding more to what was inside her was repulsive. It felt like something living was living inside her... coiling up like a serpent and was waiting for the chance to break free.

She gave her head a hard shake, keeping her guard up as Y'shtola left as well. 

She went to Chai-Nuzz just to see if there was anything else that needed done. He reassured her that the rock for it was already being laid out but it may take some time to reach that point since the pieces were so large. But he was now confident that it would only be a matter of time. In the meantime he suggested that she go and get some rest. Even telling her that she could join the Exarch and his wife in the tavern.

She agreed and made to turn, but as she did so he suddenly coughed and asked, "Oh, and Claire?" she paused and looked back as he looked embarrassed as he muttered, "Thank you."

She blinked once, but just smiled back before she went off to the tavern. Dulia-Chai was there, sipping quietly on a cup of tea as she greeted her. But as she looked around, her friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is the Exarch?" she asked politely, having not seen him since he left with the Earthseed earlier.

"...The Exarch? He went outside a moment ago, my dear. I would've thought you'd have seen him," Dulia-Chai answered, suddenly looking worried, "He kept me company for a short while, but then he came over rather pale. He's clearly been straining himself, the poor thing. Anyway, he excused himself, saying that he needed a breath of fresh air. Weak as he looked, I did offer to go with him, but he assured me he would be fine. I do hope he's all right..."

She wasn't the only one. 

While she didn't fully understand just how they were connected, she knew that the Exarch was growing weaker now that he was so far from the tower. While he didn't say anything, she feared that he may be hiding how hard this was on him.

She reassured Dulia that she would see if she could find him.

She travelled to the south of here, keeping an eye out for a spot of crystal in this rather dead-looking area, but so far she spotted no signs of him. She ventured closer to the cliff side, wondering what had happened but then paused to think. If it were her, where would she go? Well, she would go to the furthest part that she could go and get a good look at the ocean if she wanted to get 'a breath of respite' she supposed and decided that it wouldn't hurt to at least check it out. 

The farthest set of the land was the cliff that seemed to point out directly all of Kholusia and from here she could see windmills turning from down below and Eulmore in the distance—for once that loud music having died down and leaving everything eerily quiet.

At first it looked like she had been wrong... but as she came out level with some boulders, she spotted a flash of red and stepped around the rocks to find the Exarch on the ground with his back up against the rocks, fast asleep. 

“Exarch?” she asked as she crouched down next to him. At the sound of his name he stirred and slowly raised his head and looked at her with what she would imagine would be sleepy eyes. He was gazing at her… but not really seeing her as he seemed to be coming back to the waking world. She made to ask if he would not be more comfortable resting at Amity when he spoke.

“The future is where my destiny awaits,” he sighed sleepily.

She stared at him as a distant memory awoke somewhere within her mind.

“What did you say?” she asked quietly.

He then let out a startled gasp, as if he was suddenly terrified of her and gave his head a hard shake much like how a dog would when drying themselves off.

“Forgive me, I was… lost in a dream,” he said, trying to relax but she could see how what he said seemed to cause some alarm. “I needed some fresh air, and thought to rest for a moment. It would seem I am more fatigued than I realized.”

She just stared at him. No, there was no way this could be a conscience. But then why…?

She beat those feelings down, knowing that no was not the time. Suddenly, he looked down and though she could see a smile upon his lips, there was a sadness in his voice.

“Too much time away from the tower, I fear,” he confessed, “It drains me—leaves my body frail and weak. Though, in truth, it is debatable whether I can still call this my body…”

She stared on, not understanding as he slowly raised up his right arm, the crystalized one, and looked at it, watching how the light reflected upon the glittering limb.

“When first I turned my mind towards the salvation of the world, I came to the conclusion that it would take many long years,” he explained to her, “Many more than remained to me. And so I made myself one with the Crystal Tower, that I might live indefinitely. I am but an extension of it now. Hence my weakness the farther I travel, and the longer I am away.”

Though she never heard him complain about it and he answered without any dislike in his voice, she wondered if he secretly hated it. Hated what had become of his body. Strangely though, she always thought that arm was beautiful.

She didn't say that though as he was now looking up to the sky and added thoughtfully, “It has been quite a journey. But thanks to you, the end is in sight. My wish will finally be fulfilled.” 

There was silence between them as he then turned his attention back to her and asked about the construction effort. She stood and told him everything that was happening and that it would soon be completed, as well as informing him that all that was left was to finish putting it all together.

“Then this may be the last moment we have to ourselves for a while,” he said in gladness, “Come, sit with me.”

She move just out of arm’s length of each other, not sure if he minded the space, as she sat at his side and enjoyed the breeze from the wind. 

But she could see him watching her out of the corner of her eye. And when she gazed back at him he asked, “Tell me. When all of this is over, what will you do?”

That was a good question. Normally, she was able to find something to keep her busy but in reality whenever she felt that she was allowed to take a break the world needed saving again. But she was now really, really hoping for at least a slight break from this time. 

“Rest awhile,” she suggested, and maybe thanks to the time difference, she could spend her time here?

“That would be well deserved,” he said approvingly, “You might consider roaming Norvrandt not as her savior, but as a simple sightseer. Viewed through such eyes, I am certain she would seem quite different.”

That sounded like a lot of fun. Though she had all but seen practically all of Norvrandt at this point...? She smiled back as he looked to the sky again.

“But whatever it is you decide to do, I have every confidence that you will do well,” he said, “For you have the strength to forge your own path. You will leave countless lives better than you found them, and the souls you touch will never forget your kindness. Then, in trying times, when you question your worth and your choices, they will raise their voices to remind you of the difference you have made. And thus will your deeds come to affirm your path. Remember this.”

He seemed so confident about this. He had been praising her since they first met and she honestly didn’t think she deserved all that.

Rather than answer anything to that, she burned with curiosity to know more about him. And so she asked, “What will you do when this is over?”

He seemed surprised by her question, as if he never gave it any thought.

“When this is over… indeed…” he said thoughtfully as she waited for an answer. “I once told you that there are things we can ill afford to lose. ‘Things,’ I said, though in truth I spoke of a person. One who is unaware of the full extent of my plans. Though she deserves to know, I have good reason to keep my counsel. I have come to terms with this in my mind, yet my heart yearns to lay everything bare. For she is my inspiration, and I would give much and more for the chance to speak with her as friends, with no thought of concealment. Should she indulge me with her tales, I would regale her with my own—about my efforts in Norvrandt, perhaps.”

That was the first time she heard about this friend of his. She was generally inquisitive now about who he was talking about. Whoever this friend of his was, it was clear that he thought the world of her.

He then smirked and added, turning to her again, “Though… ultimately, that tale is more yours than it is mine.”

He didn’t give himself enough credit. She would love to hear some of the stories he must surely have about this world.

She beamed back as he seemed to be radiating contentment when he turned his attention to the ocean in the distance and as he next spoke, he sounded much happier… like a much younger man. “Then… I would ask her about her next adventure. And if she should wish me to be a part of it, oh… how happy it would make me.”

And then he was off.

“Together, we would travel the lands and cross the seas and take to the skies upon the eternal wind…” he sighed longingly, “My heart swells simply to imagine it.”

The wistfulness rang out clearly as he spoke his deepest desires and she had the impression that he had been dreaming of this for a long time and was so happy now that he had a chance to see that dream completed? Oh, it caused her heart to warm at the sight of the joy that was there.

It was obvious he wanted continue speak, yet it seemed that he realized that maybe now wasn’t the time. Or perhaps something distracted him within his own mind that caused him to pause. Still, that moment was enough for him to fall silent and change the subject. He stood up, telling her, “But all of this is contingent upon our victory in the coming battle.”

Claire quickly got up and followed him as they walked around the boulders and got a good look at Mt. Gulg still hovering over them ominously in the distnace.

“The people of this world have entrusted their hopes to us. We cannot fail them,” he said, before adding in a much quieter voice, “Nor those who rouse me from my slumber.”

She looked to him as the joy seemed to fade away with each passing second.

“Thank you for your company, my friend,” he told her, “Let us return to Amity.”

He took a few steps ahead before realizing that she wasn’t following him and he paused to look back. “What is it?” he asked and she wasn’t sure how best to describe how she was feeling or what was troubling her.

“It’s just that… you’re scaring me, you make it sound like you’re planning on something happening to you?” she pointed out.

He seemed taken aback by her words as he turned fully around to face her.

“Now, I know how it may seem, but you need not worry about me,” he reassured her. “I still have much and more that I must make up to you and the others before something like that happens. Returning your friends all back to the Source, for starters.”

“I know that,” she whispered, “And I want to believe you… but…?”

She looked down.

“You don’t trust me?” he asked her knowingly though there wasn’t any anger there in his tone.

“I do… and I don’t…” she answered back truthfully. “I believe that you truly mean what you say when you wished to save this world. But… I can’t help but feel that you aren’t telling me everything. That is a lot to ask someone… and for me to ask you to trust me to get the job done as well.”

"But I do trust you," he said without any doubt there.

"But why?" she asked, shaking her head slightly, "You barely know me. Or rather... I barely know you. How do you know so much about me anyway?"

"Study," he answered simply.

She arched an eyebrow as he sighed and looked down.

"As I was seeking for a way to save this world... I knew that none left here would have the potential to be able to do it," he confessed. "Save for the Oracle, none had the power to be able to face a Lightwarden without fear of their touch. So, I reached out to other worlds. And, in time, I saw your image appear in the mirror and I knew that I found my answer."

She looked down, not sure what to say to that. 

All of this for her?

"Close your eyes," he requested softly.

She tilted her head at him as he said, with another smile, "Trust me. Close your eyes and please don't open them until I ask."

She hesitated. But she did what he wished. Feeling foolish, she stood there with her eyes shut and waited as she heard a slight rustle of fabric.

"There," his voice said, "I have lowered my hood... you can see my face clearly if you were to look. But I ask that you wait for a moment before looking."

Truly? She could just open her eyes and look and she would be able to see his face?

She then felt his non-crystalline hand take her own and hold it gently.

"I know that you are a good person," he went on, "You are someone who is always looking for the best in others and that you wish to help others. It is part of your nature... it's who you are. And I know that I can trust you. That is why I am revealing myself but wishing that you trust me not to look... not yet."

"Then when?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound whiny.

"I know that what I ask is so much," he informed her. "And I understand your frustration. But you won't look even though the answer is right in front of you. You know why? Because I trust you and you never break promises like that."

...

Damn, he got her there.

She wasn't sure why, but his trust suddenly meant a lot to her and she didn't wish to do anything that could ruin that.

"Why must I remain in the dark?" she asked him quietly. "You and Urianger are planning something. I can tell. Why is it so important for me not to know? Am I just...?"

"My friend," he interrupted sadly and she could hear the regret there, "Were things different, I would tell you everything. But... know that there is a reason. A good reason why I cannot reveal it all now... but I swear that when this is over, you will know everything."

He was stalling. But his voice held some much sincerity... she wasn't sure what to believe. 

She always trusted her instincts and right now they were telling her that she could trust him... that he was a good person but all these secrets and half-truths... it was so frustrating. Especially now when all she had to do was open her eyes and she would get a look at what was beneath that hood.

But she could not do it. Try as she might, she could not bring herself to do it.

"This is the one thing that I must beg that you understand," he said, still in that same sad voice. "But please... if you can stand it a little longer... just until the final Lightwarden is defeated... I promise that you will come to understand everything. I have already asked much and more of you, but I must ask this once more. Will you place your trust in me until this is over?"

She was silent as she tried to think.

"You promise?" she asked quietly.

She then felt his lips press against her forehead.

“I promise,” he said quietly and she heard the fabric move again and he said that it was alright for her to open her eyes.

“I cannot help but feel as if I am being pranked here,” she said, finally looking at him again with the hood in place.

“Yes, I must confess that I was a bit of a troublemaker in my younger years,” he admitted with a chuckle. “But soon this will be over and we will be able to rest. Only one last battle remains standing between us and the First’s salvation.”

She let out a sigh but it was a fond one this time.

“I want to… and I find it hard to be able to say no to you…” she confessed exasperatedly and he laughed at that. She felt herself relax a little, knowing that he was right. They had a lot to deal with now. But she would hold it to him to give her answers after this last fight.

Her eyes suddenly fell upon a small patch of wildflowers that were growing from the shade of the boulders and she picked one. She spun the flower between her fingers as she recalled the last time that she stood upon a cliff like this one with another friend.

_“You don’t know any magic?” she asked in surprise._

_“Oh, just the basics,” he confessed as he held up his fingers, “And a few tricks… you know… to impress the ladies.”_

_And with a snap of his fingers, a daisy appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and she blinked in surprise as he held it out to her._

_“Friends?” he asked with a smile._

_She could not help but laugh as she took the flower and twirled it between her fingers as she informed him, “I don’t know if I should call you a gentleman… or a shameless flirt.”_

_He winked back, looking far happier than he did before and confessed, “I’ve been called worse. Besides, how can anyone resist when they find themselves in such good company?”_

She smiled affectionately at that memory before turning back to the Exarch and held the flower out to him.

“Friends?” she asked.

He was as still as a statue as he stared at her and at the flower… as if afraid of it. She stood there patiently, just waiting to see…?

He finally reached over to take it as he said, “How can I not accept it when I’m in such good company?”

At that line, her eyes widened a fraction.

“I just have one last question before we go,” she said and he paused again to look at her. “This special friend of yours? Who is she?”

He just smiled bad sadly.

“You will find out soon,” he answered, no longer looking at her. “Just know that she is… much loved by so many and more.”

He held out his hand, the non-crystalized one and finished, “Again though, you will have all your questions answered the moment the final Lightwarden is dead. So until then, come, my friend. It’s time we put an end to this eternal light.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So it looks like she is figuring it out but she isn't sure how it’s possible yet. The Exarch has complete trust in her and that's why he chose to show her but asks that she doesn’t look. She simply doesn't wish to break that trust because her instincts are telling her that he is someone who can be trusted. But things are coming to ahead now! I've been doing some careful calculations on how many more chapters I will be able to get out before 5.3, which is almost here! After looking over everything, I think that I will be able to get out two maybe three chapters before 5.3 comes out, but that's kinda pushing it. I will definitely be able to get out the next chapter which is facing the last Lightwarden. After that there will be a very special bonus chapter... and then back to the story where Claire will learn the whole truth of who the Exarch is. I will do my best to get those next three chapters out during the time that we have left before 5.3, though it won't surprise me if the bonus chapter takes a little longer since it's going to be centering around the Warriors of Darkness themselves. You'll see what I mean ;)
> 
> Also, one interesting bit of info…
> 
> A kiss on the forehead means: I care a lot about you or I will protect you. Some foreshadowing there if ever there was some.

**Author's Note:**

> (Hello everyone! How did you like the opening chapter? I had thought long and hard about how I wanted to open this story and I’m happy to see how well it turned out. Since we see so little of Tataru in the story, I wanted to add as much as I could with her in it. And I wanted to add just a hint of all that I did to prepare for Shadowbringers… but I know that nothing would have prepared me for the story that they had given it. Anyway, I think that this prologue is off to an amazing start! Claire had taken her first step into a new world and a new adventure. With so many friends at the borders, holding off Garleans, we didn’t have too many people there to wave us off and wish us luck. But with Stormblood behind us, the dark of night was now waiting for us ahead with new friends and allies… as well as some old ones. Claire is in for a rough time and her own thoughts don’t seem to be making anything better. But then again, who are we to deny Claire what she needs when she’s going through such a stressful time? The thing here though is that I’m not sure even Claire knows what she needs most right now? Her mind is distracted and it’s leading her down a spiral of troubling thoughts and a whirlwind of emotions that she may not be able to process. One thing’s for sure though, before this journey’s through, she’s going to be facing up to some real monsters… and I’m not talking about the kind she’s fighting. We all have our demons to face, but the Warrior of Darkness's are stronger than most.)


End file.
